New Year’s Resolution. Yes, resolution. Singular.

Even though I make my living speaking for a variety of conferences, when I’m a typical conference attendee, well, I’m just not such a fan. If you’ve ever attended a conference or convention highlighting your profession, you know that the info comes fast and furious. You’d better take really good notes if you hope to implement everything you learn.

The thing is, once we experience something, psychologists tell us we’ll most likely forget it within a few days. Like, let’s say you watch an hour long documentary on TV. You walk away feeling as though you’re smarter, more well informed and like you could hold your own in a discussion about that subject. But, give it a few days and that confidence slips because the memory slips.

Now, when I’m a conference attendee, I still take a lot of notes…but I know myself. As soon as I get home, there are E mail to be returned, people to call back, snail mail to go through, ya know, the usual stuff of life and running a business. Next thing ya know, all the notes I took at the conference are left unread and life has gotten in the way of all the fantastic goals I had immediately post conference. Now? I figure out what is most important. And by that, I don’t mean the top two or three things. I mean singular. One. THE most important thing…and then I make that happen.

Here we are at new year’s eve. Everyone is posting their resolutions and making lists of all the things they’re going to change and accomplish in the new year. Guess what? Chances are, the longer that list, the less likely one is to meet any of those goals.

Much like coming home after a conference, I treat new year’s resolutions the same: I pick one thing. Just one thing. And, the fewer things you resolve to do, the more likely you are to accomplish them. Or, in my case: it.

For 2013, I resolve this: Do what I already know to do.

I’m not resolving to lose weight and get healthy. I already know that. I’m not resolving to reach a certain dollar income. I already know that. I’m not resolving to foster relationships. I already know that. With these things I already know, I’m resolving to actually do the things I already know to do. My plan is to take every event that comes my way and ask myself, “Do I already know what I should do?” Chances are, yes. Based on that knowledge of what I SHOULD be doing, I resolve to actually do it.

This encompasses a lot. Yet, it’s also really simplistic. Will I be able to fully implement this idea? Well, I don’t have a crystal ball to read the future, but I know if I go in with a plan, it’s a lot more likely to happen.

If you were going to slim down your list of resolutions to just one, what would it be?