Resolutions

     I know that it's easy to break resolutions. I also know there's lots of research about how to build sustainable habits, and habits are are essentially operational resolutions. My friend C is very good at developing habits. Every month she makes 4 or 5 new ones, and it seems like she achieves most of them. She taught me that goals need to be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Action-oriented, Realistic, and Time-Bound. From my own reading, I have especially noticed how important the "measurable" and "realistic" parts are. For example, I wanted to move around a bit more at work, so one sustainable habit I developed last year was to spend time doing toe-touches when I was waiting for my tea water to heat up at work. (I give myself a pass if other people are in the kitchen, because there's no reason to look totally bizarre.) I drink a few cups of tea a day, and the machine needs a minute or two to heat up the water. Now my toe touches are pretty much triggered by the sound of the water heating up. The goal was measurable (did I do the stretches or not?) and realistic (it only takes a few minutes, and they are minutes I couldn't be productive in anyway).
     Yearly resolutions seem too big, but a monthly resolution seemed realistic. My neck has been hurting me lately. This is an ongoing problem that I've mitigated previously with acupuncture and swimming. I don't have access to either of these, so I've decided to do some weight-bearing exercises. I made the goal specific - four minutes of exercises while my coffee brews each morning, and I've already found some research-based exercises for those particular muscles and posted the list on the fridge. By the end of the month, I expect this to be automatic. To be fair, I don't really expect that four minutes a day will be enough. But once this small, easily achievable habit is a regular part of my day, then I'll work on increasing the duration, because I know that starting with 20 minutes a day would intimidate me and I'd never get it done.
     There are a few other ways that I've established habits and achieved goals. Buddies help a lot - I've had exercise buddies and job-searching buddies. (In fact, I have another goal for the next few months, and I've got a buddy for that. I'll post on that goal when it's complete.) Rewards are also quite motivating for me. I remember helping a friend structure her thesis-writing efforts; she chose small rewards for working a half an hour, followed by larger rewards for accumulations of work. It took me time to find useful rewards- dessert doesn't work because I'll eat it even if I haven't done the work. Currently,  the New York Times Sunday paper is most useful. I love reading the paper, but the NYT costs $7 on Sundays, so I've quit buying it. If I work a certain number of hours on an assigned project, though, it's my go-to reward.