Making resolutions I can keep

By Staff
Scot Beard
Columnist
It is that time of year where most of us evaluate our lives and decide what we do and do not like about ourselves.
We make promises to change and hope that giving them a fancy name - resolutions - that we will keep those promises to ourselves.
Unfortunately, most of these promises get broken every year. If they were not broken, we wouldn’t make the same resolutions each New Years.
After nearly 30 years of breaking the same old resolutions - lose weight, get more exercise, etc. - I have decided to make some that I actually intend to keep.
For years I have wanted to get better time management skills. I am a world-class procrastinator, and although I have tried to change, it is an old habit that is dying hard.
I could try to fight it, but that would just waste more time. Therefore, I resolve that in 2010 I will dedicate at least eight hours a day to procrastinating. That still leaves me with eight hours to work, which makes my boss happy, and eight hours to sleep, which makes me happy.
Another problem I have had in past years is the way I procrastinate. Sometimes I get on the computer and spend an hour or two surfing the Web or I watch television all day long.
In 2010 I promise to waste my time in a more productive manner.
Since I am a sports writer and my income is based on knowledge of sports, I vow to spend more time at Web sites that deal exclusively with sports.
I will search the Web until I know where every high school senior will be playing college ball then I will go to ESPN.com and get caught up on all the trade rumors for every sport.
As far as television goes, I will keep it tuned to sports channels.
In the afternoons, I will keep it on the Speed Channel to learn about the world of drag racing. At night I will flip back and forth between football, basketball, baseball, hockey or whatever sport is currently in season.
Each morning I will faithfully watch “SportsCenter” in case I missed anything from the previous night.
Perhaps the most common resolution I make each year is the one about eating smarter.
Since I like to eat, and I like to eat a lot of foods that “aren’t good for you” I will eat smarter this year by making use of the millions of fast-food coupons that arrive in my mailbox each year.
Think of how much money I could save by using the buy-one-get-one-free coupon from the local burger joint.
The United States government says the recession is showing signs of ending, but my wallet is not seeing those signs yet. Saving a dollar on a tasty sandwich is smart during these tough economic times - and getting to eat what I want as I do it is a bonus.
As you can see, my resolutions might not be the popular ones, but they are ones I can keep.
Ask anybody in February and most will say they are still keeping their resolutions. By March that number is closer to 25 percent.
By next December, I am sure I will still be keeping these resolutions.
It will make me feel better that I could keep these promises so long - and what is more important than my own self esteem?