Responsive Resolutions
- Eric Kraus
- learning
- 31 Dec, 2015
Introduction
Here’s something new to try in place of the traditional New Year’s Resolution:
Instead of one, big new year’s resolution, try creating 12 monthly responsive resolutions.
The Old Way
The challenges with trying to tackle one big resolution for a whole year is that it is difficult to attribute success early in the process, people often get board, and whether successful or not early in the year, your goals/needs will likely change towards the end of the year.
Resolutions you start at the beginning of the year will rarely be the same goals you would want to end the year with.
Just like our lives, our goals should evolve too.
Responsive Resolutions
Responsive Resolutions is a concept that a colleague and I came up with over a coffee conversation about productivity.
It seeks to fix the problems with year-long resolutions and why many people start strong, but fade out over the year.
With Responsive Resolutions, the focus is on smaller, achievable monthly goals that align to a longer-term vision or lifestyle change.
Agile Goals
For the project managers and developers out there… yeah, yeah, yeah…this is basically just goals in Agile Methodology.
But there’s actually some more to it.
Failed Resolutions
A common New Year’s Resolution is to lose weight.
However, many MANY people give up after a few months. I’ll admit, I’ve had my share of dropped goals in this category - so this isn’t a lecture.
It’s not because of a lack of effort
I believe a large reason for this is because the end is too vague and too far in the distance, before a person develops the habits needed to sustain behavior needed to get there.
I can definitely relate. People get bored, discouraged, and other things come up as distractions.
Vague Goals: A Setup for Failure
I always smirk when I hear someone say, “I think I am going to start working out” .
In a general conversation, of course, there is nothing wrong with this statement - awesome! good for you!.
But as a goal, it has many flaws.
“I think I am going to start…”
- allows the person forgiveness if the activity doesn’t start for awhile because they are still thinking about it
- allows a quick “cop-out” if the activity is started but then stopped - mentally, “well, I started…”
- the key to a lifestyle or behavioral change is habits - habits require repetition and rewards
Aggressive Goals: A Setup for Disappointment
On the other end of the spectrum are specific goals that are simply too aggressive. Rather than focusing on the behavior or lifestyle change, people focus on the outcome. Every activity is measured against a desired outcome.
”I want to loose 10lbs”These goals are risky because people often measure progress (weight)…but it may take a while to see these changes occur. The same might be for improving relationships or work habits too.
Responsive Resolution Framework
Our Responsive Resolutions framework is simple.
It involves 3 components
- a Mission for the year (a simple phrase that’s purpose/benefit should be inherently clear to you)
- an Action (starting/stopping something, small, clearly defined)
- a Responsive (review of progress, reward for success, adjustments for next month, new Action setting)
Mission vs. Vision
This process is not that much different from a corporate Vision and Mission statement.
- A Vision Statement is a long-term, aspiration outlook on where you hope to be in the future.
- A Mission Statement, on the other hand, describes what you are working on now and should be achievable in the (relatively) near future.
For our purposes, we definitely want a Mission Statement because it describes what we are taking action on now. A vision, too aspirational, will be difficult to define actions for.
Mission
A Mission should incorporate a description of what we are doing and why, without getting into any specifics (how).
Using our fitness resolution as an example…the Mission should incorporate a summary of what is changing and what the benefit we expect to realize. It should not include any specific actions/activities, like running, just yet.
Something like:
Healthier Lifestyle to Increase My Energy Throughout the Day
Nothing fancy, but something genuine that describes what we will accomplish over the year.
Is this really any different?
A Mission might sound a lot like a typical New Year’s Resolution…and it can be. However, this is where people typically stop in planning their success. It’s important we add Actions and Reflection.
Mission Statement Help
If you’re struggle with a Mission ask yourself questions about the next 1 or 2 years of your life?
- What does your career look like? Does it need to change?
- Who are your friends?
- What kind of physical or mental health are you in? Are changes needed there?
It is critical that you are emotionally connected to the questions and answers. The more genuine and personal the answers, the easier it should be to capture something that is important to you - which increases chances of success.
Action
With a Mission in place, we can create our first Action .
The key to a good Action is to make sure it is clearly defined and achievable within one month. I like using the SMART goal framework.
- Specific - the action spells out details of who, where, when, how (we already have why and what in our Mission )
- Measureable - the activity should have a way to measure progress (ideally daily, but weekly ok)
- Achievable - the activity needs to be realistic and within your capabilities
- Relevant - the activity must support your Mission
- Time-Based - the activity must start immediately and have a deadline at the end of the month
can be replaced with: I will run 3 days per week starting with 0.5 miles and increasing gradually to 3 miles by month end
Responsive
The last step in the framework is Reflection . It has two parts:
- Reflection & Reward
- Next Month Action
Reflection and Reward
This is an important step in the process because by this point, in only ~4 weeks, your goal for that month’s Action should be met.
In the last week of each month, while reflecting on the success (or faults) of the current month, be honest about your progress.
- What went well?
- What was difficult?
Perfection in any given month is not the goal. Action and iteration is.
If you made a serious effort, whether perfect or not, and you have noted key takeaways from the month… it’s time for a meaningful reward.
Maybe… a nice meal out …or… a cocktail by the lake …or… a new pair of shoes
Whatever makes sense to you, you deserve it!
Next Month Action
The next step is to select a new goal (or a variation of the previous month’s goal). Maybe things went great and you are increasing frequency. Maybe things were tough, and you need to reset expectations for what is achievable.
The point is to adapt and keep with the SMART goal framework.
Caution...
Do not pre-plan all 12 months of Actions ahead of time. Like the name implies, the idea is to be responsive to what is or isn’t working in your life and modify what you need at that time to continue toward your Mission.
Responsive Goals
Ideally, you keep doing the things from previous months, but that’s not necessarily required.
A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week
Tips For Success
Do not over think any part of this Your first month does not need to be perfect. In fact, it should error on the side of ‘easy’ vs. ‘perfect’.
Start small Don’t try to over do it too early. Building habits is a marathon, not a sprint. Start small and focus on commitment. Being successful is more important than being perfect.
Measure the right progress - Progress should be a measurement of your discipline of sticking with your plan, not seeing immediate results.
START NOW - Remember Patton’s quote above. It’s better to start a half-baked plan than wait to start a better one next week. (you can always revise your plan - that’s the Responsive part!)
Summary
I gained a lot from doing this activity in 2015, so I’m excited to share this framework and my journey for 2016.
What do you think of this idea? Like it? Disagree with it? Share your thoughts below.
