GHDR stands for "Groundhog Day Resolutions", a yearly planning ritual that I have been doing since 2007. It was based on two observations:
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Traditional New Year Resolutions were inconveniently-timed; who is ready to make big year decisions on January 1st? Not me! I need at least a month to close-out the year and recover from the holiday season. I use January 1 to start thinking about the year to come.
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Using the "double day" MONTH/DAY pattern made it easier to remember when to reflect on my goals, as regular reflection is necessary to keep on-track with any long-term goal.
Here are all the official dates of a GHDR calendar year:
02/02 Feb 2
Groundhog Day! Lay down the strategic plan!
03/03 Mar 3
Monthly Review #1
04/04 Apr 4
Monthly Review #2
05/05 May 5
Monthly Review #3
06/06 Jun 6
Monthly Review #4
07/07 Jul 7
Monthly Review #5 - Review strategic direction, adjust goals as necessary.
08/08 Aug 8
Monthly Review #6 - Optionally take off a month to enjoy the summer.
09/09 Sep 9
Monthly Review #7
10/10 Oct 10
Monthly Review #8
11/11 Nov 11
Monthly Review #9
12/12 Dec 12
Final Review #10 - Summarize achievements for the year, break for holidays.
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EFFECTS
By writing these reports every month for years, I've developed a detailed model of "what make me me" and what makes me "happy" and "fulfilled". It also helps me identify the patterns behind my actions, and illuminates the darkness surrounding my challenges, fears, and anxieties.
REFERENCES
- Most of the reports are tagged ghdr on my old website. You can read the original kickoff post here!
- There is a GHDR overgoal that came to me in 2022. All of my GHDR goals from 2007 onward were variations of the overgoal.