2013...It's going to be a great year!

Long ago I tired of making resolutions for the New Year.  They always seemed so large and unattainable so I would give up early in the year only to make up new resolutions the next year.  What is it that we're truly trying to accomplish by setting these resolutions?  The life I want to live, the body I'd like to have, the parent I want to be, etc.  These are all things that can't be accomplished overnight.  If I want to lose 25bs in 2013, how am I going to get there?  Then I saw this picture and it all seemed to make sense...

Instead of making resolutions, I need to set goals for myself and make an action plan on how I'm going to accomplish those goals. 

I want to lose 25lbs in 2013 but to get there I'm going to eat healthier, create a fitness plan that fits into my busy schedule and attend Weight Watchers meetings for accountability and support. Every week I'd like to lose 2lbs.  Knowing that some weeks may be better than others, I'd like to reach my goal weight no later than the end of May.

I want to finish our home remodeling projects.  To get there I'm going to break it down room by room, figure out what needs to be done, what sort of budget do we need for each project and gather creative DIY ideas so that most of the work can be done by us.  Every 2-3 months one project should be crossed of the to-list. 

Some of my other goals are much simpler and others I've been doing for several years already. 

I'd like to read at least one book each month.  To do this, I'll come up with a 2013 reading list which will make it easier to chose a book each month.  Goodreads is a great website to maintain my reading list and find book recommendations. 

Send out birthday cards.  This may sound simple but it's something I struggle with.  This year I'll be making a list of people I want to send birthday cards to.  It'll list their birthday and address and I'll organize the list by month.  Every quarter I'll go out and purchase cards for the next 3 month, write in the cards, address the envelopes and put a stamp on.  This way they'll be ready to go in the mail!

Another simple goal of mine is to take a picture of the kids at the beginning of each month and document the things that are going on in their life at that time.  I'll use our blog to record these for now but they may evolve into scrapbook layouts or maybe a Shutterfly book later on.

Do you make resolutions or goals for yourself each year?  Do you have any tips on how you accomplish those resolutions/goals?