How to cheat at new year resolutions

Making plans – it’s what I do for a living.  So when new year comes around, I’m in my element.

Resolutions are like any other plan.  Unlike many areas of business, here there is good evidence to guide best practice.

Luckily, rules are there to be broken.  Here are my top 5 tips to fiddle the whole thing:

1. Keep it in your head.  Avoid committing to paper as it provides evidence, clarifies thoughts, and provides some kind of contract (psychological if not legal).  If you keep it vague and ill-defined you can quietly (or brazenly) move the goalposts, change the rules or alter the whole sporting analogy as you choose.
2. Keep control.  If you must take this road, travel alone.  Involving others is another subtle commitment trap.  They are much more likely to define useful resolutions which actually involve change and effort on your part.  Don’t ask, or you’ll get killers like “Stop eating chocolate” and “Only one hour of Facebook a day”.  Rather, get your defense in early:  “I really value your input – but you’ll understand that I need to do this for myself”.
3. Keep them small in number.  A few broad statements are easy to fudge; more specific commitments are hard to wriggle out of.   “I’m sticking to three this year, to make sure I uh-hum really focus on them and er achieve something concrete…”
4. Keep it vague.  Avoid objectives which are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic or timeframed (‘smart’ as silly acronym-users say).   Don’t say: “I will eat 5 portions of fruit and veg a day, upload a new image to Blipfoto, and post a card (on time) to everyone on my birthday calendar - plus gifts for the godchildren”.  Rather, go for grand-sounding and meaningless:  “Get healthy”, “Be more cultured”, “Be a good friend”.  And if pressured into writing, good old paper is so much easier to mislay than the processed word.
5. Keep to things you’ve already done.  This is the best ruse of all.  If you have to commit to something specific, fire the arrow first, and define whatever you hit as your target.  “I will cycle every day” (I already do), support my local overseas development group (ditto), get married (going to happen anyway!).

My resolution?  To weed out such rubbish planning at work.  And to resolutely continue it at home.  Happy new year!