The New Year is always a great time for renewal and for a fresh start … but don’t let yourself get bogged down by a bunch of new resolutions that you aren’t fully committed to keep.

F or starters, follow Oscar Wilde’s simple mantra for 2017. It gets easier after that.

What am I doing you ask?

For one, I am recommitted to journaling and goal tracking in a more formal way this year.

While I already keep a Daily Journal, it’s mostly for what we might consider “highlights” of the day – special events, get-togethers with family and friends, books I’ve read, movies I’ve seen … things like that.

I haven’t used it for more mundane or routine things, but this year, I’m going to make a more concerted effort to formally track my goals and accomplishments.

In only a few days, I’ve noticed that it’s made me much more attentive to those goals and more eager to move them forward every day.

There are also a lot of software tools out there to help this process. I am expanding and strengthening some existing tools, and exploring several new ones. I’ll let you know what I’ve learned in the coming days.

We’re working hard to provide practical strategies, tools and tips to help you become More Productive. Don’t miss another blog post by signing up now. When you do, I’ll send you my FREE mini-course, 5 Tools I Can’t Live Without, that will really up your productivity game. Why not check it out?

These are a few of the 2017 Goals I’m tracking

This year, I’m going to keep track of the 2017 goals I have identified:

• Better nutrition resulting in meaningful weight loss.
• More exercise, both aerobic and strength training.
• Getting to bed and arising early on a more consistent schedule.
• Each day, attacking my most important project as soon as get to my office and BEFORE checking email, social media or other activities. At least 60–90 minutes there, some days more.
• Monitor my heart and blood pressure every day
• While I am an avid reader, there are many non-fiction books I want to tackle, so I’m committing more time to read them. I’ll tell you about them along the way.
• Build several online courses I have promised so many of you I would create over the last several years. More coming on that ….
• Expand the Exkalibur Leadership Forum to help more leaders become more effective and build more successful businesses.

Additional Goals for All of us

[pullquote]BE AT WAR with your vices. AT PEACE with your neighbors … and let every new year FIND YOU A BETTER MAN OR WOMAN. ~ Benjamin Franklin[/pullquote]

There are other universal goals we all can improve upon:

• Be kind to one another.
• Embrace your colleagues.
• Love Yourself.
• Love Your Family.
• Stay focused.
• Dropkick the distractions.
• Get ahead of the curve and stay there.

Kickstart 2017 with These Concepts

Here are a few powerful ideas that will help you get started on an Awesome 2017.

• There’s a lot of power in a blank sheet of paper

• How to Build a Powerful 1 Page Executive Dashboard

• Why Thinking Strategically is Critical to Your Success. 4 Swing Thoughts to Get You There

• Hope Springs Eternal. It’s Not a Strategy … and it’s not enough!

• The 8 Most Powerful Letters in the Productivity Toolkit

• 4 Ground Rules to Make Sure You Reach the Summit

• You’re a Leader | Are you an Architect or just a Handyman?

If you make tracking progress a habit, you’ll achieve your 2017 Goals. ~Lary Kirchenbauer Click to Tweet

Make This Pledge for 2017

Vow to act urgently when someone calls on you for aid … be intentional about only those things you can control … and be compassionate when misfortune comes calling.

Do the things that only you can do.

No one else will or can do them.

Question: What is the very first step you’ll take to accomplish your #1 Goal for 2017? You can easily add your comment below, or by visiting our Facebook Page or @Exkalibur on Twitter. I visit them every day and look forward to discussing these ideas and concepts with you.