Resolutions, Short-Term Goals, and Long-Term Goals

I realize that this is the kind of post that one does on New Year's Day. But I wasn't really thinking about resolutions then because I gave up on the whole idea of resolutions long ago. And I am not about to revive them. Resolutions are vague, long-term, and impossible to keep. They merely make the resolver feel guilty. So away with resolutions of that kind I say.

Setting goals can be more useful, although I find that for myself setting long-term goals is just about as productive as setting resolutions. In fact, they are a more concrete sort of resolution that I find just as unachievable. I know that the goal, say lose 20 pounds, is supposed to be broken down into steps. And in fact, that is one of the many things I am supposed to do. But if the long-term goal is supposed to be broken down into steps, why not just set short-term goals in the first place?

Short-term goals seem much less daunting and much more achievable. So I will try to set one goal a week. And I will have a week to achieve the goal, or not. If I achieve the goal, I will set a new one. If I don't achieve the goal, then I have the choice of trying the goal again or setting a new one. That seems much more reasonable. The goals can be about me or not. They can seem stupid to other people. As long as they are something I want or need to do, that's ok.

So, for this week, the goal is to get a white board that will attach magnetically to my refrigerator and use it to keep track of the fruits and vegetables in the refrigerator in order to actually use up said fruits and vegetables instead of letting them rot. Maybe not an ambitious goal, but one I can probably manage. At least the white board part of it.