Want to keep your New Years’ Resolutions? Read the right books (and blogs)
My favorite New Year’s ebooks are short, fun, and give you the practical tips and motivation you need to follow through on your resolutions. Here are a few of my favorites:
What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast: A Short Guide to Making Over Your Mornings–and Life, Laura Vanderkam. Successful people purposefully use their mornings to focus on things that are important, but not urgent: things like nurturing your career, nurturing your relationships, and nurturing yourself. Read this guide, keep a time diary for a week as Laura suggests, and reap the benefits. (Read about my experience with making over my mornings here.)
The No Brainer Wardrobe, Hayley Morgan. If you want to look better in 2013, Hayley will help you whip your closet into shape for the New Year. It’s for women who want to “learn to love the clothes they have, lose the clothes they hate, and shop for items to fill the gaps.” Follow her suggestions to purge your closet, plan your go-to-outfits, and create a personal look book.
One Bite at a Time, Tsh Oxenreider. Tsh has carefully curated 52 projects to live more simply, such as establish a morning routine, downsize (and rotate) your kids’ toys, and switch to non-toxic cleaners. Each project is utterly do-able, broken into steps, and is (for the most part) finite. They can be tackled in any order; cross off one per week to cover all 52 in a year.
Bundle of the Week. This is a new thing and the first bundle. These 5 ebooks sell together for $7.40, which is a steal. If you’re interested in any one of these books, you’re not going to find a better deal than this. (The bundle will be available through January 7).
- One Bite at a Time, Tsh Oxenreider
- 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life, Crystal Paine
- Healthy Homemaking, Stephanie Langford
- Simplify, Joshua Becker
- The 2013 Confident Mom Weekly Household Planner, Susan Heid
The right blogs will help you meet your goals
I love the books listed above, but in addition, I highly recommend seeking out the right blogs to help you meet your goals.
When you subscribe to a blog’s RSS feed (RSS stands for “Really Simple Syndication”), you’re asking that new content be delivered to you regularly. If you’re trying to maintain focus on your finances, or good health, or staying organized, having regular reminders appear in your feed reader helps you keep your eye on the ball. (If you don’t think a feed reader is for you, you can always choose to subscribe by email and have new posts delivered to your inbox.)
Head over to read Change Your Google Reader, Change Your Life for a more thorough discussion and a list of the blogs I subscribe to to stay focused on my goals.
Do you read books and blogs to stay focused on your goals? Share your favorites in comments.
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Modern Mrs Darcy, a blog that puts a timely spin on timeless women's issues. Read more 
I’ve landed on your blog a couple times and finally added you to my reader yesterday. Enjoying your writing!
I recently read the “makeover your mornings” ebook. It was inspiring. I’ve tried and tried to be sucessful in the early rising routine. I’ve made progress, but not near where I need to be. I’d love to get up at 5 with my husband. He gets up so early to go round in the hospital on his cancer patients, and I’m hoping to get more morning time in this year, so more can be done. Its the going to sleep early part I’m struggling with. I’ll have to check your morning makover post out.
I read a couple ‘healthy living’ blogs to stay focused on health goals. I lost 50 pounds over the last year or so, so need to keep going in that direction. I also re-read books that make me want to eat vegetables throughout the year. It’s like I keep forgetting how good they are for me.
Sarah, I completely relate to your early morning struggle. I love to get up early, but I love to stay up late, too–and those two are NOT compatible!
Wow, it sounds like you had a great year health-wise in 2012. Here’s to a wonderful 2013!
My Most Helpful Blog list, in no particular order:
Like Mother, Like Daughter: http://ourmothersdaughters.blogspot.com
Small Notebook: http://smallnotebook.org
Churchmouse: http://churchmouseathome.blogspot.com
The Flourishing Abode: http://www.theflourishingabode.com
Modern Mrs. Darcy
And, I hope mine is useful: http://inmykitcheninmylife.com
Lori, thanks for sharing these!
Love this list. Books I would add: Getting Things Done, Four Hour Work Week
My mornings are utterly out of control, they seem to last until lunch. Which makes sense on the clock but not in real life. The issue is we usually don’t have anywhere we have to go so the only motivation to get going needs to come from me. (I sound whiney here…)
I think I need those top four