The new year is under way and many people have fallen back into the routines that they promised to change as part of a new years resolution.

Now is the time to take a look at how your grand plans have been progressing.  Whether you have fallen off the horse or not, take stock, and if you need to, gather yourself and start moving again in the right direction.

In retrospect, my endeavors have not been as successful as they could have been but I am making progress.  The progress I have made is similar to that of the stock market in this period – making significant gains even while suffering occasional set backs.  Learning new habits and making significant changes takes time and commitment.  But the most important ingredient is consistency.  Two steps forward and one step back will get you there eventually, it just takes longer.

ZenHabits.net author Leo just put up another site on choosing and maintaining New Year’s Resolutions. The new site, 6changes.com, provides some interesting advice regarding success in sticking to behavioral changes after new years.

The slow and thought-out approach in 6changes.com certainly seems better than the full-bore attack we usually use when confronting personal improvement in the New Year. Leo suggests choosing 6 daily habits, which can be worked on singly for two months each. In the two months dedicated to each habit, eight baby steps are taken, one each week. By systematically breaking down the new habits you want to create, you are forced to gradually incorporate the habits instead of trying to change too much all at once. The process of breaking down the habits has an additional benefit of forming a solid plan with quantitative milestones.

Additionally, each of your new habits should be connected to a trigger that is already part of your day. Triggers are common in performance psychology and are created to help athletes enter a winning state of mind in times of stress. Their use in this program is similar and Leo suggests that by tying together an existing activity, like brushing your teeth or drinking coffee, with your desired habit, you can more easily make the habit a permanent part of your daily routine.

Check out the site for the complete process and in depth advice.  I certainly found it interesting.

The opportunity to sit back and watch the great minds of our time discuss their latest projects is priceless. TED gets my commendation for bringing this type of insight to the masses. The cutting edge of innovation, technology and cultural reflection. Please go check out some of the talks. I always come away feeling like a better person and I am sure you will too.

www.TED.com