How to be Organized in 2009: Day 1 – Personal Development

The 12 Days of New Year’s Resolutions

This is Day 1 of The 12 Days of New Year’s Resolutions for Better Personal Organization

I’m spending 12 days posting ideas for new year’s resolutions you might like to choose for yourself. Each day focuses on a different life area.

Remember: go for progress, not perfection.

Following is an edited extract from the introduction to Module 1: Personal Development in Get Organized Wizard for Smart Women. 

Day 1: Organize your Personal Development

Is this an area of your life that gets neglected? In the face of daily pressures, family challenges and the holy grail of life-work balance, many people never stop and think about their personal development.

Yet it’s personal growth that keeps us fresh and alive. Without nurturing our own development we can run out of fuel and start to feel like we’re running on empty in our commitments to others.

Without stopping to foster our own growth we become stagnant. We get fed up with ourselves and maybe even resentful toward the people we see as standing in the way of the things we ‘always wanted’ to do.

This is the time to stop all that unhealthy stuff, to recover the childlike part of you that wants to explore, to re-kindle the fire in your belly.

Ideas for Personal Development New Year’s Resolutions

• Books
  One of the easiest ways to freshen up your thinking is to read. Why not start compiling your list of stimulating books – fiction and non-fiction – to read. It’ll feel wonderful to tick off those titles!
• Comfort zone
  Expanding your comfort zone is one of those things you can’t help doing once you make the decision. Choose a growth area and you’ll start to notice opportunities. But be gentle with yourself!
• Trying new things
  Don’t be someone who harbors regrets about the things you ‘always wanted to try’. Start getting those desires out of your head and into your life. You’ll find a new you.
• Overcoming fears
  If a fear doesn’t interfere with your life then it may not be a concern for you. But if you feel a fear is holding you back, think about how you might start to tackle it.
• Training
  Is the lack of a particular skill holding you back in your job or career? Plan your sales, speaking, management, media or other training so you have the edge you need to move to the next level.
• Bad habits
  Vague plans to give up habits that hurt you ‘one day’ usually aren’t effective. Start identifying the habits you want to change and planning how you’ll make these changes.
• Good habits
  If you envy others for their punctuality, optimism, assertiveness or exercise habits why not set yourself up to develop these habits yourself? Or choose and work on your own good habits.
• Spirituality & mindfulness
  Consider whether you want to make room in your life for regular spiritual practice, meditation, religion, prayer, reflection, spiritual reading, or mindfulness.
• Uplifting work
  Does your office or desk evoke a sense of disorder? Or downright chaos? Work toward a more inspiring, less distracting environment so you can enjoy producing good work.

Question: What area of personal development will you work on in 2009?

Note for users of Personal Development Wizard and Get Organized Wizard for Smart Women

Your Wizard contains guided worksheets for each one of these items, plus others, as well as additional prompts, ideas and suggestions to help you organize each one.

Tomorrow – Day 2: Health & Fitness

Picture adapted from image by Aldon.

Did you like this post? Please social bookmark it!