By: EricPosted on

I’ve used this Post-it note strategy for a few years and wrote this for work a few weeks ago . . . thought the Superpower of Post-Its might be worth sharing.  – Eric

I’m not a big fan of New Year’s resolutions.

Most of us are able to stick with a new diet or workout regimen for a few days, but by right about now (mid-February) is when our resolve to do that yoga routine vanishes in an explosion of orange Cheetos dust. Sound familiar? What we need is not just a resolution and sincere desire to change. We also need a constant reminder of that commitment.

What we need is this: Post-It notes and a bathroom mirror.

Yup, that’s it.

Each year, right around December/January, I spend some time thinking about what I’d like to accomplish in the following year. This probably sounds like those resolutions I said I’m not a fan of, but here’s the difference. I write those stretchy goals of things I want to achieve or change or improve on a 2″x2″ Post-It and stick it to my bathroom mirror.

Every morning I am challenged to move a step or two closer to a goal. Every evening I take inventory of where I made progress and where I may have fallen short. This practice creates 730 reminders over the course of a year. Do I always reach every goal? No, but the constant reminders ensure that my success rate is much higher than it would have been without the Post-Its.

The goals are generally separated into three different areas:

  • Left side = relationship/family goals
  • Right = work/ professional goals
  • Top = personal goals including fitness, diet, hobbies, and intellectual pursuits.

 

Your family or partner will wonder what you are up to (my wife rolls her eyes at a few of my new goals each year), but you will find that they are impressed with your commitment to get better and will eventually become big supporters of your efforts.

I look forward to hearing how the Post-It Note Challenge works for you in 2017 and beyond.

Eric

p.s. No monetary or in-kind support was accepted from 3M for this endorsement . . . not that I wouldn’t have accepted it had it been offered.

p.s.s.  My running Post-its include a buckle at Western States, TWO buckles at Leadville (one for my son, Zach, and one for me), a 2019 BQ and not dying.