I don’t make new years resolutions for two reasons. Firstly, you can only make them at New Year’s. Secondly, you have to resolve to actually doing something. That might sound a bit funny, but let me explain a better way.

I make want lists. Instead of at New Year’s, they can be made at any time. It’s not even once a year—it could be 4 months after the last list, or 4 years. In my case, it tends to be around every 18 months. I also don’t resolve to do something, but to acknowledge I want a change. It’s a step before resolving to try something. Which itself is the step before actually doing something.

It solves the problem of a tendency to try to do something before you have really considered it, before you know it’s not a fleeting idea. Let me give you an example.

I, like many, tried to quit smoking countless times during the 8 years I smoked. Sometimes I really meant it, sometimes I ran out of cash, sometimes I did it to appease others. The problem is I never really wanted it. To want, is to have desire for a period of time. That period is indefinable, but it is longer than an hour, or a day. One day I simply woke up and decided I had considered it for long enough and I really, truly didn’t want to smoke anymore.

There are two subtle differences there: it was a long time considered, and I didn’t want to quit, I wanted to not smoke. The method worked and in 3 days the symptoms of being a recent smoker were well on their way to disappearing, and I felt great. Nearly 3 years later and I’m still really happy about it.

This was on my want list for a while. Probably about 2 years or more. The great thing about a want list is that it can change, and there is no anxiety about something being on the twice in a row—that’s progress because you still want the same thing