New years resolutions are a joke. Seriously.

Sitting down and saying, “I’m going to change something in the next year” is a waste of time. Usually, it just creates unnecessary guilt in the month of January as you’ll fail in the first week. I like to call this: Planning to Fail.

To really make a “new years resolution” you don’t need a resolution, you need a plan. Everyone knows if you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail. Also, everyone knows that any plan is better than no plan.

Losing Weight?

1. Figure out what program you’re going to do
2. Make a meal plan on a calendar.

If you don’t know what  program to try, save a hundred bucks and hire a nutritionist or a fitness counselor and ask them.

Going Back To The Gym?

1. Get a work out plan and put it on your calendar.
2. Block off the hours that you will require to be at the gym and include an extra half hour before and hour after for driving there and changing clothes before, and recovering, showering, and driving back home after. If it doesn’t take that long, you can shorten the time after you’re going to the gym several times a week.
3. Get a workout journal to track your progress.
4. Get a gym that will support your plan. If you’re doing Olympic lifts, don’t use a globo gym. If you’re doing push ups, pull ups, and running, you don’t need a gym, just a playground.

Going Back to School?

1. Decide what you want to learn.
2. Go to the local school where they teach it and get a catalog
3. figure out what classes you need to take
4. Apply now.
5. Put it on the calendar.

Spending More Time With The Family?

1. Get out a calendar, check your vacation balance
2. Mark of all holidays
3. Mark of all family events (birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, graduations, parent teacher conferences)
4. Mark of when you want to take a vacation.
5. Go to work and tell them you’re going to take those vacation days off months ahead of time.
6. Enjoy your time with the family, months later, when some deadline is approaching, and you already have approval to leave.
7. Pick one day a week as a family night. Have dinner as a family without the TV.

Going Travelling?

1. Pick where you want to go. Pick when you want to go. Put it on the calendar.
2. Ask your friends if they want to go to.
3. Buy the plane tickets.
4. If you’re going with friends have fun, if not, you can go on a tour, hire a local guide, or just go exploring.

I know what questions you might be thinking. The main one is, I don’t know what plan to choose or where to go. The answer to those questions is that it doesn’t really matter. If this is your first time trying a plan, you’re going to learn a lot. You will probably succeed. If not you will at least found something that didn’t work. You can always try another plan later. You cannot let the fear of failure or making the wrong decision stop you from making any decision at all.

Forget new years resolutions, make a new years plan. And remember, you don’t have to wait for the new year in order to start.