4 New Year's Resolutions You Can Actually Keep | 2022 Goals

Here we are again, another new year and another long list of fuzzy and overly ambitious new year’s resolutions to be tempted toward. Any of these sound familiar?

“I want to get out of debt.”

“I want to make more money.”

“I want to get on a budget.”

Fill in the blank…

So today, I want to suggest 4 new year’s resolutions that will ACTUALLY get you some results not only in the short term, but more importantly for the rest of your life. Here they are in brief and then we’ll unpack each one in more detail.

1. Commit to earning/finding/saving/cutting (expenses) $1k in 30 days.
2. Organize your financial life by making a centralized list of all of your
1. Sources of income
2. Bills and expenses
3. Debts
3. Start a written budget and commit to 90 days of “trial and error”.
4. Start tracking every single expense.

  So let’s jump into these 4 resolutions and help you to not be one of February’s New Year’s Resolutions body count.

“Why do New Years Resolutions fail? Mainly, because they are only a statement, or what we wish for in the coming year. There are usually no action plans, no deadlines, no backup plans. Sometimes they are unrealistic resolutions, with no other thought or plans beside the statement.” - Catherine Pulsifer

Make sure you stick around until the end of the video for a little bonus/pro tip.

Resolution 1: Commit To $1k In 30 Days

Our community actually has a $1k in 30 days challenge that you can do a deep dive into. This is where we help you find, cut and/or earn $1000 inside of 30 days so that you can: pay off debt with it, save it or invest it.

As a matter of fact, if you use this strategy regularly throughout your personal finance journey, it will serve you well for many years to come... 

So, whether you’re paying off debt, saving for an emergency fund or saving/investing for your retirement, the principles of grabbing cash in “$1000 handfuls” will help you reach your goals much faster AND will  simultaneously gift you with a lifelong financial skill.

Resolution 2: Organize Your Finances

This is what I like to call “the forgotten budgeting step” and I’ve made A TON of content about it. Most of us fail to get on a budget or fail to stay on a budget because we’re trying to do too much at once AND typically because our finances are completely disorganized. That was certainly the case for me a decade ago.

So to reduce the overwhelm and increase your chances of budgeting success, I 100% recommend taking the time to do this as an organization project. It may take a few days, it may take longer, but I can promise you that it’s totally worth it.

Resolution 3: Get On A Written Budget

Budgeting or cash flow planning is a fundamental life skill that absolutely everyone needs, kind of like breathing. EVERY SINGLE ONE of our successful financial coaching students over the past decade has said something like this, “if you think you can get control of your money, get out of debt and move on to becoming a solid investor WITHOUT properly learning how to budget, you’re fooling yourself.”

So, I created a 100% free resource called Budgeting 101: How To Build A Budget (You Can Actually Stick To) and I highly recommend walking through it if you’re ready to have a step-by-step, do-this-then-do-this, no overwhelm type of guide. 

And I think this is a PERFECT NYR! Why? Because it’s going to take you AT LEAST 90 days of concerted effort to make it happen. AND those 90 days are going to look something like this:

Month 1: Controlled demolition

Month 2: Some wins coupled with frustrations

Month 3: It all starts coming together

I can promise you that, if you commit to the process, learning how to budget will immediately change the trajectory of your finances and your life for the better! So, download my free guide and get started.

Resolution 4: Start Tracking Every Expense

I just can’t say enough about the combined activities of budgeting and diligent expense tracking have on your overall awareness about your money. The two in tandem are a game changer.

And like the pre-budgeting step, diligent expense tracking is a form of “budget insurance”. Alongside your written budget, this will help you to reign in  your finances and find “budget leakages”, in a way that will help you to feel like you’ve gotten a raise even if you technically haven’t (yet).

So, whether you’re seeking more control over your money, to eliminate debt, or to save for a big goal (i.e. house, car, college, retirement), budgeting will help you to both 1) benchmark your progress and, (when done consistently) 2) give you as sense of accomplishment and progress toward your goals.

This is also covered in my free guide linked below.

Okay, you made it this far, so you’re committed to making it happen. So now let’s talk about that little bonus tip I mentioned earlier.

Bonus Tip: Addressing Overwhelm

One of the best ways to eliminate overwhelm is to break any task down into 25 minute time blocks. That’s right, if you even have the idea that you’re going to be tempted to procrastinate or quite, it’s best to grab your phone or some kind of timer, set it for 25 minutes, put your head down and then take a 5-10 minute break once you’ve completed the block.

I’ve been using this technique for years as an online business owner and content creator AND we’ve recommended it to thousands of our financial coaching students and it really does work.

Two areas where overwhelm might try to creep into your mind will likely be: 2) organizing your finances and 3) getting on a written budget. For these two goals in particular, it’s a good idea to be aware of the potential overwhelm (which may have been keeping you from doing them all along) and to go ahead and set that timer.

Conclusion

Okay, now that I’ve shared 4 new year’s resolutions you can actually keep, let’s talk about something that will help you plow through all of these with more ease and confidence.

If you struggle with any of what I’ve talked about today and you constantly feel isolated about it, I’ve got some great news for you. It’s our private financial coaching community, ZeroDebt+ and we’ve opened it for new students for a limited time.

We only open it a couple of times a year, so make sure to click the link in the description box below and apply to join us.

Struggling Or Feeling Alone?

Join Our Private FB Group: Zero Debt Tribe

Now, if this decision process is something you struggle with and you constantly feel isolated about, I’ve got some great news for you and it’s free.

Our private Facebook group, ZeroDebtTribe. It’s a group of like minded people that are all somewhere along this P2P/debt-elimination/on their way to FI continuum. So click the image above and apply to join us. :)

How can ZeroDebtCoach help you? 4 ways...

1. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and click the notifications bell to make sure you get our new videos every week. 

2. Download one of our free personal finance guides. You’ll learn some of the exact strategies I teach my private coaching students on how to organize and optimize their finances, obliterate debt and move on to financial independence by starting and growing online businesses.

3. If you’re looking for a community of motivated and like-minded people, go ahead and get on the waitlist to join our private financial coaching community. We only open it for new students a couple of times a year, so make sure to get on the waitlist.

4. If you need some help right now because you’ve got a burning issue, you need a problem solved, you want to talk through a complex situation, click on the button below.

All that said, let's keep on building your financial acumen and make this your best year yet!

Thanks so much for reading and we’ll see you in the next video post!

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