Did you set New Year’s Resolutions last year? Have you taken time to reflect to see how you did?
One of my personal resolutions (or goals) was to read more books- both fiction and non-fiction. Books for fun and books for business and personal development.
Well, as a behavior analyst, I love data. So of course I track how many books I’ve read the last few years. In 2019, I read 20 books. In 2020, I’ve read 28 books so far and I’ve still got a few weeks left at the time I’m writing this. 8 more books a year! That’s a lot! Go me!!
What do I do with this knowledge? How can I make sure I repeat this performance in 2021 or do even better?
Again- I am a behavior analyst, so let’s analyze some of the environmental factors.
Key things that may have helped me to meet this goal
- Writing my goal down. I wrote my goals in my Power Sheets planner way back in January 2020 (feels like 7 years ago).
- Tracking my progress. Each book I’ve read goes 2 places: Goodreads account and on a simple word document I keep with a list of the books and my ratings of them.
- Picking things that are reinforcing for me. I’ve actually quit reading a few books. Why? Because I didn’t like them. I wasn’t into the books, they weren’t reinforcing to me. So I returned those books to the library and chose something I liked instead. It’s easier to stick with something that is reinforcing to you- that you actually enjoy!
- Sharing with others. I have two good girlfriends from college that also love to read. So we share book ideas via text and Goodreads and it’s so fun and (once again) reinforcing to me!
So come January, it’s time to think about what I want 2021 to look like for me. Reading books has served a few purposes for me like self-care, recharging my batteries, personal development and professional development. So I’ll likely choose this goal again- to read 28 or more books in 2021. Then I need to keep doing what works for me! I need to keep doing theses 4 things I listed. I need to find ways to keep making things reinforcing for myself so that I’ll keep doing them.
As you look toward 2021, I encourage you to do these things:
- Reflect on what worked in 2020.
- Identify your values so you can stay focused on those in 2021.
- Figure out where your family is currently.
- Set some realistic goals that are in line with your family values.
And of course, I’m going to offer to do this all with you- holding your hand the entire process.
The Parenting with Intention Workshop starts January 4th but you can sign up today to save your spot before you get too busy with holiday hubbub.
We can make 2021 an amazing year for your families, regardless of all the garbage 2020 brought our way. We got this. And when we do it together- it’s even easier! Let’s commit to being more intentional in our parenting in 2021 together!
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