JANUARY 3, 2024 – For centuries, we have been inspired by the immortal words of William Shakespeare: “The World Is Your Oyster.” It’s a subtle call to action to make our aspirations more than lofty goals but the rewards of a life well-lived. By taking the time to prioritize and commit to our highest ideals and trying to achieve those milestones, each of us can live a more fulfilling and engaging life.
While your mileage may vary, a 2019 YouGov survey of nearly 1,200 U.S. adults showed that about 4 in 10 made New Year’s resolutions. Of those surveyed who made resolutions, about 16 percent kept all their resolutions, and about 44 percent kept at least some but not all by the end of the year — meaning nearly 2 out of 3 people achieved some success.
Learning From the Department of Defense
Department of Defense stakeholders tout the effectiveness of the Military Scrum Master Course (MSM), which empowers warfighters to take control of complex work, doing more of what matters and less of what does not by breaking down barriers, enforcing team collaboration, and creating transparency with a framework for developing, delivering, and sustaining complex problems, tasks, or products.
As we develop New Year’s resolutions, we can glean some valuable lessons from the DOD by aligning our goals with a commensurate time management commitment.
So, whether we use a digital calendar and to-do list or an analog calendar or huddle card, it’s important to drill down on tasks that will lead to meaningful change.
Walter Reed’s Weekly Huddle Card: Syncing Goals with Results
At the behest of U.S. Navy Capt. (Dr.) Melissa Austin, Walter Reed’s director, the public affairs office creates a weekly huddle card synthesizing the goals, direction, and messaging for stakeholders to prioritize. Austin makes a point of visiting all 15 directorates at Walter Reed regularly, ensuring stakeholders of her commitment to patient-centered service and shortening the hiring process through Rapid Hiring events and promoting sustainability initiatives so that Walter Reed may thrive for years to come.
By comparison, we can each create a 4 x 6 huddle card that identifies our goals, responsibilities, and resolutions. These seemingly minute steps may become game-changers if we invest the time and effort to make them positive, recurring habits.
New Year. New Me
My week one huddle card might look something like this:
Fitness:
Cardio: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
Weights/Dynamic Stretching: Tuesday and Saturday
Finance:
Pay down credit card debt by 10 percent
Increase contributions to Individual Retire Accounts by 10 percent
Relationships:
Call five of my friends to wish them a Happy New Year
Express my gratitude to my parents by taking them to lunch
Community Service:
Donate two hours of time to a local charity
Donate one hour to phone bank on behalf of a DEI initiative
Book Club: Read at least one book per month
More Joy, More Gratitude, More Success
In November, Walter Reed stakeholders promoted a 30-Day Gratitude Challenge focused on creating daily gratitude moments. Among the results, many staffers became more appreciative of the positive effects of thanking teammates for their effort, contributions, and creativity.
These moments of gratitude lessened stress and created camaraderie and synergy in many offices.
So, imagine the individual and collective possibilities of becoming more accomplished and replenished by making each day count and achieving our resolutions and dreams.
U.S. Navy Capt. (Dr.) Kelly O. Elmore, Walter Reed’s chief of staff, consistently shares the secret of her success. She wakes up early and devotes time daily to exercising and journaling. “It’s a powerful combination that gives me the energy and mental clarity to give my best,” said Elmore, who shares her story and insight with the arrival of each incoming group of new hires at Walter Reed as they listen to her during her presentations in the iconic Memorial Auditorium.
Bullet Journaling: An Organizational Tool Promoting Engagement and Creativity
The simple act of writing things down can often make them seem more manageable. One major benefit t that bullet journaling can offer is getting your plans out of your head and committing them to paper. Bullet journal devotees say the process of externalizing and expressing your thoughts on paper can make your goals more concrete and doable. It can also make tackling your to-do list less intimidating.
The system organizes scheduling, reminders, to-do lists, brainstorming, and other organizational tasks into a single notebook. The name “bullet journal” comes from the use of abbreviated bullet points to log information but it also partially comes from the use of dot journals, which are gridded using dots rather than lines.
First shared with the public in 2013, it has become a popular organization method, garnering significant attention on Kickstarter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Pinterest.
Recently, digital bullet journaling has become popular. Although bullet journaling is traditionally done with pen and paper, many users have created digital bullet journals using a variety of note-taking apps or apps designed specifically for digital bullet journaling.
Closing Thought
New Year’s resolutions can be a positive way to focus on self-improvement, but it’s important to approach them in a manner that promotes good mental health and well-being.
Story by James Black
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center