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New Year’s Resolutions for 2011

January 10, 2011 by 8 Comments

New Year’s Resolutions get a bad rap, and many say they’re trite and futile. I couldn’t disagree more.

Setting goals, especially challenging ones, is the best way to effectively change behavior. A resolution is a commitment to oneself, and I can’t think of a more honorable and necessary thing for a human to do than to make a promise to themselves to reach their true potential.

The way I see it, New Year’s Resolutions are a personal product strategy. And without a strategy, success is just luck.

On Twitter I deemed 2011 the Year of the Book. What that really signifies to me is that I want to slow down, be more focused, be more thoughtful, and get back in touch with life’s simple pleasures.

With that in mind, and in the spirit of truth and openness, I want to share my New Year’s Resolutions for 2011 with you:

  1. Make more time to learn
  2. Take time to make decisions
  3. Enjoy cooking
  4. Make more time for old friends
  5. Make physical and mental health the highest priority
  6. Make time for myself and disconnect
  7. Be nicer to myself
  8. Don’t lower myself to meet another’s expectations
  9. Don’t agree to do things I don’t want to do
  10. Save money to save me from myself
  11. Speak the truth

What are your New Year’s Resolutions? Are they personal, professional, or a bit of both? How do you keep yourself on track throughout the year? Hate New Year’s Resolutions? Tell us why.

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About

Whitney Hess is a coach and writer helping product teams and senior leaders make better decisions through the principles of user experience. She believes empathy builds empires.

Follow @whitneyhess

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  • http://candiRSX.me Candi

    Great resolution list. I have similar goals as well. I do want to try to disconnect every once in a while because my online life seems to blend a lot with real life. Almost like when you talk about people from a tv show or sitcom as if they are really your friends.

    As for my goals, mine are both personal and professional. This year will definitely be a test to my time management skills. I want to be productive and successful with my career but also be physically and mentally healthy.

    I try to document my daily victories related to my resolutions. This helps remind me that I need to keep up the great work. My more public documentations such as my Nike+ runs also seem to encourages my friends which in turn encourages me more.

    Good Luck w/2011 and I’ll see you in Boston. Let the Words w/Friends games begin!

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  • http://korymcdow.com Kory

    Hi Wendy. I’m one of those people that say resolutions are futile.

    I couldn’t agree with you more in that setting goals is an effective way of improving your own personal product. What ends up happening though is that most people make resolutions without taking the next step of planning out how they are going to accomplish those resolutions.

    That, or they wait until the new year to set new goals, only to forget about them until it’s a new year again.

    By the way, you were definitely speaking to me with #10. Thanks for the post.

    • http://korymcdow.com Kory

      Holy crap. I meant Whitney. I was so excited to type my 1st reply to your post that I forgot your name. I hope comment karma doesn’t turn it’s back on me.

      • http://www.whitneyhess.com/blog whitney

        It’s okay, it’s okay. I won’t hold it against you…too much ;)

  • Martha Orloci

    Hi Whitney,
    This ties in nicely with your other post today.

    It’s easy to lose some of yourself in this frenetic world.

    Best of luck again!

  • http://lab.zoho.co.uk Philip Hodges

    This list is so close to mine that it is positively scary!

    Especially No.1 Make more time to learn, which is also my number one. Out of the others we had 7 in common.

    So it goes without saying – great list! :-)

    PS – Good luck with it.

    • http://www.whitneyhess.com/blog whitney

      And good luck to you, too. Great minds think alike! ;)