I love this time of year. It’s full of possibilities that can be thought about whilst still over-indulging. Hurrah!! The new priorities, the tighter waistline (oh irony), the tidy house, the better skin… the list of New Years Resolution ideas I have running around my head, would, if executed, make me nothing short of a domestic goddess (don’t panic, we both know that ain’t happening any time soon!).

New Years Resolution - 2015... to become a planner!!

2015 New Years Resolution

You must be sick of me banging on about my resolutions by now but I genuinely LOVE making New Years Resolutions. I love thinking back over the year (here are last year’s resolutions), analysing my resolutions; what worked, what didn’t work, what have I learnt from the process about myself, how can I do better next year, etc. etc. You can read my lessons from last years Resolutions in this Daily blogging tips post, my last post of 2014!

And, what I identified this week, post Christmas/pre New Year, was that the ultimate reason for previous resolution failures boils down to one thing: a failure to plan. That old adage fail to prepare then prepare to fail, is ringing in my ears!

I have proven time and again that I am incapable of planning anything in my life. Everything happens as it is needed. This has its benefits – I can do things really quickly when I need to! Dinner in 15 minutes with very little ingredients? Boom. But generally this ‘trait’ causes arguments, stresses me out and leaves me feeling shattered and often like a failure.

I want 2015 to feel less rushed. When you’re less rushed you actually get more done (as per this pretty cool podcast from Tim Ferris – episode 51 – which goes into his daily schedule); thus leaving me more time to be present and enjoying time with Reuben, more time to learn (and read a lot! A regular feature in my new years resolutions 2013 and 2014), more time for what is most important to me.

New Years Resolution – To become a Planner!

If I were to choose a single word for 2015 (as inspired by Annie’s wonderful 2014 round up, which I loved), one word that I would embrace and live every day, it would be PLANNING!

Just think what you can achieve if you plan…

  1. If you plan your meals on a Sunday – you could lose weight AND save money and time;
  2. If you plan your workload – you could get everything done in the time you have AND not have to stay up half the night THEREFORE spending more quality time with your loved ones
  3. If you plan your days off – you get to do fun things instead of wasting half the day deciding what to do and/or doing something you wish you weren’t doing (just me?)
  4. If you plan nights out with your friends – you get to see them more often
  5. If you plan your house chores – you can have a clean and tidy house (I know, this is really good stuff. You’re welcome)
  6. If you plan and schedule time to read – you will actually read some books

OK, I think I’ve made my point. I don’t know what this says about my personality (other than I wish someone would just tell me what to do) but you know when you say “I need to find time to do X”? Well, I spend a lot of time thinking that and actually the only way I will, for example, read more books is if I make time to read more books.

So while I have lots of things I’d like to achieve this year (read 3 books a week, visit every castle in Northumberland, lose 2 stone, just a few, small ambition!), I don’t want to bore you with all the details here, but rather say my overall New Years Resolution is to become a planner.

Mike (and every goal setter out there) tells me this is far too ambiguous and I’ll never achieve it in that case. So, more specifically I will be looking at each of my specific measurable goals for the year and setting time aside every day to plan them properly. I’ve never done this before and I’ve even started using Evernote (thank you Michelle!) to store ideas, recipes, book suggestions, etc, so this year I hope to, firstly, achieve my goals and secondly, be able to keep track and measure my achievements!

That’s it… wish me luck and a very Happy 2015 to you all!

How did you do with your 2014 Resolutions? And what’s on your New Years Resolution List for 2015?