by Mackenzie Toland, Reach Therapist Intern
The semester is almost over for the clinicians here at Pfeiffer Institute Reach. We are finishing up finals and starting to prepare for next semester. It is starting to feel like renewal here at school and just in time for New Years. New Years is coming up at the end of the month and it is time to start thinking up some resolutions. The New Year is a great time for change and a great time to start new beginnings.According to the University of Scranton in 2012 the top ten most popular New Year’s Resolutions are:
1 Lose Weight
2 Getting Organized
3 Spend Less, Save More
4 Enjoy Life to the Fullest
5 Staying Fit and Healthy
6 Learn Something Exciting
7 Quit Smoking
8 Help Others in Their Dreams
9 Fall in Love
10 Spend More Time with Family
According to the same study, of the 45% of American’s who make a New Year’s Resolution only 8% follow through with them. Change is not easy as many of us know through experience. Almost all of us can probably look back at past New Years and remember our resolutions lasting either a few weeks or a few months after we made them.
Here are some helpful suggestions about how to make your New Year’s Resolution last. First things first, this list has very broad Resolutions. Broad Resolutions are great and help us to get our ideas out and general desires expressed but they don’t really hold us accountable. It is important to break our broad goal down into smaller, more realistic goals in order to make it more reasonable for ourselves.
For example, “Getting Organized.” Let’s break it down and give ourselves a timeframe in which we can be successful.
Getting organized:
Ask yourself, ‘what do I want to get organized?’
1. The laundry room
2. The hall closet
3. My office at work
Then ask yourself, ‘what do I need to do to get organized?’
1. The laundry room- find a way to sort clothes, create space to iron, and conceal laundry soaps
2. The hall closet- organize toiletries/soaps, have matching towels, make things more accessible
2. My office at work- sort papers, create a filing system, and make materials more accessible
Alright! Now we are starting to get the hang of this, now ask yourself, ‘what do I need/need to do to achieve these goals?’ This is in bold.
1. The laundry room- find a way to sort clothes (find a hamper that sorts clothing), create space to iron (buy a smaller/hanging ironing board or move laundry room around), and conceal laundry soaps (get storage containers)
2. The hall closet- organize toiletries/soaps (get storage containers), have matching towels (sort towels by bathrooms), make things more accessible (keep extra toilet paper and towels in all the bathrooms)
2. My office at work- sort papers (sit down and sort out all the papers), create a filing system (get folders and a filing cabinet), and make materials more accessible (prioritize importance of items and put more important items closer to desk)
Alright, now the last part is to designate a time frame that is reasonable and realistic for you. For the example above, doing one bold item every five weeks gets the whole job done in a year. If you want it all done in the beginning maybe you could take a day off of work to organize. The important thing is that it is reasonable for you and makes sense for your goal.
Breaking down goals is a great way to make them more realistic. Remember you can do anything that you set your mind to. If you need some extra support with your resolution or help organizing your thoughts you can always come down to the Pfeiffer Institute Reach and we would be glad to give you a hand. With our affordable prices, what do you have to lose?
