2011: The year I kept a resolution

• Sat, December 31 2011
• Filed under: Fun stuff

At the beginning of 2011, I resolved to post on this blog every single day, for the whole year.  I think this is the first time I’ve ever kept a resolution!  I did actually d0 it, as of this post, without missing a day.

Lest I sound too smug, I can assure you that I didn’t keep any other resolutions, including ones that involved exercise, finishing a novel and being more patient with my children (they can back me up on that). 

So what was the difference and what did I learn?  Since it’s resolution time again, I thought I’d pass on my own thoughts, based on where I succeeded and failed.

1. Make your resolution public.  I committed to posting daily on this blog, in public.  If I’d only done it privately, I am sure I would have never made it. 

2. Have a buddy.  I made the resolution because the wonderful blogger Kivi Leroux Miller inspired it with her own pledge.  Having a buddy makes you try harder.

3. Make your resolution very specific.  I didn’t commit to blogging “more,” I committed to every day.  In other areas of my life, I promised myself to do “more,” which wasn’t as inspiring or galvanizing.

4. Try to stick to your resolution for a few weeks.  Then it becomes a habit, and it gets easier.

5. Tie it to rewards you care about.  I really want to become smarter, more reflective and better at writing.  I thought of blogging with those goals in mind (rather than as a burden), and it kept me energized.  I focused as much as I could on what I was gaining from the experience rather than what it cost.  If I’d seen this as an obligation, I would have failed.  I (mostly) enjoyed it, and that made all the difference.

I plan to keep going in 2012!  My only question is whether to continue blogging on weekends.  I see less traffic on the blog then.  So I thought I’d take a poll.

Please weigh in.

If you can’t see the poll below, view it here.