Groundhog Day Resolutions

GHDR stands for "Groundhog Day Resolutions", a yearly planning ritual that I have been doing since 2007. It was based on my love of the movie Groundhog Day coinciding with these two observations:

1. 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.

2. 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.

Philosophy of GHDR

I think of GHDR as my commitment to ongoing personal growth so I can become a more fulfilled version of myself. It's less about hard metrics like "lose 20 pounds" (though you could use the dates as an anchor for doing regular reporting) and more about discovering the deeper implications behind your discoveries as you get to know yourself through success and failure. At least, that's how it is working out for me. I admit that when I first started GHDR, I thought I'd be done with them in a year...that was back in 2007, and I'm still working on themVery much like the movie, which was not on purpose or anticipated!.

If you are more results-oriented, you can use a hard metrics-based goals+tracking system for your daily activity. Use GHDR for the bigger picture aspirational and meaningful aspects of your experience. Having both, I think, is probably necessary for a balanced approach.

Operational Requirements

At minimum, GHDR is merely a way to remember when you should be checking in on yourself, using an easy-to-remember date pattern which can be used to coordinate with others with a similar shared commitment to personal developmment.

Operationally, there is no fixed reporting requiriements other than keeping your notes in one place so you can reflect on your progress on a GHDR reporting dayYou can look at this set of notes of what I put into my reports.. For myself, the style of the format has varied every year, the general push to learn from my efforts and bundle them up for the next year has been constant. This is where the notes come in handy.

Starting Dates

While I start mine on Groundhog Day, you can use the official dates as a pattern for choosing a day to start if you're not ready by February 2nd. You can also choose to skip reporting periods, so long as you note the reason why. I traditionally skip the period from July 7 through August 7 because it's usually really nice outside here in New England, and I try to soak up as much warmth as possible. I also stop from December 12 through February 1st because of end-of-year holidays and household stuff dominating my attention.

Official Dates and Observations

Here are all the official dates of a GHDR calendar year:

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.

Broad Patterns Observed

from March 3, 2023 report

• February - Excitment! First two weeks are extremely focused. Third and fourth weeks less so, but carry on the momentum of the first two weeks.
• March - I have to look up what my goals were because they've faded from memory. I start to fall into sidetracks, feeling they are justifiably related to GHDR...but I don't look it up.
• April-June - As work and life ticks by, it becomes more of a struggle remember "what the point" was. Demands on my time pull my attention away from GHDR-related projects. Feelings of resentment toward work begin to grow.
• July - I'm feeling fed up, and declare a reset. GHDR goals are refactored based on issues from April-June. Lagging motivation and energy levels are often a problem. I feel starved for something new. Interesting new insights about myself are uncovered. The refactored goals set a new trajectory.
• August-October - I descend into depression/boredom as the hard things are hard to push forward, even with all the mitigating insights I have applied. Strategy shifts toward managing depression, trying crazier ideas that challenge notions of "good" and "normal". Often I reject old beliefs and form new ones based on a refined understanding of their origin.
• November - The feeling of having a lot of responsibilities in addition to my own starts to frustrate me. Irritatability grows as each unwanted responsibility and inconvience is thrust upon me, and I am left lamenting poor design, documentation, communication.
• December - Although I think that nothing great happened, I am surprised to see how many consolation insights have been collected that are applicable for the coming year. There is always something tangible and g

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.

All GHDR Reports

INDEX of GHDR 2024 POSTS

INDEX of GHDR 2023 POSTS

INDEX of GHDR 2022 POSTS