Countdown to the New Year

“Each age has deemed the new-born year / The fittest time for festal cheer.” – Sir Walter Scott

Yesterday, you took a stab at the one or two resolutions you ignored this year. Today, you are going to spend at least an hour moving ahead on those tasks. Remember, you need to put in only 15 minutes per task. Just get started now.

On Monday, I’m going to ask you to spend another good chunk of time on these objectives. I’m hoping that by lunchtime on Monday, you’ll have made enough progress that you’ll feel pretty good about yourself. You will have begun every single item on last year’s goal list. That will be something to be proud of.

This afternoon, after you’ve enjoyed a leisurely lunch, punch out your regular daily task list. Do the most important things first. Get as much done as efficiently as possible.

You are probably going to be busy this weekend with social responsibilities — with shopping and parties and visits — so don’t give yourself too much work-work to do, since you won’t be likely to finish it.

Some time this afternoon, do the following:

1. Thank a co-worker for something he’s done to help you this year.

2. Thank your boss for a challenging assignment he’s given you.

3. Offer to help someone with something — anything.

4. Write a personal note or make a phone call to an old friend or family member — preferably someone you haven’t seen in a while.

5. Say a prayer or read a poem.

[Ed. Note.  Mark Morgan Ford was the creator of Early To Rise. In 2011, Mark retired from ETR and now writes the Palm Beach Letter. His advice, in our opinion, continues to get better and better with every essay, particularly in the controversial ones we have shared today. We encourage you to read everything you can that has been written by Mark.]