Systems over New Year’s Resolutions in 2024
The definition of resolution is to decide to or not to do something. Instead, create intentions, which are ideas that are planned or intended to happen.
Last updated on January 11th, 2025
As a new year rolls in, many of us start creating New Year’s resolutions to see growth and achieve success. One of the issues with resolutions is that there is no strategy in how the resolutions will be achieved. Lack of strategy leads most back down the path they are on, feeling frustrated with their lack of progress, not knowing how to get back on track and feeling like things will never change. My MOPP strategy encourages intentions to be set instead of New Year’s resolutions.
Our days and lives are composed of many decisions and a change of just one decision can have repercussions in multiple areas. Intentions, in this case, are present-day actions. They represent daily actions taken. Couple them with the MOPP system to create a strong foundation of how to structure things. This system helps prioritize and organize tasks, increasing the chances of implementing and ultimately seeing results. There are more factors and concepts involved, but this is a great place to start to try something new to get into a better position.
Main: Your Hub
The first step in capturing intentions is to have a main, central location where you can capture all intentions and the tasks and steps needed to complete them. This could be a notebook, a digital app, or a whiteboard. The important thing is that you have one, and only one, place to capture all of your tasks, notes and mind dumps. This will help prevent tasks from slipping through the cracks and ensure that you have a comprehensive view of all the things you need to do.
Organized: Keeping it together
Once you have a central location for your tasks needed for intentions, the next step is to organize them. With a long list of tasks, it can be challenging to find what you’re looking for or what’s an urgent item. One way to organize is by color-coding or labeling tasks based on their category or priority. For example, you could use different colors for work-related tasks, personal tasks, or urgent tasks. This will make it easier to quickly find and prioritize tasks.
Prioritized: First things first
Keeping a prioritized task list is crucial for preventing decision fatigue. Instead of spending time deciding what to do next, you can focus on completing tasks in order of importance. One way to prioritize tasks is to use a numbering system, with the most critical tasks at the top of the list. This will ensure that you are always working on the most important tasks first.
Project: Make time for what takes time
Finally, it’s essential to know how long each task will take before adding it to the list. This will prevent you from creating unrealistic expectations and help plan the day more effectively. To estimate the time required for each task, break it down into smaller, more manageable steps. Further, this will give you a more accurate idea of how long the task will take and help you plan your day accordingly.
For maximum efficiency, account for the supplementary tasks, the smaller items or prerequisites to actually complete the project. For example, to get better at meal planning and prepping, create a meal plan and shopping list ahead of time. That way, when you actually go to shop you have time to come home and prepare. The goal is to create the time you need to fully realize your plan.
Creating intentions and a strategy for them is an essential part of staying organized and reducing stress. By having one central location for all your tasks, you can tackle your intentions with ease. Remember, not all tasks are equal. Learning how to create a task list the right way will set you up for success, and ditch the New Year’s resolutions.
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