FranklinCovey(R) (NYSE:FC) is a global leader in effectiveness training, productivity tools, and assessment services for organizations and individuals. FranklinCovey helps companies succeed by unleashing the power of their workforce to focus and execute on top business priorities. Clients include 90 percent of the Fortune 100, more than 75 percent of the Fortune 500, thousands of small and mid-sized businesses, as well as numerous government entities and educational institutions. Organizations and individuals access FranklinCovey products and services through corporate training, licensed client facilitators, one-on-one coaching, public workshops, catalogs, more than 80 retail stores and www.franklincovey.com. FranklinCovey has nearly 1,500 associates providing professional services and products in 39 offices and in 95 countries.
Setting New Year's Resolutions? Keep It Simple, Choose Only One Resolution Organizing and Time Management Expert Julie Morgenstern and FranklinCovey Offer 10 Tips to Achieve Your Resolutions SALT LAKE CITY Every year thousands of people set New Year's resolutions as they reflect on their lives and ponder whether or not they are fulfilling their goals and turning their dreams into accomplishments. Whether their resolution is to get in shape, get out of debt, stop smoking, or spend more time with family, people make long lists of things they resolve to do or not to do. "Picture the heap of resolutions everyone makes each year, only to abandon them by February," said Julie Morgenstern, organizing and time management expert. "In our hearts, we know how liberating and satisfying it would feel to achieve those resolutions or goals, but we set too many with no plan for achieving them, so we don't accomplish anything and we are left with feelings of frustration and guilt." The best-selling author of Making Work Work, Organizing from the Inside Out, Time Management from the Inside Out and Never Check E-mail in the Morning, Morgenstern is also a contributor to O, The Oprah Magazine and has been interviewed by The Today Show, Good Morning America, and The New York Times. "If you are passionately committed to focusing on a resolution that aligns with your values, you create a plan to make the time necessary to achieve it, and as you break the goal down into tasks with deadlines, you are much more likely to be successful than just making a long list of lofty resolutions," said Morgenstern. Morgenstern recently partnered with FranklinCovey(R) (NYSE:FC) to design and launch her first exclusive organizing system and collection, Time Management Your Way. The new product line is based on her own methodology, which she has taught clients for 17 years, and is also closely aligned with the principles FranklinCovey teaches regarding time management, organization, productivity, and goal achievement. Morgenstern and FranklinCovey offer the following tips for making and keeping resolutions in 2007: 10 Tips for Achieving New Year's Resolutions from Julie Morgenstern and FranklinCovey 1. Keep it Simple by Choosing Only One Resolution Don't be overambitious with a resolutions list that is overwhelming and difficult to achieve. Keep it simple by choosing one thing you are passionate about, which if achieved would give you a sense of great accomplishment. If you're inspired to have more than one resolution, divide your life into five areas: work, family, community, financial, and self. Limit yourself to choosing no more than one per category and be realistic about what you can and can't do. 2. Identify the "Why" Behind Your Resolution When you identify the "why" behind making your resolution, it will strengthen your resolve to keep it. The "why" connects you to your core values, which give your life meaning. Resolutions should align with those values and represent what is most important to you (e.g., Exercise more. Why - To boost my energy and strength). 3. Make a Plan Resolutions are broken more quickly when there is no plan in place. Plan weekly and daily, reserving specific time in your schedule devoted to achieving your goal (e.g., Spend more time with family. Plan - At the beginning of the week, schedule family dinners, outings, etc. on your calendar). 4. Write Down Your Resolutions Writing down your resolutions transforms them into concrete, specific intentions. Keep them in a planning system for daily review. Reviewing written goals helps you focus your intentions and make daily choices that will lead you to achieve your goals. 5. Break Resolutions Down Into Smaller Pieces It's easier to achieve your resolution if it's not so overwhelming. Break your goal down into smaller projects, and make a list of the tasks you must complete to finish each project. Assign realistic deadlines for completing each project and its associated tasks. 6. Track Your Success with Benchmarks A resolution is a goal you accomplish over time. Every time you complete a project or task that moves you closer to your goal, record it in your planning system. Tallying small benchmarks over the course of a week or month is motivating and rewarding because you can see your progress. Celebrate each achievement! 7. If You Fail, Eliminate Guilt and Start Again If you break your resolution and are laden with guilt, don't beat yourself up, just begin again. Everyone struggles when making changes or trying to achieve goals. You may fail a number of times, but the key is to keep trying and stop feeling guilty. Start again! 8. Reward Yourself Determine motivating rewards for completing a step toward your goal. Celebrate your success with those rewards along the way! 9. Find a Mentor Enlist someone you trust to help you as you work toward your goal. This person should encourage you when you are struggling and celebrate your successes, instead of discouraging you. 10. If Your Resolution Isn't Working, Replace it If you find you aren't achieving your resolution, take it off your list. You may not be passionate enough about it or ready to fulfill it at this time. It isn't a negative thing, or a sign of failure; it is a question of timing. Choose another resolution you are excited about and ready to achieve. "The only person who can really change you is you," said Morgenstern. "Invest in yourself this year by working on something that will positively impact your life. Choose your resolutions carefully, understand that baby steps are fine, and enjoy making more progress this year than last year."
Organizations and individuals access FranklinCovey products and services through corporate training, licensed client facilitators, one-on-one coaching, public workshops, catalogs, more than 110 retail stores and www.franklincovey.com. FranklinCovey has 2,000 associates providing professional services and products in 39 offices and in 95 countries.
Read and print articles on time management, personal effectiveness, principle-centered living, and other topics from FranklinCovey training and consulting professionals such as Dr. Stephen R. Covey.
You are now more effective, proactive and balanced personally, at work, and at home but now you are concerned that your kids are spending too much time in front of the television! In the Home and Family library you will find helpful articles on family issues such as, What to Do When Kids Spend Too Much Time Online or Watching TV.
The Home and Family pages also contain:
Opportunities to sponsor family and teen programs in your community
The teen version of the Mission Builder exercise
Design Your Own Franklin Covey Planning Pages Frequently Asked Questions What do I get to design? When will I receive my order? Are any other products available that coordinate with my Covey planner? ate an account to store my personal information? Can I use the same login as the online store? What if I forget or misplace my password? How much does this planner cost? The accessories? Is my custom planner returnable or exchangeable? How will I know when it is time to re-order another customized planner? Can I exit during the customization process and return to finish creating my planner at another time? We will the Design Your Own Franklin Covey Planning Pages website save my data after I create and order a custom Franklin Covey planner ? How long does it take to customize my own Franklin Covey planner? What do I get to design? Design Your Own Planning Pages has features no other paper planner offers, and you get to drive! Choose Compact or Classic size pages; begin with any month of the year; select 1-page-per-day, 2-pages-per-day, or weekly format; choose from five unique designs; and enter up to five personal events on any specific date. In addition, there are nearly 40 layout options spread among the three formats that include unique features such as double-wide lines, no lines, extra task lines, wide task lists, left-handed (reverse) orientation, 24-hour appointment schedules, and vertical or horizontal organization in the weekly formats. Different options are available for each format, so look carefully at the display to choose e options that most closely fit your planning style.
Are any other products available that coordinate with my Franklin Covey planner? You can order a Starter Pack, Blank Pages, and Lined Pages in the same design as your planner. The Starter Pack includes Personal Management Tabs and Pages, Pouch Pagefinder, and 52 Weekly Compass® Cards/Notes. To order matching accessory products, visit the FranklinCovey online store Planning Pages/Refills section, click Design Your Own, and look for your style.