In accordance with this post allow me to start off with telling you two of my themes for 2016:

“Execute”

“Do not allow perfect to become the enemy of good enough.”

Have you ever set a New Year’s resolution? Have you ever thought you were truly dedicated to it only to falter and fail to meet your own expectations of yourself? I certainly know I have. If you want to know one productivity hack to greatly increase your chances for success in attaining your desired objectives then read on.

At the beginning of every year many of us go through a practice of setting these promises to ourselves. Promises we call resolutions. Nearly always these resolutions are centered around improving facets of our life that we currently view to be weaknesses or areas for improvement. Examples of these resolutions would be wanting to lose weight or “get in better shape”, be a better partner to our significant others or loved ones, or focus more on career development. These are of course just a small example of what is out there.

I read countless statements on social media about how various people are setting resolutions, new goals, and re-dedicating themselves to their vision for themselves. At its heart there is nothing wrong with this practice. Using a time of year as an annual check-in moment to evaluate your past year and future desires is a healthy and beneficial practice. It has been shown, however, that many people who undergo this process fail to consistently meet their desired objectives. What can we do to mitigate these failures?

There is an endless stream of productivity hacks and top ten lists published throughout the year that promise to catapult you to the heights of achievement. Some of those have great information but for now just forget about all of that and focus on one simple thing.

Make it public!

That’s right. Just tell someone about your resolutions. The trick, however, is that it can’t just be posting it on facebook. Most people won’t care enough to hold you accountable unless there is a personal connection. You have to tell someone who you care about and, infinitely more important, cares deeply about you. If this person is truly your friend they will agree to hold you to your resolutions. They won’t allow you to fail the promise you made to yourself. At least partially, you’ve made that promise to them as well. You will be set up for success from the start.

So, here’s your challenge…tell three people in your life that you trust about your New Year’s resolutions and specifically ask them to hold you to them. You are telling three people to ensure that at least one of them will come through and hold you to your resolutions. Offer to hold them accountable as well. This will have the added benefit of adding a layer of connection and complexity to the relationships you value the most. If you want to add another layer of motivation to the mix you can promise to pay your friend a set amount of money if you don’t reach a given deadline. Just insert whatever you value into this concept if money isn’t a primary motivator.

Make it fun and sustainable. Make it public. If you do you will be on your way to your best year ever.