5 New Year’s Resolutions for grown ups

A moment to reset

New Year’s resolutions are for teenagers or those eager self-help enthusiasts who think they should crochet blankets for baby seals or give up eating fruit that didn’t fall off the tree of its own accord. At least, that’s what I’ve been telling myself for the past ten years.

But this year I have a new take on it. What if all that resolutions need to be are a moment in time for you to reset?

To think about who you are, what you’re doing, what you want to do and how to do it and things that just aren’t working for you. So I’ve done exactly that over the last couple of weeks.

Importantly, I haven’t tried to change anything about who I am because at my age, that’s cast in stone! What I have done is choose things I think I can change or adapt, and which are affecting me deeply.

So here they are, in all their open, honest glory, my New Year’s resolutions:

1. Merge my personal and business lives

This is the big one! I’ve tried to keep these two separate for too long. My business and personal lives merge together on a daily basis. Stop fighting against it, I say, and let it happen. Keeping them separate is just a world of hurt for me. I berate myself for thinking about work when I’m with my family and then I berate myself for thinking about home duties while I’m at work. I have one life, not two, and I need to run it that way!

If you want to read more about merging your personal and business lives and why it’s a great idea, read Geoff Teehan’s great article Ruthlessly Prioritize.

2. Stop doing what no longer serves you

We’ve all heard the saying: do what you’ve always done; get what you’ve always got.

Don’t worry, I’m not going to question every single decision I’ve ever made. But I am going to pick key issues, like the parameters of my role at Mettro, and I’m going to turn them on their heads. I’ve done things the same way for so long and it’s time for a shake up. So I’m going to step away from the nitty-gritty and turn it over to my more-than-capable staff. This will leave me more time to develop my business and look after my clients. If you’re keen to do something similar, shoot me an email and I can talk you through it.

3. Focus on the wow and the now

We can get our heads caught in a very technical place at Mettro, because we love it and we’re good at it. But this year I want more WOW! My clients want and – in my opinion – need more WOW so I’m going to give it to them. More animations, more video, more sites that deliver real user experiences that users will love.

And the now? Well that’s about good old GSD: getting shit done. Just do it. Stop talking about it and get the hell on with it. I’m reading this great book called Getting Things Done – The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen. It’s already taught me one really useful thing: have a bucket where you can put all your tasks.

My head explodes with all the things I need to do – and it’s not just me, right? But if I have my handy little bucket that I dump all of these random thought explosions into, I can then prioritise and sort them to get them done. My bucket is Evernote. Yours might be a notepad, a Word document, or another app you prefer.

4. Do less chores; live more life

My mum is a great help for me and my boys, but towards the end of last year things got a little stressful. We need breaks as a family to reset, relax and invest time in each other and our relationships. No more letting public holidays slip by while I prune the garden, mow the lawn, and do all the blah blah that nobody even notices. Even if it’s a simple day trip, I’m getting out there and having more fun with my family.

5. Exercise like a regular person

I am so incredibly past the idea of wanting to be uber-fit. I only have the mental space to prioritise a certain number of things, and sustaining a massive training schedule just isn’t high enough on my list. What I do know, however, is that exercising keeps me physically and mentally healthier, so I’m going to use my standing desk every day, and squish three training sessions a week into my hectic schedule. It has to be done, so I’ll make it happen. Simple really.

Are you a fan of New Year’s Resolutions? What are yours?