Advertisement

Microresolutions could help you to a happier new year

 
Published Dec. 26, 2014

What is it about New Year's Day that makes at least some of us think that we can magically transform our lives?

Come Jan. 1, we will (pick one or more) swear off sugar and gluten, abandon alcohol, shun cigarettes, keep our homes spotless, stop watching trashy TV and never ever miss a Pilates class.

But if vows like these haven't worked for you in the past, perhaps the problem isn't you.

Maybe it's your resolutions.

That's the message of Small Move, Big Change: Using Microresolutions to Transform Your Life Permanently (Penguin, $16). It's a self-improvement book that is at once practical, inspirational and even reassuring.

Author Catherine L. Arnold touts the power of what she calls "microresolutions,'' targeted actions with the power to improve your life immediately — not after weeks and months of effort.

And who doesn't like instant gratification?

For instance: Resolving to get organized may sound like a reasonable proposition. But think about it a little more, and you realize it's a pretty vague statement. What exactly does getting organized mean to you?

Maybe your biggest organizational challenge is that you can't keep track of your keys. This causes stress every time you try to leave the house. A microresolution to always put the keys in the same place, a spot that makes sense to you, would be an instant life improver. Keep paying attention to that one task for a few weeks, and you've formed a new habit.

Then, and only then, do you consider adopting a new microresolution, Arnold writes — but you still get to enjoy the fact that, at last, you can find your keys.

"Never think of your microresolution as an increment, merely a stepping-stone on the way to a future goal; the benefit your microresolution delivers today is the goal,'' she writes.

Still, a lot of little changes do, as the book's title suggests, add up to bigger things. Arnold, a Wall Street executive, describes the series of small shifts she made in her eating habits, starting with turning down cookies at work meetings. That move, and many more, ultimately yielded a 22-pound weight loss she can maintain comfortably, thanks to her new habits.

The microresolution approach isn't just about self-improvement, Arnold writes. It can also help you navigate relationships.

Finding herself in yelling matches with her adolescent daughter, Arnold resolved to lower her voice, which at least forced her daughter to stop yelling so she could hear her mother.

Perhaps even better, "I felt a lot better about my conduct as a parent,'' she writes.

Today in Personal Best we have rounded up expert advice to help you reach your goals for weight loss, exercise and general health. Each of the five tips in each category is meant to help break down an overwhelming task into a manageable goal.

Having read Arnold's book, I wouldn't call each of these 15 tips a microresolution — but they're great starting points.

Keep up with Tampa Bay’s top headlines

Keep up with Tampa Bay’s top headlines

Subscribe to our free DayStarter newsletter

We’ll deliver the latest news and information you need to know every morning.

You’re all signed up!

Want more of our free, weekly newsletters in your inbox? Let’s get started.

Explore all your options

For instance, weight-loss expert Lavinia Rodriguez's top tip is to abandon fad diets and embrace real food.

For some people, avoiding meals that come from a drive-through window would be a starting microresolution. Others might set specific goals for eating fresh produce. Still others might be ready to cut out white flour. You get the idea.

A big key, Arnold writes, is to make only promises you can keep — and look out for unexpected benefits.

A week before Christmas, my husband and I made a microresolution to keep the dining room table cleared of all the stuff we routinely dump there.

What started as a modest get-organized effort has become a nice little stress buster as we enjoy clutter-free meals together at this hectic time of year.

If you love grander New Year's resolutions, go for it. As for me, I'm going micro in 2015.