BETTER YET 12-1-2002

Meetings & Conventions: Short Cuts December 2002
August 2002
Short Cuts:BETTER YET

Resolutions for the Office

At midnight on Dec. 31, countless people will make promises to be better workers, only to fall right back into old habits. Why? The resolutions they make are too broad or too unrealistic to keep, says Liz Franklin, author of How to Get Organized Without Resorting to Arson (www.franklinizer.com). She offers these suggestions for setting realistic resolutions.

Take small bites. Annual resolutions are too big to handle. Instead, try setting your goals for three months or less, or set four goals for the year one task for each quarter.

It’s not for life. To say that you’re going to “finally get organized once and for all” can be a trap, because if you become disorganized in the future, you’ll feel like a failure.

Evaluate the time line. Think of goals in terms of how long they’ll actually take to reach, then multiply by three to allow for interruptions and for reality to rear its ugly head.

Imagine you’re delegating. Ask yourself, ‘Would I demand this of a staff member?’ If not, revise your expectations to give yourself a break.

• SARAH J.F. BRALEY