Hooked on Books discussion

New Year, New Resolution?
Individual, Self-Paced Challenge
January 1 - March 31, 2024


Do you make New Year's Resolutions? Or do you despise them? Either way, I'm thrilled to have you along on this individual, self-paced challenge that will look at ways to make resolutions successful, as well as the top 10 resolutions people make.


You will make your Completion Posts here IN YOUR OWN THREAD. Please use this format.


Completion Post:
Part A or B:
Prompt Number / Name:
Book:
Author:
Date Read:
Task:
How it Fits:


If you have any questions, please post them in the Ask Your Life Coach: Q&A Thread.


Challenge Rules:
📘 Standard Rules Apply
📘I will create an individual thread for you prior to the start date.
📘Your first prompt will be posted on January 1, 2024.
📘Books must be completed after the prompt has been posted.


{Source: goskills.com}

Making Your New Year's Resolutions Happen

Despite the best of intentions, once the glow of a fresh new year wears off, many people struggle to make good on their plans. According to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology, only 46% of people who made New Year’s resolutions were successful. That means over half of the people who set a goal for the new year will fail!

The study also involved non-resolvers, people who did not make a New Year’s resolution but had a goal they wanted to achieve that year. Only 4% of non-resolvers were successful at achieving their goals, a far bleaker result than those who did make a New Year’s resolution.

Naturally, we don’t want to be in the camp of folks that fail to achieve their aspirations and dreams for 2023, so we’ve put together an exhaustive plan for following through on your resolution.

If you want to realize your New Year’s resolution this year, follow these 10 steps.


Part A:
Step 1 - Mentally Prepare for Change





Changing ingrained habits is no easy task, so before diving head-first into your New Year goals, it is important to take a step back and get ready for that impending change.

The first breakthrough in change is taking a personal inventory. Being that it’s the end of one year and the beginning of the next, it’s perfect timing to take stock of the past year’s accomplishments. Think about the following:

What did I set out to do in the past year?
Where did I make progress?
Where didn’t I see progress?

Naturally, your resolution may focus on areas that lack progress, but don’t forget to savor the progress made and find some small way to celebrate. Those happy feelings are useful! If possible, try to associate them with an object or word related to your accomplishment.

You will want to keep upbeat with your new resolution, so you can use that positive association with last year’s accomplishments to remind you of those good feelings when you are feeling challenged.

As you start thinking about the changes you want to implement, make sure to do the following:

Stay positive
Try not to make big/quick changes
Change should be gradual
Build on smaller changes
Allow a little room for error


Complete ONE of the following:
1. Read a book with an MPG of Cerebral. You can find some on this list.
2. Read a book where a character works out.
3. Read a book with the author's first OR last initial is found in PREPARE.
4. Read a book where all the letters of C-H-A-N-G-E are found anywhere in the title/subtitle.

Part A:
Prompt Number 2
Book: Where the Dead Sleep
Author: Joshua Moehling
Date Read: 1/24/2024
Task: Read a book were a character works out
How it Fits: MC works out - Page 99 - "He worked out in the basement..."

Part A:
Step 2 - Set a Goal That Motivates You





You would be surprised how often people set goals that are not for themselves. These goals could be dictated to or coerced by a manager, spouse, or parental/peer pressure.

While it’s nice to have some external support, if you don’t share the same passion, the resolution has a small chance of succeeding and could even be dead on arrival.

To do this, you need to make sure the goal you set is important to you and only you and that there is value or benefit for you in achieving the goal. It is these two things that will provide the reason and willingness to take action. This is also known as motivation!

Thus, it’s a safe bet if your resolutions align with the following:

Your goals
Your priorities
Your dreams
Your aspirations

Not only should you align around your innermost desires, but you should also make sure the resolutions align with your top priorities. This will lead to a “must do” attitude.

If your goals are career-centric, like improving your Excel skills, creating your own professional development plan is a great way to stay motivated on the path toward your goal.


