Published by Kathy Paauw
Organizing & Productivity Consultant
Certified Life Coach 		December, 1999
Issue 1

  

ENTERING   THE   NEW   MILLENNIUM   WITH   INTENTION


Saving money, losing weight, and getting organized were the top three New Year's Resolutions last year, as reported by Tom Brokaw on NBC Nightly News. If you think about it, getting organized is key to successful financial mastery and weight loss, as well as other resolutions you may have. This newsletter contains tips about getting organized for success with whatever resolution(s) you choose to focus on for the year 2000. Before we look to the future, a few words on completing this year...

As we come to the end of this amazing era and stand on the threshold of another, it's a perfect time to complete the year. Notice I did not say close the year. What's the difference? Closing the year indicates leaving the year behind with all of its finished and unfinished business...the problem with this being that whatever is left undone will simply be carried over to the new year. Completing the year means that you finish all of your unfinished business so you can approach the coming year without bringing along all the old baggage -- things you should have or could have done. (To that I say, "Quit shoulding on yourself!!!") Completion has many forms - consciously choosing to do, delegate, dump/delete, or defer. In other words, choosing not to complete something is a form of completion!

To be complete with 1999, here are some suggestions:
  • List incompletions in your life -- activities or people you are putting up with or tolerating, circumstances you are allowing to control your life.
  • List all people you are incomplete with -- things left unsaid, relationships that need closure, etc.
  • List all projects or tasks you are incomplete with--activities you wanted to start but have not, tasks you started but did not finish, projects you finished but are not satisfied with, etc. 

Once you have completed your list above, make a note of your intentions for each toleration or incompletion you have listed. Note your intentions to do, delegate, dump / delete, defer, etc. This is good preparation for identifying your New Year's intentions (resolutions).

Many of my clients have found in years past that as the New Year wears on they get lost in the urgencies of day-to-day life and find their New Year's Resolutions falling by the wayside only to reappear on next year's list! According to a recent Women's Day magazine, almost 25% of all New Years Resolutions lose their momentum after one week. Here's a suggestion to keep the momentum going.

The Smart Process:
 The SMART process is a good way to organize yourself for success with any intention or resolution. Make goals or choices that are:

  • Specific - Have a crystal clear picture of the desired outcome.
  • Measurable - How will you know you have achieved your desired outcome? How will you measure it? 
  • Achievable - Create a step-by-step plan to accomplish what you want. 
  • Relevant - Does this goal fit within the bigger picture of what is most important to you? 
  • Time-bound - What is the timeline for accomplishing what you want?

Here's an example: 
Resolution #1: Lose 20 pounds between now and June 1, 2000.

  • Specific: I will weigh 125 pounds on June 1, 2000.
  • Measurable: I currently weigh 145 pounds. I will weigh myself on an accurate scale and will keep a written weekly record of my progress. 
  • Achievable: I plan to lose 20 pounds in five months, which breaks down to 4 pounds a month or 1 pound a week. Knowing that each pound of weight represents 3500 calories, I will plan a combination diet and exercise program that will reduce my caloric intake or burn additional calories which will total 3500 calories per week. I will do weekly planning every Friday, including meal planning and scheduling exercise sessions for the coming week. 
  • Relevant: I am committed to good health and to feeling good about the way I look and feel.
  • Time-bound: I have a clear timeline and plan for accomplishing my goal.

Build in Accountability:
 In addition to setting goals and creating a plan, try building in some accountability to help you reach your benchmarks along the way. 

Here are some accountability ideas for Resolution #1 in my example:

  • Hire a nutritionist to help you select a quality, balanced, and satisfying diet for yourself.
  • Do a web search; you'll  find a wealth of information about diet and exercise to help you create your own weekly meal plans. Each week you can share your meal plan with a friend; ask him/her to check in with you if they have not received your meal plan by a certain time each week.
  • Exercise with a friend or hire a personal trainer to work out with you.
  • Hire a personal coach. A coach will help you deepen your learning about what's getting in the way of you accomplishing your goals, and will assist you in clarifying what adjustments you choose to make to set yourself up for success in the coming weeks. A coach will hold you accountable for follow-through in a non-judgmental way.

Reward Yourself:
Finally, reward yourself in some way once you have reached your goal. You can plan this reward ahead of time, or decide what it will be when the time comes. Just be sure to celebrate your success once you've reached your goal, and acknowledge yourself for doing a great job!

Usher in the New Millennium:
In closing, I invite all of us to use our collective power of intention to usher in the New Millennium with peace and love. Rather than participating in the fear-based "Y2K madness" which has been so widely publicized, do yourself and the world a favor by putting your personal power to use. I invite you to pray for world peace as we move into the New Millennium. As the song goes, "Let there be peace on Earth, and let it begin with me."

Wishing you a peace-filled, happy and healthy New Year,

Kathy Paauw 
Professional Organizer 
Certified Professional Coach

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