It’s January 1, 2012. Happy New Year! Are your resolutions ready?

A handful of years ago, I half-seriously started coming up with resolutions. After 2 years of coming up with very little or nothing marked off my list, I took more interest in being more successful at writing the annual to-do list.

And…I did it! I embraced the annual tradition, I studied with gurus…just kidding. I just figured out the list had to be realistic and procrastination had to be curbed.

Here’s what you do for your own list and remember to K.I.S.S. (keep it simple, silly):

1.       Start with 3 items and start right away.

2.       Leave off the commonplace and generalizations. “Losing weight”, “getting organized”, “be nicer”, “stop smoking/drinking/procrastinating”, etc.

3.       Start small and be specific.  “Lose 3 lbs. this month”, “download C25K app”, “find 5 organization ideas this month”

4.       Do something for yourself with instant gratification.  “Have fresh cut flowers around the house” – go immediately to the market to pick them up, you can see and smell them, and do it again in 2 weeks. One item on the list – done!

5.       Finish off the first 3 items within 1-3 months and Start again!

When you’re confident you can come up with resolutions that are a little more ambitious, go ahead and stretch it out over 6 months or the full year. Good luck!

Here’s my list so far:

1.       Update my blog at least 1x per week.

2.       Keep Fresh Flowers around the house. (bringing back an oldie, but a goodie.)

3.       Start the C25K program this month. (I completed Day 1 already! My ultimate goal would be to run the entire Valentine’s Day Fun Run. If I don’t make it that run, I’ll find another before the year is out.)