When To Start Working Toward Your Goals
You probably know by now that I love resolutions. I love January 1st and the fresh-start energy of a new year. I love the opportunity to rest and reflect on the year that is ending and the opportunity to plan for the months ahead.
I pretty much only set major goals for myself in the form of resolutions and at the beginning of the year. If I want to pursue something new mid-year or try something out, I usually just do, with very little fanfare.
However, sometimes the things that we want to pursue deserve a bit more than that.
There is no inherently right or wrong time to start going after a particular goal or becoming the person that you want to be. But putting those things off indefinitely, or because we are waiting for January 1st to roll around (unless it is already December), is most often not the way to do it.
When there is an auspicious occasion to go after our goals, like January 1st, we should capitalize on that as much as possible, but when that doesn’t naturally present itself, the time to start working towards our goals is now or, at the very least, soon.
Recently on the Resolve Podcast, I shared about alternate fresh start days which Daniel H. Pink talks about in his book When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing, and I shared about dates from Gretchen Rubin’s recently-released Calendar of Catalysts. I love these resources because they identify other days during the year (beyond just January 1st) when it is easy to capture some of the similar fresh-start energy and use that as the instigator to start something new or continue on towards our goals.
They are also great options for those who don’t like resolutions and just want to start something whenever they feel like it. Or when a resolution-setter has identified the next step they need to take to reach a goal. Or when someone realizes they are ready to dive into a new adventure.
The days on which you can start something new are only limited by the days that exist in the year, but some make a bit nicer springboards than others. These resources from Daniel H. Pink and Gretchen Rubin provide a bank of ideas that can be used based on the time of year that it is, the type of goal that you're pursuing, or based on whatever else you may want.
The only thing worse than not moving towards your goal is not even knowing when you're going to start moving towards your goal. And so, identifying when you’re going to start is a first key step.
Daniel H. Pink in When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing, identifies the following as fresh start days when you may want to start pursuing a goal:
Mondays
The first day of the month
The first day of a new season
National holidays
Religious holidays
Your birthday (or half-birthday!) or that of someone you know
The first day of work, school, or a semester
The first day after a move
The first day back from vacation
A personal anniversary or day of personal significance (wedding, divorce, getting a pet, graduating, etc)
How many of these days would work for or be compelling to you depends largely on you and what you are looking to pursue. But this is a great list, and regardless of which would be most appealing to you, it is easy to see that there is always another opportunity to begin just around the corner.
The list from Gretchen Rubin has a slightly different focus, but is equally compelling and only contributes to. the reminder that you can begin at any time. Her Calendar of Catalysts includes the following dates:
January 1st - New Year’s Day (perfect for a fresh start and resolutions!)
February 14th - Valentine’s Day (perfect for considering love and relationships)
February 15th - Determination Day (perfect to examine progress and recommit to resolutions)
3rd Monday in February - President’s Day (perfect for considering political goals and affiliations)
March 4th - March Forth (perfect for moving forward into good habits or something new)
2nd Sunday in March - Spring Forward (perfect for jumping ahead into growth, action, exercise, or something else entirely)
March 19-21st - First Day of Spring (perfect for the fresh start of a new season)
April 1st - April Fool’s Day/Start of Q2/401(k) Day (perfect for any number of opportunities)
April 10th - 100th Day of the Year (perfect for marking and celebrating progress)
April 15th(ish) - Tax Day (perfect for analyzing your financial life and goals)
May 1st - May Day (perfect for looking for the help you need (“mayday”) or considering what you “may” do)
May 4th - May the Fourth Be With You (perfect for tackling a big challenge or celebrating a love of Star Wars)
May 29th - 529 Day (perfect for considering your education, or that of someone else, and how best to save for it)
June 20-21st - First Day of Summer (perfect for launching a new season or celebrating the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere)
July 1st - First Day of Q3 (perfect for analyzing how to tackle the second half of the year)
July 2nd - Halfway Day (perfect for celebrating the half of the year that is over or starting something new for the second half)
August 1st - Dog-ust (perfect for celebrating pets, getting pets, or anything else pet-related)
1st Monday in September - Labor Day (perfect opportunity for considering your work life)
1st of 2nd Tuesday in September - Re-entry Day (perfect for celebrating returning to life, school, or anything else after the summer and Labor Day)
October 1st - Start of Q4/Last 90(ish) Days of the Year (perfect to consider what needs to be accomplished before the end of the year)
1st Sunday in November - Fall Back (perfect day to fall back into bed and sleep longer or use the extra hour to tackle something meaningful)
4th or 5th Friday in November - Free Day/Black Friday (perfect day to do whatever you want since no national holiday is associated with this day, and if you don’t have to work, you likely have no obligations!)
December 21st or 22nd - First Day of Winter (perfect to identify the season transition and reflect on the past year)
There are so many different ways and options for days that you can utilize as you pursue your goals or go after something new. Similarly, there are so many opportunities we can use to transform our lives and so many different times during the year that we can use as catalysts to do that.
The best time to start working towards your goals is whenever you say that you are going to. So choose the day that is going to work best for you and get started. There is no wrong time, but doing nothing is something you will likely look back on as being the wrong choice.
You may be like me and acknowledge that resolutions and New Year’s Day is the way you want to go. If so, welcome to the club. But if not, or if you want to broaden your horizons a little bit, then use any or all of these other fresh start dates (or any other day that feels right to you), - even and especially, today.
Until next time,