Instead of resolutions or goals, I try to do “watchwords” for the new year. I wrote about my watchword for 2019 in our book, Musings of a Yoga Community, available here (I’m pretty proud of it).

Last year’s watchword was “order” and I used it to help organize my life. It kind of worked, although you wouldn’t know it to look at my desk.

The way I use watchwords is to remind myself of what I want, and nudge myself towards the habits I want to go towards, and away from the habits I want to avoid.

I have decided that this year’s word is “follow-through. ” It was almost going to be “consistency” but there’s that quote, “a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.” Churchill? (quick internet search) Emerson. There’s a lot to unpack there. I think Emerson meant that being consistent just for its own sake is what small-minded people do, for fear of appearing wishy-washy. Doing things the same way you’ve always done them just because that’s the way you’ve always done them doesn’t make any sense.

Follow-through is different. To me, it is about carefully considering the projects I take on, figuring out what actions I need to take to work on the projects, and keeping going. Off and on for the last several years I have followed the system outlined in David Allen’s Getting Things Done. It is a system about organizing time as much as space, and figuring out what really matters, and doing those things well.

I am getting back on the Getting Things Done system, with some projects I am continuing, as well as some new ones I am really excited about (like a new book- squee!). So, as I am tempted to put things off, finish things later, stay up late, drive instead of bike…I’ll remind myself “follow-through.”