SURVEY SAYS – Have You Made a New Year's Resolution?

January 7, 2009 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - It's a brand new year, and one of the "traditions" associated with a new year is the making of New Year's Resolutions.

This week, I’d like to know what resolutions you’ve made for the 2009 (and yes, there is a list to work from)   – or if you have resolved to make none at all.

Bonus question:   What do you think are the big retirement issues that the Obama administration needs to deal?

This week’s Survey Says responses are HERE

It's a brand new year, and one of the "traditions" associated with a new year is the making of New Year's Resolutions.  

This week I asked readers to recount their New Year's resolutions (if any).  

All in all, it was a pretty resolute group - only about one-in-eight ( 11.9% ) vowed to make NO resolutions.   Among the remainder, a clear plurality (nearly half, 44.6% ) said they planned to BOTH lose weight AND adopt healthier behaviors.   Indeed, if you add to those votes, the individuals who planned to either lose weight ( 13% ) OR adopt healthier behaviors ( 12.8% ), nearly three-fourths of this week's respondents were focused on those objectives.

This group also planned to put its money where its mouth was - 18.8% planned to save more.

"Read more" was also very popular, drawing the intent of 19% , while "have more fun", with 17.8% was right behind, 15.8% said they planned to spend more time with family, 13.9% wanted to work smarter - and for 12.9% the focus was on finding another/better job.  

Regarding the latter, one reader noted, "I make the same resolutions every year, and I've made some progress, but not enough. However, finding a different/better job is a new one for me this year. The time has come, after 10 years and 4 different companies (but the same desk) to move on."   Another said, "Does anyone in the southeast (or elsewhere that would allow telecommuting) need a benefits manager? My company is dying ."      

Other popular resolutions cited included:

9.9% - pursue more/additional education

6.9% - work less

4.0% - break bad habits

4.0% - be better behaved

1.0% - gain weight

Of course, even with all those resolutions (and resoluters), more than a third of this week's respondents chose a resolution (or two) not even on the list.   Here are some of my favorites:

  • I'm hopeful to find equitable resolve in decisions that require a choice between being right or being happy.
  • So our employees make New Year's resolutions, find they can't stick it out, consider themselves a failure AGAIN, get depressed, then get medicated. All at the same time the "winter blues" are in full force. No wonder our employee prescription costs are so high! We can blame it on New Year's resolutions. Maybe if we made St. Patrick's Day resolutions instead.....?
  • I'm also going to try to be more positive in my life when so much of our daily environment is negative right now.
  • Scoop the litter boxes more frequently
  • So far, so good! I actually signed up for the Y and made it to my first class...woo hoo!
  • Try one new thing every month
  • Retire
  • Fall in love (again)

But this week's Editor's Choice goes to the reader who said "I resolve to order my Starbucks mocha in nonfat and decaf henceforward. I do not resolve to stop ordering them, however. There are limits to what I am willing to sacrifice."

Thanks to everyone who participated in our survey!

Editor's note:   I'll publish answers to our bonus question tomorrow!

To provide those small liquid "samples" that airlines are known for to a certain individual in our corporate billing department for the stressful times that make her thirsty. (this is a running joke when I have special requests and I'm finally going to do something about it this year rather than make promises.)
Spend more time outdoors
Volunteer More
improve marital relations
I'm going to take time to appreciate all things I take for granted
Use the company gym more
Meditate regularly
Do more for the environment such as recycling
Eliminate caffine -
Be less judgmental
Stop sweating the small stuff
Give more time and/or money to charity.
Stay employed.
Launch a new business
Be more open and accepting towards my friends and loved ones and exert more effort into those relationships
Learn more advanced Excel techniques.
Read the Bible through this year.
eschew guilt
To not stress out over things/people i cannot control.
travel more
I resolve to order my Starbucks mocha in nonfat and decaf henceforward. I do not resolve to stop ordering them, however. There are limits to what I am willing to sacrifice.
Fall in love (again)
I'm hopeful to find equitable resolve in decisions that require a choice between being right or being happy.
Get organized
Watch less television. There's not much worth watching anyway - except for the new 24, of course.
Scoop the litter boxes more frequently
save a tree by printing fewer emails
Volunteer to work with children
get more organized
regular exercise
Exercise more; watch less TV
Try one new thing every month
Try online dating
Retire
to find new and better wine to drink and to go fishing more often
Turn off the Television, except "SPORTS". Cancel "negative" subscriptions, including all "bias" newspapers. Badger the hell out of your Congressional Representatives, who have verred to the left, and don't support private industry, national defense, and ignores our constitutional rights. Work until you can afford to stop. Re-think your investment principles. Clearly understand the ABC's of investing.
I'm also going to try to be more positive in my life when so much of our daily environment is negative right now.
recheck goals every 90 days & journal thoughts as a way to get to goals
Does anyone in the southeast (or elsewhere that would allow telecommuting) need a benefits manager? My company is dying.
Not that I am overweight, but I read an artical on how bad high fructose corn syrup is for everyone. My new years resolution is to avoid this ingrediant in products I buy or consume!
It was 12:01 a.m and a New Year had begun When I resolved to make a list, and Poof! it was done. The listing was small, a reasonable goal, I thought, I'll be more careful of the foods I bought. I'll cut in half my portions and snacks, I'll make weekly walks around my school's track. Making the list was the easy part by far, I posted it proudly on the refrigerator door. So, it's January 7 and what have I done? Not a damn thing since january 1!
They always say to create specific goals with measureable results and check-in points along the way. They forget to tell you how much thought and effort needs to set aside to set those types of goals! No wonder most people just throw out general resolutions that they are not able to keep...it's just easier.
The whole system of New Year's Resolutions is flawed -- if you need a special day to get yourself to "commit" to a resolution, how committed are you, really?
I make the same resolutions every year, and I've made some progress, but not enough. Lose weight, be healthier. However, finding a different/better job is a new one for me this year. The time has come, after 10 years and 4 different companies (but the same desk) to move on.
So far, so good! I actually signed up for the Y and made it to my first class...woo hoo!
Being disciplined is boring by the results are worth it. Unfortunately, I have a low threshold for boredom.
So our employees make New Year's resolutions, find they can't stick it out, consider themselves a failure AGAIN, get depressed, then get medicated. All at the same time the "winter blues" are in full force. No wonder our employee prescription costs are so high! We can blame it on New Year's resolutions. Maybe if we made St. Patrick's Day resolutions instead.....?
I assume "Adopt healthier behaviors" includes exercise more regularly because that was my second resolution along with scooping the litter boxes more often (something I'm not as faithful at as I should be -- or as my fur children would like me to be).
I never thought of this as a resolution, but it's probably the only one I could keep without really trying.
My rule is to never make a New Year's resolution. That way I don't ever have to worry about disappointing myself. Works every time.
I managed to lose almost 20 pounds last year (went from 189 to 169), but I've gained some of it back over Christmas. I am hovering at 175 now, and I want to lose 5 pounds. I also hope to do more stuff with the family...anything...trips, games, outings... as long as we're all together.
Don't know who said it, but "He who can't keep them is weak, He who makes them is a fool!"
I have never even pretended to make new year's resolutions, which means much less stress for me as the new year begins while others begin to pretend to stick to their new year's resolutions that they should never have made in the first place. Not sure why people think they have a better chance of achieving something simply because they establish a goal on 1/1.

«