Complete ONE of the following:
1. Read a book with a character who has big dreams or aspirations.
2. Read a book where the author's first AND last initials are found in MOTIVATION.
3. Read a book with a title that begins with a letter in GOALS.
4. Read a book you have been motivated to read.

Part A:
Prompt Number 4
Book: The House on Mango Street
Author: Sandra Cisneros
Date Read: 1/24/2024
Task: Read a book you have been motivated to read
How it Fits: I am motivated to read books that have been challenged for their content.

Part A:
Step 3 - Limit Resolutions to a Manageable Amount





A common mistake in resolution setting is having too many and spreading yourself too thin. We all want to learn 25 different languages, 15 new job skills, and eliminate 5 bad habits, but we are not superheroes. We only have so much attention span we can dedicate to self-improvement, so having too many resolutions is a great way not to achieve the many goals you have set out for yourself.

Thus, you should make a short list of resolutions that you can manage in the upcoming year. Knowing that short list of priorities is the hard part. The key here is understanding how to prioritize.

Here is an exercise that you can undertake to help you figure out what is most important in your life. All you need is a post-it pad, a pen, and a wall.

Write anything you want to accomplish for self-improvement purposes on a post-it

Each post-it only gets one discreet tactic
Place each post-it on the wall
Go crazy - use as many post-its as possible
Group together similar post-its
Place the topics you feel strongly about at the top of the wall
Put the topics you feel “meh” about on the bottom
Spend a lot of time thinking about the order of the first 3-5 post-it (groups)

As you might suspect, #8 is the most time-consuming because it will determine what resolutions you are going to take on this year.

The final piece of the puzzle here is knowing your limitations and personal bandwidth. With that in mind, you should focus on your top priorities while balancing how much attention you can honestly devote to a resolution.

Final thought: It’s better to tackle one resolution well than multiple resolutions poorly.


Complete ONE of the following:
1. Read a book with a title that DOES NOT start with a letter in LIMIT.
2. Read a book with a post-it note or some other office supply on the cover.
3. Read a book with a 3 or a 5 in the page count.
4. Read a book where more than one language is included in the text.

Part A:
Step 3
Prompt Number 1
Book: Paws to Remember
Author: Sofie Kelly
Date Read: 2/3/2024
Task: Read a book with a title that DOES NOT start with a letter in LIMIT.
How it Fits: Title starts with a P

Part A:
Step 4 - Be Specific





When it comes to setting resolutions, it’s easy to set bad goals that could lead to poor follow-through. Fortunately, the SMART goal-setting framework can help you craft better goals.

SMART goals are:

Specific - Articulate the resolution as clearly as possible. For example, quitting smoking is better than being healthy. While “being healthy” is great, the wording can be interpreted in many ways.
Measurable - Quantify your resolution if possible, i.e., I will lose 10% of my body weight.
Achievable - Choose a goal within the realm of possibility yet challenging. Making 100 friends this year would be amazing but probably pretty hard to do. On the other, making 10 new friends is doable.
Realistic - Keep it relevant to your priorities and goals. See the motivation section above!
Timely - Give yourself a time frame in which to achieve a goal. A deadline will instill some urgency and provide a time when you can celebrate your success.


Complete ONE of the following:
1. Read a book with a smart character.
2. Read a book where the MC makes a list, mentally or physically.
3. Read a book with a light bulb or some other artificial light source on the cover.
4. Read a book with a two-word title.

Part A:
Step 4: Be Specific
Prompt Number 4
Book: Mister Magic
Author: Kiersten White
Date Read: 2/11/2024
Task: Read a book with atwo-word title
How it Fits: Title has 2 words

Part A:
Step 5 - Break Up Big Goals Into Smaller Goals





A lot of us tend to be over-eager and grandiose when it comes to resolutions. We have the best of intentions and may accidentally take on a goal that is too big to achieve. Thus, it’s helpful to divide a big goal into smaller goals that are more achievable.

Let’s say you are the leader of an alien race, and your resolution for 2023 is capturing the planet Earth. That is a huge goal!! You can’t just tell your intergalactic fleet of spaceships “take over planet Earth,” and expect success.

