Having a hard time breaking a habit? Can’t seem to be the person you want to be? Maybe you can do it for a while, but it just doesn’t seem to last? That’s okay. Give it a minute!

Why do New Year’s resolutions almost never work? I think it’s because they’re forever. And it has to be perfect. You can’t make a mistake or backslide. Every time I make a resolution it has to be perfect. Many times I tried to quit smoking (and finally did), but after a day or two or even a few hours I had a cigarette. That did it. I blew it. It’s no longer perfect. Now I have to wait until next year to try again.

A whole Year?! That’s a lot of pressure. But I’ve learned, for me, I can keep resolutions if they’re not forever. Being on a diet for ever? I just can’t get used to that. So I thought about what was wrong and I think I’ve realized something. All of a sudden I thought “wait a minute”. I know how I can do this. Give it a minute. Or five. Or ten. Or one hour. I can do that.

So I have a new New Year’s Resolution (that I started a few months late into the year 😄). Every day, I’m going to do a few x amount of minute blocks of time. As short or as long as I feel like. But try to do a few every day. Each one is a new resolution. One-minute resolution to pick up in the living room before company comes over. Two minutes of reading an article. I may say for the next five minutes I’m going to clean the garage. That’s not forever and I can do that perfectly. I don’t feel overwhelmed by that. But if I said I was going to work all day and clean it it would take me a while to get started, if ever. With five minutes of cleaning the garage I can set a goal and reach it. And I found out I can do a lot in five minutes.

The Unknown

Another reason that a five-minute goal is so easy is because it has a definite start and end. It’s not an endless loop. It doesn’t seem to go on forever. It would take hours to clean my garage but I’m not sure exactly how many hours so I don’t really know when I’ll be done. It’s the unknown. With a five-minute goal there is no unknown. And so often I find myself wanting to do another five minutes. I mean, they are pretty easy. Five minutes here and there throughout the day really adds up.

Having a hard time breaking a habit?

I used to. But now my New Year’s resolution is to give it a minute or two or five. It has really made a difference, for me. It’s given me a lot of confidence. There’s virtually nothing I can’t do for one minute.