Resolution Evolution! Resolve to Evolve!

With the New Year is almost here, and with this New Year come the same old vows and promises of new solutions to the same old struggles that consume us, year after year. Albert Einstein once said that the definition of “insanity, is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Is this not what we all do each year? We vow to lose weight and get healthy, work harder to earn more money, organize our home and work spaces, and create lists and timetables for each of our endeavors.

So, why do we fail? I know why I fail each year; limited attention span! I am always getting side-tracked in the daily struggles of life. Don’t we tell ourselves that we want this or that, but there is no time and it is just too difficult? We work and sleep and attend habitual family, friend and work events all year long. So, what do we fill our down-time with? This is the portion of our life that we can change and evolve for the New Year.

What is the secret to keeping our resolutions? We need to evolve with the era by tearing up old lists and throwing away those timeworn timetables! Go ahead and make that list, but keep it upbeat and hassle-free. Make this list for the ‘down-time’ you never seem to have. This is the time you have that does not include work, sleep and the essential obligations of daily life. We all have down-time, but just need discover how we use it, so we can make better use of it throughout the New Year.

Down-time is a period of time where we are essentially not actively productive. This period is extremely difficult to the naturally busy person who has difficulties with unwinding on a daily basis. The secret to developing possible resolutions is to compose instead, a simple list of a few things that can be achieved in our down-time.

You would be amazed at how much you can achieve by keeping your plans focused and simple! For example, don’t set a tedious weight loss goal to lose ten pounds, instead set a goal to try a new (healthier) recipe once a week. Instead of vowing to organize all the closets and junk drawers in your house, just commit to taking 30 minutes to an hour each weekend for just one household task or renovation that will make home life a bit easier.

How do we find time for Down-Time in our New Year Resolutions? Consider these calculations; We have 24 hours in a day. Most people work 40 to 50 hours per week with 6 to 8 hours for sleep. Therefore, if we figure high we can subtract 74 hours from one day, leaving us with 50 hours to do what we need to get done and do what we want for fun! Many of us have families that need our attention, from small children, tweens, teens, to the adults that we care for. This alone can take up most of our “free-time,” so we must be clever in planning our personal ‘down-time.’

Make personal ‘down-time’ (30 minutes to 1 hour per day) a priority in your daily schedule. You can spend that time being productive or not. Remember to keep it simple and stress-free! I actually find it refreshing to just take a few minutes to quickly dump the contents of a junk-drawer, and then challenge myself to either trash or relocate half the drawer! It feels good to later open that drawer and find what I need without having to pick up all the items that have tumbled out when I opened it!

Another challenge for ‘down-time’ is to search for new and healthy recipes once a week for dinner. This helps to alleviate the hum-drum routine of dinner choices, but also helps to make you aware of what you are eating. You may try an excellent healthy option, only to use it more often because you now find it easy to make!

Spend 5 or 10 minutes on your vehicle cleaning out excess items or garbage, and then quickly run a dust-cloth or auto-wipe over the console and wherever you see dust. This clean sweep makes a noticeable difference. Give the same time and attention to your garage, basement or other such work area! Another note; if you leave cleaning (or anti-bacterial wipes) in work spaces or especially under the kitchen and bathroom sinks you can just grab one and wipe the necessary areas down as needed, instead of scheduling a day of the week to clean the entire bathroom!

Get outside and walk in the woods, or take to the open road. Whether you take a walk or take a ride--see what your town and state have to offer. You may discover new ways to look at the same old things and be inspired!

Decide to evolve this New Year and create your own ‘down-time’ challenges and find more time for YOU in the New Year! Make this year new and not just another new year.

Resolve to Evolve!