During the past year, I have set a million goals for myself: I am going to get organized, I am going to play piano more, I am going to watch less TV, I am going to keep my house consistently clean, I am going to finish the scrapbook I started, I am going to learn sign language, I am going to do devotions regularly, I am going to work out more ... and that's honestly not even half of my random goals throughout the year.
So with New Year's having come and gone, I think it's about time to do something about the fact that I never accomplish any of my goals. The problem is a lack of discipline because of a lack of organization and accountability.
Solution: A planner.
This year, I am making a New Year's resolution for the first time. I don't generally make them because I make resolutions throughout the year to no avail (see above), so why would making one at the new year be any different? However, I'm hoping this one will be different. Why? Well, because I'm hoping this one thing will help me meet all of my other goals and any I might want to add later on by creating the necessary discipline and accountability.
So my New Year's resolution is to successfully use a planner. This means I will buy a planner ($4.85 at Barnes & Noble: Check), create a schedule for myself (Check) and follow through (After Day 1: Check-ish).I am hoping this planner will help keep me on track by creating that structure that was sorely lacking. Structure can be, in and of itself, a kind of accountability, at least to yourself. When it's 1 a.m. and I'm considering watching another episode of something, I now have a reason to say, "Nope, I have to go to bed because I have a plan for tomorrow." When it's 9:30 a.m. and I want to keep sleeping, even though I've had 8 hours of good rest, I now have a reason to say, "I gotta get up ... I'm on a schedule!"
Obviously, being beholden to a planner is easy to ignore. And if I let it happen, this whole thing could fall apart pretty quickly.
But these are all things I WANT to do, things I've been trying to make myself do for years without success. It turns out that saying, "Eh, I'll get to that tomorrow," every day means you never get to it. Who knew?
So I'm trying a new tack. There is a person I expect to be, someone who knows sign language and writes in her blog regularly and cleans her bathtub once a week. I can't be that person if I'm sitting around watching episodes of "Doctor Who" and "How I Met Your Mother" while playing around on Facebook all day while she says to herself, "I'm totally going to practice the piano tomorrow."
So it's time to get on with it, don't you think? Wish me luck!
"It takes an already-organized person to be able to successfully use a planner." -Hannah Assink, a friend from high school, and let's hope she's wrong!
