See Your New Year’s Resolutions As Real KPIs

Every day is a new opportunity, not just every year. One of my elementary school teachers told us something that’s still stuck in the back of my head till this day. It was early January, she came in one class and said, “There’s really no special meaning to a new year. You’re still living the same life and time’s still passing the same way.” I didn’t agree then and I don’t agree now. Time is only as meaningful as you make it, so is life.

I believe in running life like a business. In the workplace we have quarterly appraisals and half year evaluations. So wouldn’t it make sense to at least have annual adjustments and reviews to your life as well? Setting new goals and reviewing last year’s goals gives you a sense of progress and achievement. That’s what makes life more than just passing time.

I list around 3 to 10 things that I would like to achieve throughout the year every January. They’re all possible goals of which I would have a clear plan to. Don’t set impossible goals, it will just dampen your spirits and undermine your motivation to set more goals and improve.

So what do you do with goals that you failed to achieve at the end of the year? Personally I find out why I failed to achieve them and then I either discard the goal or adjust it according to how much I want it and my current capabilities. For example, last year one of my goals was to learn personal defense. I kept on procrastinating because it wasn’t really urgent and I didn’t really want it that much. So this year I ditched that goal. You can also adjust your goals based on your capabilities, don’t beat yourself up over something that you might not be able to achieve right away. Last year one of my goals was to read one book per month, but I only finished reading 8 books. This year reading is still one of my goals, but I’ve adjusted my goal to 10 books.

In my calendar I actually have monthly goals and next month’s forecasts. It looks something like this and these small goals are all breakdowns of my new year’s resolutions:

I started making monthly alignments in late 2020. I found that it was a great way to stay on track. If you make new year’s resolutions at the beginning of the year and never review them regularly, it’s too easy to forget about them throughout the year and fall back into a lifestyle without purpose and drive.

Seeing my new year’s resolutions as KPIs that need to be achieved has helped me feel alive. There are too many people who devote themselves to their jobs and feel lost during their free time. It’s a blessing to be able to live and do things that you want. Make the most of it and start making your new year’s resolutions today if you haven’t started yet. Then go and get working at it.