Keep that new year resolution at least this year

It’s time for New Year resolutions…again!

Now that we are behind the whole Mayan doomsday episode, it’s that time of the year to reflect on what we have achieved in 2012 and put forth an earnest list of resolutions for 2013.

In a recent survey we had done on employee perceptions, it was heartening to note that Indian employees were positive about the economic outlook for 2013 and their company’s performance.

The interesting finding was that Indian employees topped their peers from other countries in taking New Year resolutions seriously.

New Year resolutions are good, but it is more important to achieve at least a few of them, if not all.

The biggest question on all our minds is why make resolutions when we are not able to keep even a few of them.

Just like most of us, I too have made long lists of resolutions and watched them fizzle away within a month.

Over the years I realised what the gap was and developed the habit of choosing resolutions wisely.

Through this article, I am sharing a few tips on how to achieve the goals you have set for yourself in 2013.

Most resolutions fail to take off because we need that extra hour to attend to them. What we need is to prioritize our time.

Studies show that the time spent by an individual watching television has increased over the last decade. So, here is your biggest area of non-productive time that you can tap into for executing your New Year resolution list.

Reduce your TV time, and you will be surprised at the amount of free time you will have.

A common trait among high achievers is that they plan their day ahead and they stay focused in completing their tasks.

At the start of the day, try to list down your priorities and write down the expected time of completion. This will provide you with clarity and goals to achieve rather than being ad hoc and waiting for tasks to come up.

Penning them down and keeping a task list in front of you will help you stay on top of it.

The Japanese were experts at this and have created best practices that are based on this fundamental habit; these are now being used globally by most organizations.

It is important to have a conducive environment to realize your goals. Most of us like to hit the snooze button on the alarm for those extra 10 minutes of blissful sleep. Instead, try having your running shoes or the book you are reading near the bed and you will wake up with your goal in mind.

Partner with people who have similar goals, it helps stay focused. It is fun to do a few things with a group of friends and it is also useful to get feedback and ideas.

A resolution that should top your list is to develop the habit of reading.

There is nothing to substitute knowledge. Invest at least a couple of hours daily in reading; it doesn’t matter if it is newspapers, magazines or books.

This has helped me grow professionally and personally and might be useful to you too.

The new year signifies a new beginning and it is always good to start with great enthusiasm.

Wishing you a wonderful year ahead and hope you will be able to say to me in the next few months that you have achieved the goals set for the year! All the best!

(The author (E.Balaji) is the CEO and MD of Randstad India, a leading HR services company.)