Create A New Years Resolution Worksheet
For many, a New Years resolution worksheet can make those pesky resolutions more manageable. This is no different for cleaning tasks. Whether your goal is to keep a tidier house, to get your kids on a cleaning schedule, or plan for seasonal cleaning tasks, creating a worksheet to track your progress is essential if you want to stay on task throughout the year.
The Rationale Behind Creating a New Years Resolution Worksheet
Organizing your resolution in to manageable goals and tracking your progress is a great way to stay focused on the goal without becoming overwhelmed. The experts agree:
Jill RachBeisel, M.D., director of Community Psychiatry at the University of Maryland Medical Center provides some advise for resolutions in general: “Create bite-sized jobs for yourself that you’ll be able to accomplish,” states Dr. RachBeisel. “If your goal is too big, you’ll feel defeated before you even get started.”
William McCann, PsyD, director of behavioral science education in Wake Forest Baptist’s family medicine department agrees: “I think most people make resolutions that they don’t achieve for many reasons, often because they seem so overwhelming. So, from a psychological perspective we should make resolutions that we are sure to be able to follow through on. While it seems counter intuitive, we should lower our expectations because we want to be able to say to ourselves by next Dec. 31st – ‘I did it!’”
In a Department of Health and Human Services article, Kirsti A. Dyer notes key steps to making a successful resolution, noting that researchers Miller and Marlatt at the University of Washington discovered that people who were successful in keeping their resolutions:
- Had a strong initial commitment to make a change
- Had coping strategies to deal with problems that will come up
- Kept track of their progress
How to Set Up Your New Years Resolution Worksheet
Rather than set up a monthly calendar of chores, a good way to organize things is to separate one worksheet into daily, weekly and monthly and seasonal tasks.
- Daily: Add daily tasks like make the bed, load/empty the dishwasher, wipe stove/counters, pick up living room, tidy the bedroom, etc.
- Weekly: Less frequently necessary task like washing bedroom sheets, scrubbing the bathroom, cleaning/dusting surfaces, mop floors, sweep floors, vacuum rugs, etc.
- Monthly: Add tasks like cleaning the oven, clean the fridge, dust cobwebs, tidy closets, clean under furniture, wash windows and mirrors, etc.
- Seasonal: This could include tasks like spring and fall cleanings, and organizing the basement, attic or garage.
A worksheet can be updated or tweaked any way you wish. The point is to help you keep track of everything that you want to get done throughout the course of the year. You can also sit down with your family to go over everything that needs to be done and set up responsibilities for everyone. This will get your family on the same page.
Finally, post your New Years resolution worksheet in a highly visible place so that it is easily accessible.
Get Help With Your New Years Resolution Worksheet
Staying on top of household cleaning chores is tough, especially since most people dread cleaning! Whether it is the time commitment, the labor, or the recidivistic nature of the chore, cleaning is something that many people put off for as long as possible.
The professional cleaning services offered by Sweep Home Chicago can work with you meet your new years resolutions. We strive to make our service as convenient as possible to complement your lifestyle and schedule. Your comfort is our number one concern!