You have to chunk up this big crazy feat into smaller more management accomplishments:

Claim New York City
Sack the Tri-state area of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut
Dominate Eastern Seaboard
Capture the United States of America
Occupy North America

Similarly, you can break up your year-long resolution into weekly or monthly goals. And have tasks planned for each month.

January: North America
March: South America
May: Europe
July: Asia
September: Africa

By breaking your tactical plan into discrete steps, you now have a pretty good chance of world domination by the end of the year.

Now chunking up a big goal is easier said than done. Here are a few tips to help you make your massive goal more achievable:

Create a list of sub-tasks
Prioritize and order them
Use a visual map to display
Assign milestones to each task
Decide how much time each task requires
Allocate resources accordingly
Focus on the next step, not the big goal


Complete ONE of the following:
1. Read a book that includes a map.
2. Read a book where the MC's first initial is found in GRANDIOSE.
3. Read a book set in North America.
4. Read a book with alien characters.

Part A:
Step 5: Break up Bigger Goals into Smaller Goals
Prompt Number 3
Book: The Bluest Eye
Author: Toni Morrison
Date Read: 2/20/2024
Task: Read a book set in North America
How it Fits: Set in Ohio

Part A:
Step 6 - Write Down Your Goals





While it’s great to have goals, it is critical to document them in some way. Here are six reasons to write down your goals:

1. They are easy to forget. While that may seem silly, we are human, and it is human to be easily distracted and forgetful.
2. Writing down your resolutions helps you clarify what it is you want to achieve. It forces you to make decisions and be precise with your words.
3. Writing establishes intention, but action needs to be taken to achieve your resolution. Having a written account of your goals is a constant reminder to take action.
4. Written goals can act as a filter and guiding light for what opportunities to pursue. On any given day, there are a million decisions to make. When in doubt, refer to the goals you have set to dictate the way forward.
5. Documented goals will help you overcome resistance to progress. We set goals to move forward, but there is a natural resistance to change. Your written goals spur you forward when you hit a speed bump or obstacle.
6. Finally, written goals are a reminder of how far you have come and what you have achieved. It’s a nice feeling to look back at the end of next year and know your resolution has come to fruition. It’s a reason to crack open that bottle of champagne and celebrate.

Here are a few ways you can document your resolutions for the new year:

Write them in a journal
Draft an email to yourself
Store in Evernote or some other note-taking tool
Print and tape to the wall


Complete ONE of the following:
1. Read a book where at least one hand is visible on the cover.
2. Read a book where an app is used.
3. Read a book where a character writes something by hand or electronically.
4. Read a book with a title that starts with a letter in DOCUMENT.

Part A
Step 6 : Write Down Your Goals

Prompt #4 - Read a book with a title that starts with a letter in DOCUMENT
Book: The Wolf Den
Author: Elodie Harper
Pages: 464
Date Read: 2/29/2024
How it fits: T is in document

Part A:
Step 5 - Break Up Big Goals Into Smaller Goals





A lot of us tend to be over-eager and grandiose when it comes to resolutions. We have the best of intentions and may accidentally take on a goal that is too big to achieve. Thus, it’s helpful to divide a big goal into smaller goals that are more achievable.

Let’s say you are the leader of an alien race, and your resolution for 2023 is capturing the planet Earth. That is a huge goal!! You can’t just tell your intergalactic fleet of spaceships “take over planet Earth,” and expect success.

You have to chunk up this big crazy feat into smaller more management accomplishments:

Claim New York City
Sack the Tri-state area of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut
Dominate Eastern Seaboard
Capture the United States of America
Occupy North America

Similarly, you can break up your year-long resolution into weekly or monthly goals. And have tasks planned for each month.

January: North America
March: South America
May: Europe
July: Asia
September: Africa

By breaking your tactical plan into discrete steps, you now have a pretty good chance of world domination by the end of the year.

