Make a 2021 To-do List Instead of New Year's Resolutions

Many of us make New Year’s resolutions whenever January rolls around. Some are good at keeping to them. Others, myself included, are not. That’s why this year, instead of making resolutions that I’m likely not to keep, I’m making a 2021 To-do list.

To-do lists are more action-oriented. They focus on doing rather than being. There’s nothing wrong with being, of course; we should all be more or less of something-or-other all the time: I should be more patient, more kind, less judgmental and less fearful. But how do I measure my progress toward such goals?

It’s hard to measure progress toward being more or less something because goals like “I want to be more kind” or “I want to be less impatient” are not S.M.A.R.T. That’s an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-based and is commonly attributed to management consultant Peter Drucker. S.M.A.R.T. goals are action-oriented, and taking action toward realizing a goal gives us a sense of progress. Setting a S.M.A.R.T. goal that’s action-oriented can help us be more or less what we envision ourselves being because being requires becoming, and becoming requires action.

Here’s a rubric of my 2021 To-do list showing how each item meets the S.M.A.R.T. goal criteria:

2021 To-do Item	Specific	Measurable	Achievable	Relevant	Time-based
Read a self-help book	Yes, Dr. Carol Dweck’s The New Psychology of Success, all about growth mindset.	Yes, although before the end of 2021 I may read more than one book.	If I can’t finish one book in a year’s time, I’ve got some time management work to do.	Yes. Learning about growth mindset will help me help my students.	Yes. Everything on this list should be accomplished in 2021.
Improve my videography skills	Yes, although I should clarify I want to improve not only my technical editing skills, but also my artistic skill in composition, lighting, etc.	Yes. I can compare earlier projects with later projects to see improvement.	Yes. I have a new Sony camcorder, an external mic, and editing software installed on my computer.	Yes. I have become the de facto videographer for my church during the pandemic, and it’s a field I have been interested in since my college years.	Yes.
Lose ten pounds	Very.	Yes. I can watch the number on the scale go down little by little.	We’ll see. I think I can do it because ten pounds is less than a pound per month.	Yes. Most of my adult life I have carried about 10-20 pounds more than my ideal weight. Now that I’m approaching 60, it’s more important than ever to keep my weight under control.	Yes.
Learn some Japanese for travel	Yes. Japanese for travel will focus on what I need to know to get around more independently when we visit Japan in the future.	Yes. I can broaden my vocabulary and comprehension over time.	Yes. I already know some Japanese and am a little familiar with its grammatical structure.	Yes. I am Japanese-American by marriage and would like to know more about my husband’s father’s family.	Yes.
Take more photos	Not very. Maybe I should say, “Take more artistic photos, especially using macro settings.”	Yes. My photos folder will expand as the year goes by.	Yes. I have a Sony Alpha 6000 mirrorless camera and some photo editing software on my computer.	Yes. Improving my photography skills can help me with my videography as well as my multimedia projects at work.	Yes.
Write more fiction and poetry	Yes. I get enough nonfiction writing practice with work.	Yes. My Creative Writing folder will expand as the year goes by.	Yes. I have enough time to devote to writing; I just need the discipline to sit down and do it.	Yes. I have a knack for writing that I shouldn’t let languish.	Yes.
Learn more about Celtic history and philosophy	Yes, although the term Celtic can be pretty broad. Maybe I should clarify that I am interested in Scottish and Irish Celtic heritage.	Yes. By the end of the year, I will know more than I do now.	Yes. Anything I want to know I can find on the internet.	Yes. My DNA report indicates I have more than 50% Scots-Irish ancestry.	Yes.

 

If you’d like to make a 2021 To-do list for yourself using S.M.A.R.T. goals criteria, feel free to download my rubric.