It’s that time of year again. New Year. New Start. Even a new decade to press the reset button!

I think the reset button is a good thing.

Conversely, I think New Year’s resolutions are a tremendous waste of time. 

Lets face it…they’ve been proven not to work. Over, and over, and over again. Over 90% fail.  < – – – – That’s NOT good.

I’ve been wickedly fortunate in my career to have the ability to interact with some incredibly successful business and business leaders. What do businesses use to ensure they’re on track? 

I can promise you one thing, they don’t set New Year’s resolutions. 

They keep score of key business metrics. The good ones have a SCORECARD. A simple set of KEY metrics driving their business. 

So, that’s exactly what I’ve done here. Created my own personal scorecard. This scorecard is slightly different though. My scorecard is based on operational excellence personally. Optimal health, sleep, reduced stress, effective exercise, and so on.

What critical efforts do I need to invest in, so that I continue to  operate in a peak state?  For me, I’ve narrowed it down into four simple actions and appropriate monthly frequencies needed to be operating at a high level. 

1. Meditation – Pretty simple. I stretch and work a breathing routine before bed…I sleep better. Period.  Better sleep, better attitude, better energy, better mood! Every other day and I’ll be operating at 100%
2. Exercise – Kid’s schedules and travel can make this difficult, but 10 is VERY doable for me. Tired for all the right reasons leads to better sleep. See points above 
3. Church – This is quite honestly good for my soul. I’m more at ease after I attend church. Certainly more grateful and more appreciative for all the blessings my family has. Goal is three out of four weeks a month
4. Books – This one keeps me learning and fresh. Keeps me curious and generating new ideas from the lessons learned elsewhere.  One hard copy to turn pages and take notes, and one audible copy to knock out while exercising or traveling. 

If you’re curious what “peak state” is for me it is pretty simple.  Optimal energy, derived from solid sleep, at the result of a really fulfilling and challenging day. 

My scorecard helps to: eliminate stress, reduce inflammation in my body, challenge me mentally and physically, and keeps me accountable in a highly visual way (< – – – Which I’m ALL about!!). Get selfish. This is about you! 

Complete a task, cross it off. 

ACTION ITEM: Ditch the resolution! Think, what makes me operate at a high level?  What do I need and at what frequency? No more than five critical efforts.

I’m going to bet if you give it a little thought, you’ll find it.