by Lori DescheneMost people make long lists of resolutions in December, pursue some of them in January, and revert to old habits by February. We work a little differently here at MyThings—which is why I’m posting the New Years blog now, after the dust has settled a bit. (That and I spent too much time making my list to fit this in last week). In this post, I’ll address the 5 most common New Year’s resolutions and give you some suggestions to tackle them.
5. Get more organized
It’s easy to get organized if you use all the tools at your disposal. For starters, itemize your belongings here at
MyThings. You can store all your receipts, warranty information, and other materials in one secure place. Beyond that, you may benefit from utilizing these tools:
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Task2Gather—a web-based project manager that helps you organize your to-do list
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Task Coach—an advanced desktop manager that lets you break big goals into smaller ones and file them appropriately
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Life Tango—a web app for setting, sharing, and tracking goals
4. Get in better shape/lose weight
Since I come from a large Italian family, I constantly fight my genetics. I’ve found the best way to stay healthy and trim is to eat reasonably sized portions of nutritious, non-processed food and to exercise regularly. Fad diets and extremes don’t work—it needs to be a complete lifestyle change. These tips should help you out:
3. Save money/pay off debt
Most people live paycheck to paycheck, completely unprepared for career changes or economic turbulence. Financial experts recommend you “pay yourself” before any of your debtors. That’s right; allot a percentage of your check for savings every pay cycle. As you build your savings, use these tips and tools:
2. Support charities/give back
This is a tough one, seeing as most of us don’t have enough time or money to spare. But that’s the thing—we probably would if we became more organized, efficient, and mindful of our budgets. While you work on those three, try these ideas:
1. Learn a new language, sport, or skill
In case you haven’t noticed the theme here, I’ve been pointing you to our assorted tips & tricks to make your goals reality. Why? For starters, I’ve spent hours finding them all over the web! More importantly, there are a lot of gems in that section of the site, especially when it comes to learning something new.
That’s right—my final tip is to close your web browser, shut down your computer, and get out into the world. Do things instead of blogging about them, trade emoticons for real smiles, and just plain be in the presence of the people you love. The best start to achieving greatness is appreciating what you already have.
posted @ Tuesday, January 06, 2009 5:01 PM