The first of January is over, and the sounds of Auld Lang Syne have faded. As we begin the second week of January, where are you on your resolutions? Been working hard to break an old habit and begin a new one?

If you’ve been dragging your feet on your resolutions, you’re not alone, my fellow Savvy Aunties. Procrastination, which plays a big part in implementing change, can trip you up. It’s not that you don’t want to change or start something new. It’s well, you know - everything else. Any sort of distraction will do.

Procrastinators can be distracted by a number of things instead of focusing on The Big Thing they want to do and change. Think of a plane circling the airport: that’s what procrastination looks like - circling tasks instead of landing and doing what you want to accomplish.

Perfect Excuses

The plane of procrastination begins circling the airport mainly because of perfectionism, an old and annoying friend.

Perfectionists usually have to make all the conditions perfect before they begin. Let’s say you want to exercise more. A perfectionist may distract themselves with buying the perfect shoes, the perfect workout clothes, selecting a gym or exercise regime, and creating the perfect playlist. Some may even want to lose weight before they go to the gym. That’s like cleaning before the housekeeper comes.

Or let’s say you want to get more sleep each night. Perfectionists may be out shopping for mattresses, new bedding, and CDs of bubbling streams instead of just hitting the hay.

For perfectionists, it’s about getting started and practicing “imperfection.” If you want to exercise more, take a walk. If you want to write more, sit and write for 30 minutes instead of trying to write a book in one night. If you want to eat healthier, add an extra serving of vegetables or fruit into your day this week. If you want to get more sleep, go to bed 30 minutes earlier.

One Step at a Time

Some goals are so big and life-changing that they become scary and overwhelming, and that makes it hard to get started. One of my own goals this year is to lose 80 pounds. If I thought about the whole goal, I would probably go and get some ice cream and call it a day.

Saying that you’re going to work out every single day and eat healthy at all times is too much to embrace at once. Instead think about the tiny changes and wins you can do. Break it down to smaller action steps. If you have been more couch potato than gym rat, aim for exercise three times a week this month.

When looking at your resolution, what tiny steps can you take? For me, packing gym clothes is a victory. Pointing my car toward the gym after work is another victory. Drinking enough water is a victory.

Low self-confidence can derail your resolutions as well. To boost self-confidence, monitor your negative self-talk. I recently read that we have 60,000 thoughts a day, and I wonder how many are those negative little voices whispering in our ears?

Each time you catch yourself saying something negative about yourself, counter it with something good about yourself. Skip a workout? Congratulate yourself on the days you’ve been to the gym. Eat a cupcake? Congratulate yourself on the salad you had for lunch. Go to bed late? Pat yourself on the back for the nights you were tucked in early.

Most importantly, give yourself a break. To make lasting change and to make change last, the progress has to evolve and grow.

With the snow we’ve had across the country lately, I’m drawn to a colleague’s example of sledding. The first time you ride a sled down a mountain, it’s bumpy. After that first ride, each trip becomes smoother as you clear the bumps. Before long, you're hurtling down that mountain.

Janice Marie Simon, MA, CPO

Published: January 12, 2011