Now chunking up a big goal is easier said than done. Here are a few tips to help you make your massive goal more achievable:

Create a list of sub-tasks
Prioritize and order them
Use a visual map to display
Assign milestones to each task
Decide how much time each task requires
Allocate resources accordingly
Focus on the next step, not the big goal


Complete ONE of the following:
1. Read a book that includes a map.
2. Read a book where the MC's first initial is found in GRANDIOSE.
3. Read a book set in North America.
4. Read a book with alien characters.

Michelle's Empty Nest wrote: "Part A:
Step 5 - Break Up Big Goals Into Smaller Goals

Hi Michelle,

Quick question - I did this one already. Should I just pick a different task from it?


A lot of us tend to be over-eager and grandiose when it comes to resolutions. We have the best of intentions and may accidentally take o..."

Sorry for the confusion! 🥴


Part B counts down from 10 - 1 and I was doing the same thing for your Part A.

Part A:
Step 7 - Share Your Resolutions With Others





“If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?”

It’s great to make a resolution for yourself and maybe even write it down, but if no one else knows about it, it’s easy to forget about or even ignore. And when you don’t achieve it, no one will notice or care.

On the flip side, your counterparts who decided to tell someone about their goal, feel something different. Now that they’ve gone public with their goal, they feel a sense of obligation and accountability. Essentially, if you don’t follow through, they are going to let everyone down.

Crazy as it sounds, this sense of guilt is often more powerful than self-motivation. The upshot here is that when you do succeed, the people you shared with will celebrate with you!

If you want to take goal sharing to the next level, you could organize a mastermind group. A mastermind group is a collection of highly motivated people who share a common goal and are looking to encourage and help each other improve.

How to do it:

Find some kindred spirits with similar goals
Meet regularly (weekly or monthly, depending on the level of commitment)
Share setbacks and progress
Stay motivated!

Now, if you don’t have the time or inclination to do the above, another way to achieve the same result is to make a Facebook post declaring your intentions to all your friends. You can bet people will cheer you on and ask about your progress over the course of the year!


Complete ONE of the following:
1. Read a book that has friends as characters.
2. Read a book with all the letters of S-H-A-R-E found anywhere in the title/subtitle.
3. Read a book where the MC's first initial is NOT FOUND in OTHERS.
4. Read a book where a character suffers a setback.

Part A
Step 7 - Share Your Resolution with Others
Prompt # 3 - Read a book where the 's first initial is NOT FOUND in others

Book: A Venom Dark and Sweet
Author: Judy I. Lin
Date Read: 3/7/2024
How it Fits: MC names are Ning and Kang

Part A:
Step 8 - Automate Where Possible





A stitch in time saves nine.

The good news is you probably have technology in your pocket that can help you follow through on your resolution - automation in the form of reminder apps.

Nowadays, there are a million different apps and services to help you follow through on your resolutions. These free tools can help provide a constant reminder:

Google Calendar: Set a recurring meeting tied to your resolution, i.e. scheduling workout sessions at the gym.
Google Now: Personal assistant that provides information as you need it.
Reminders (on iOS): Set up timed alerts for tasks.
Boomerang for Gmail: Schedule reminder emails to yourself (Freemium).

On top of these commonly used apps, there are also “to-do list” and task management apps that have the ability to schedule reminders and milestones. Here are a few popular choices:

Asana
Trello
Todoist
Microsoft To Do
Omnifocus
Things

Note: All of these apps listed above won’t help you do the work, but they do serve as a constant reminder of the work that needs to be done.


Complete ONE of the following:
1. Read a book where a character uses a cell phone.
2. Read a book with a rhyming title.
3. Read a book with a character who goes to the gym.
4. Read a book where the author's first initial is found in ASANA and the last initial is found in TRELLO.

Part A
Step 8: Automate Where Possible

Book: The Dark Bones
Author: Loreth Anne White
Date Read: 3/28/2024
Pages: 440
Task 1: Read a book where a character uses a cell phone
How it fits: Becca uses a cell phone

Part A:
Step 9 - Review Your Resolution Regularly





Let’s face it, if you are not thinking about your resolution regularly, you are not going to follow through. Thus, a crucial part of realizing your goal is a regular review.

