Tips Help You Stick To Your Resolutions
Most of us make New Year’s resolutions year after year and, by mid-January, most are forgotten. Ninety-eight percent of all resolutions fail due to lack of time or loss of interest.
If getting organized and managing your time more efficiently are on your list for 2001, here are some tips from Amy Knapp, who developed “The Family Organizer” (Calendar Systems, U.S.A., $14.95):
Select the right calendar. A calendar is a great helper for getting organized. The calendar you choose should give you enough space to effectively record your family’s information, yet be small enough to take with you.
Pre-set time in your calendar for either working on your resolution or rewarding yourself for achievements.
Write in these commitments all the way through March. These entries serve a dual purpose — they reserve time for action, and they act as a reminder to help you stay focused on your goal.
Check that you have at least one entry each week, depending on your specific resolution.
Review your progress at the end of three months. With luck, you will be well on your way to establishing new habits.
For more helpful tips, visit www.thefamilyorganizer.com. The Family Organizer is available in book stores and gift shops or by calling (616) 375-7250.
* Speaking of New Year’s Resolutions: This year, consider adding a new resolution to the list that usually includes losing weight and earning more money. Make the most important resolution of your life: to cherish the all-too-fleeting moments of parenthood.
We get caught up in the daily hassles of life — trying to get a 2-year-old to eat her vegetables, convincing our 7-year-old to wear his coat or explaining to our 16-year-old why she can’t drive five friends to the ski slopes — that we miss the joy that comes with raising children.
A new book, “Chicken Soup for the Parent’s Soul” (Health Communications, $12.95) reminds us that the small fragments of time we spend with our kids can provide the most profound life lessons. The book reminds us to slow down and pay attention to those simple childhood moments that will never come again.
Raymond Aaron, co-author of the book, says, “As we watch our children grow from babyhood into adulthood, we experience the full spectrum of human emotions, from the heights of total elation to the depths of sorrow. Our goal in creating “Chicken Soup For the Parent’s Soul” is to inspire, uplift and honor parents everywhere — to allow them to feel good about being parents and to help them know that during the difficult times, they are not alone.”
* Phone home: Single men are nearly three times as likely as married men to call their mother every day (42 percent to 17 percent, respectively). Single women are the most likely of any group to call mom; 68 percent call daily and 91 percent call at least once a week. (From The Shell Poll, Fall 2000.)