For those trying to keep New Year's resolutions in 2018, Virgin Group founder and billionaire Richard Branson has an old trick he's relied on his whole life to meet his goals: writing them down.
"It's time to get your New Year's resolutions down on paper. The simple act of writing it down will help you stick to it," Branson wrote in a recent blog post. "Share your goals with your family and friends but ultimately it's down to you to make your resolution happen in 2018."
Regardless of whether you use pen and paper or your cellphone to jot your ideas down, what matters is that you get your idea down in writing, according to Branson. "If you have a record of it, you're more likely to make it happen," he wrote.
He noted that he has always made lists of things he wants to achieve as it helps him make sense of his ideas and track his progress.
Branson attributed the rise of Virgin's most successful companies, such as Virgin Trains and Virgin America, to his knack for opening up his notebook and writing down the random thoughts that led to those companies' creation.
For 2018, Branson's goal is to continue preparing for his space travels through his company Virgin Galactic, according to the post:
Get unbelievably fit so I'm ready for a trip into space. I'll be doing lots of trekking and biking to get me into top shape. When I finished the Virgin Strive Challenge in 2016 I felt like a 25-year-old again – I hadn't felt that good in 40 years. I'll also be doing some centrifuge g-force training so I'm as acclimatized as I can be for the journey.
Another trick to making goals is to set both short-term and long-term ones so you can feel a sense of accomplishment along the way, said Branson.
"If you set daily goals and work through your list every day, you can mark off every completed task with a satisfying tick," Branson said. "This helps keep you motivated to aim for the big targets."
That "satisfying tick" is one way Branson recommends that you "celebrate all the little wins," but also keep moving forward with what's next.
"[Once] you know you've smashed your goal, keep making and writing down more," Branson added. "I have boxes and boxes of old notes, filled with old lists, and I'm busy making more."
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