At a minimum, this review should be monthly, but the more frequent, the better.

Here’s one way to build goal review into your routine.

Schedule a monthly “big picture” review during the first week of each month. This will serve as a planning meeting where you distribute smaller tasks and goals to different weeks throughout the month.
Do a weekly check-in to check progress on the monthly goal.
Set a daily reminder for smaller resolution tasks.

It may seem a little crazy to think about your resolution every single day, but it is those smaller incremental steps that lead to massive changes over the course of a single year.


Complete ONE of the following:
1. Read a book with an alliterative title.
2. Read a book where the MC does something on a regular basis.
3. Read a book with a "big picture" on the cover, like a landscape, cityscape, etc.
4. Read a book with more than one character who has a first initial found in ROUTINE.

Part A
Step 9 - Review Your Resolution Regularly

Book: The Woman in the Library
Author: Sulari Gentill
Date Read: 4/4/2024
Task 2: Read a book where the MC does something on a regular basis
How it fits: Hannah writes every day

Part A:
Step 10 - If Your Fall Off Track, Get Back On Quick





Rome was not built in a day.

We’ve established it will take time for your resolution to become a reality, and we know change is difficult. In fact, we’ve already established we should leave some room for mistakes and setbacks.

Keep the following ideas in mind:

Skipping an intermediate task is not a complete failure
Missing a goal by 10% or even 80% is not a complete failure
Finishing a task late is not a complete failure
A moment of weakness is meaningless in the grand scheme of things

Setbacks can happen, but so long as they are handled correctly, they will not impact the big goal. The key is to avoid a defeatist attitude at all costs, i.e., “Well, I screwed up once, why should I even try to do this anymore.”

And if there is a setback, it’s important to understand what led to that moment and how you can avoid a similar situation in the future, i.e., "If I play video games after work, I will not go to the gym. Don’t play video games after work!"

Once a mistake is made, own it and move on to the next thing. For example, if you skipped a study session, make it up tomorrow, and keep on moving. A few small mistakes shouldn’t spoil your resolution for the year!


Complete ONE of the following:
1. Read a book with a train on the cover.
2. Read a book where all the letters in TRACK are found anywhere in the title/subtitle.
3. Read a book where a character makes a mistake.
4. Read a book that includes a well-known quote like, "Rome was not built in a day."

Part A
Step 10: If You Fall Off Track, Get Back On Quick

Book: Shady Hollow
Author: Juneau Black
Date Read: 4/8/2024
Task 3: Read a book where a character makes a mistake
How it Fits: The killer stabs the victim unnecessarily and that ultimately leads to her getting caught.

Top 10 Most Common New Year's Resolutions


Every year, millions of people make New Year’s resolutions, hoping to spark positive change. The recurring themes each year include a more active approach to health and fitness, improved finances, and learning new things for personal and professional development.

Making resolutions, or goal setting, is like having your own personal cheerleader, rooting for you to succeed! When you set goals, you're making a promise to yourself and your dreams. It's all about being accountable and taking ownership of your actions. With goals in place, you create a structure that keeps you on track and motivated.

Deadlines and milestones become your trusty sidekicks, reminding you to stay focused and disciplined. By sticking to your plan and putting in the effort day in and day out, you develop habits that pave the way for your growth and success, whether it's in your career or personal life.

Chances are, more than a couple of the top 10 most common resolutions will look familiar to you.


Part B:
#10 - Read More





Take a few minutes before the end of the year and write a reading goal for yourself. Start with an appropriate level of challenge based on your current reading habits and build from there. I have shared the books I read in 2023 as a potential starting point for ideas of some books you might read in the coming year.

Set a goal to read just a little more each day than you normally do. If you don't read at all, you can set a goal to read 3-5 pages a day. If you normally read around 25 minutes each day, read for 30. If you use Todoist, create a task that recurs every day with the number of pages or amount of time you want to read.


Complete ONE of the following:
1. Read a book where the MC reads a book.
2. Read a book from your favorite genre.
3. Read a book from a genre you rarely read from.
4. Read a book about books, like ones from this list.