Well, I’m inspired. All the workflow gurus agree that setting a reasonable, actionable goal, logging your progress, and giving yourself incentives to follow it are the keys to resolution success. My prediction is that Jeremy is well on his way to fitness. I would also like to be fit, and so I considered following along.

And then it hit me. I would be donating so much money to Really Bad Thing at the end of 2008. And, worse yet, it would be coming out of Kid’s college fund. Why? Because my problem is not one of willpower. I don’t have a lot of willpower, but still, that is not the main thing keeping me from exercising regularly. My problem is scarcity of a) time and b) energy. My year has periods when things are going well, during which I exercise often enough, and then other, absolutely crazy periods, when I am totally overwhelmed by the work I have to do, all my good habits fall to the wayside, and it takes me weeks to get back to my routine.

During these crazy times, all of the Really Bad Things I might donate money to would never buy me an extra half-hour in the day. When it comes down to, “okay, I can either pick up Kid from school on time, or I can jog to avoid paying $25 to Baby Seal Clubbers of Nova Scotia,” the seal beaters are going to win every time.

So, for me, I’m resolving to make 2008 the Year of Delegation. I need to do less, and that’s exactly what I intend to do. To wit, I resolve to:

1. hire a dog walker*
2. hire a person to clean the house weekly or biweekly
3. research and hire a virtual assistant for Husband (if you have recommendations, hit me)**
4. find out if there are grocery and dry cleaning delivery options in our area
5. set up a regular babysitting night, weekly or biweekly
6. research a daycare option for Kid in the summer, when preschool is out

I know that I’m lucky that I can afford all this paid support. I know. But affording and delegating are two different things, and something seems to have been getting in my way of the latter for the last year or so (one big thing, ironically, was that I didn’t have the time to do it). If I can take care of these timesucks, I will more often be in the sort of space where I can get some exercise. I will be less frustrated in general, and I will be less resentful of Husband, who does far less around the house than I.

In keeping with Jeremy’s program of disincentives, if I fail to complete all six of these delegatory tasks by the ASA, I vow to attend the ASA Business Meeting and make an announcement that Orgtheory is the best sociology blog on the planet.

I’ll let you know how it goes.

*This week, walking Dog twice a day, with Kid, in -14C weather over ice, snow, and clear sidewalk (a combination that rules out both stroller and toboggan) has me convinced that this will benefit me, Kid and Dog greatly.

**You might be thinking, “Why don’t you let Husband get his own virtual assistant?” or “How will this save you time or energy?” Good questions. The thing is, Husband works 70-80 hours a week, and travels for work about one out of every six weeks. Wish as I might, he will not get his own assistant, but I’m sure he’ll use one if I set it up for him. If I can do something to get his expense reports turned in on time, it will save me much stress and money, and if I can save him an hour of work each week, that’s an hour he can pitch in around the house or hang out with Kid and me.

You may also think his employer should provide this administrative support, and on that point I would agree with you. That and a loonie will get me a coffee at Tim Hortons.