3 reasons to nix those New Year’s resolutions
January 2nd, 2013 GTD Times Team - Staff ContributorsCategories | David Allen | Getting Things Done | Inspiration | Latest News
CBS Moneywatch asked David Allen about New Year’s resolutions. His advice? Nix ‘em!
3 reasons to nix those New Year’s resolutions
January 1 always offers a tantalizing gift: the chance to start over again. We think that the right resolutions will make us more productive, healthy and successful. But productivity guru David Allen, author of “Getting Things Done” (and the creator of the widely-adopted GTD system) says that he doesn’t make New Year’s resolutions. Here’s why—and why you should reconsider the practice, too:
1. Review your life more frequently. Allen and GTD enthusiasts schedule regular reviews (usually weekly) to study any open loops and look at where things are going.
2. Focus on the positive. “People don’t pat themselves on the back like they ought to do,” says Allen. Instead of New Year’s resolutions—which focus on what you haven’t managed to do in your life—he recommends trying New Year’s “recollections.” Allen and his wife sit down and reminisce about, “basically, what did we accomplish, what did we experience that was cool and interesting?”
3. Finish old business—and gain inspiration. “People would be much farther ahead just cleaning up at the end of the year, as opposed to moving things forward,” says Allen. “If you try to set goals—to recalibrate or refocus—and you’ve got old business hanging around your neck like an albatross, good luck,” says Allen. After all, most New Year’s resolutions fail. But tackling a few things on your to-do list? That you can do, and success breeds success.
Do you make New Year’s resolutions?
You can read the full article here.
Stressful jobs and family relations, poor ecology of busy industrial cities, 24/7 noise of busy streets, fast food and take-always that replace normal homemade dishes, dirty water, excessive medicine intake, lack of sleep and physical training – that is the initial list of negative factors compromising our central nervous system and causing stress and depression.
I was surprised to see this headline on GTD as I’ve recently blogged about how it seems trendy to ‘bash’ the making of New Year resolutions and used GTD to argue the case for making them!
However having read your article I think we’re largely saying the same thing – reflect on what you’ve achieved, don’t make a load of unrealistic and unachievable promises and focus on ‘next actions’.
My post can be found at http://braincutlery.co.uk/2013/01/01/dont-give-up-on-new-year-resolutions/ and I’d welcome any thoughts your or your readers have.