Committing to New Year's resolutions is easy. It's staying committed that's hard. Sometimes all that's needed, however, is a little help -- whether that's a daily reminder of why you're doing it, or something to renew your excitement in the cause. To that end, we've collected the best books, websites and other tools that will keep you motivated in the coming months -- some of them from unexpected places. Check out our suggestions for almost every resolution below.Save Money / Manage Debt
The writer of the Million Dollar Journey blog wants to be worth a million dollars by the time he's 35, and he's happy to take you along for the ride, with advice on investing, taxes, which bank to use, and more. If you're worried about his financial cred at such a young age, don't be: This blog is a favourite of journalists from the Financial Times, the Globe and Mail, and more.
If you're not quite at the million dollar stage and are still trying to get into the black, practical everyday cost-cutting support is available from wisebread.com (tagline: Living Large on a Small Budget). Recent posts have good advice on peddling back to good credit, activities that are good alternatives to shopping, six strategies for paying down debt, and living cheaply for the long term.
Go Back to School
If your resolution this year is to get more education and you're not necessarily concerned about the piece of paper (in other words, it's more about personal growth for you than advancing your career), Academic Earth is a goldmine of academic awesomeness. Featuring free videotaped lectures on a variety of subjects from processors at Yale, Stanford and Harvard - sometimes entire courses - Academic Earth is part of an initiative by top universities to allow open access to information. The first beneficiary? You.
Lose Weight / Get Fit
Get over your stigma: The Wii home workout is a cheap and effective way to lose weight and get in shape. For those who prefer more of a sweat than Wii Fit offers, competitor EA Sports Active More Workouts gives you six weeks worth of routines that make Nintendo's version look like a walk in the park. (Probably because one of the new Wii Fit Plus exercises is walking in the park.) This is a true gym-style workout, and can be grueling at times. Extra exercises focus on abs (sorely lacking in the original), stretching, and more.
For those who are more worried about keeping track of the nutritional side of things, the iPhone app FoodIQ 3.0 taps into a database of thousands of supermarket or meal items to track your calorie, fat, fibre, nutrients etc. Includes lots of charts and customizable options to keep you motivated.
Get a Better Job
Johnathan Fields' book Career Renegade: How to Make a Great Living Doing What You Love isn't exactly about finding a new job - it's about building your own career. The difference between Fields and a hundred other Secret Of My Success types is that Fields promises never to ignore the money while pushing you to do what you love. Still, this is for entrepreneurs and risk-takers, not for those looking for a step up in their current company. Keep that in mind before buying this book.
Cook More
There are two essentials for people who want to cook more at home: Mark Bittman's simple-as-it-gets How To Cook Everything (released last year in a completely revised 10th Anniversary Edition) and Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc at Home. Keller is the only American chef to be awarded Michelin stars in two restaurants simultaneously, which speaks to the sophistication of his style, but here he turns his attention to home cooking, and collects an array of family-style recipes bursting with flavour. An instant classic.
Quit Smoking
So simple it's brilliant: The Quitter iPhone app asks you how much you smoked and when you quit, then calculates how much money you've saved so far. Watching that dollar figure rise is a great motivator to keep from lighting up again.
Reduce Stress / Do Something Meaningful
Leo Babauta has one basic rule: Simplify your life until you're focusing on the essential. It's not a new idea, but his no-nonsense approach, pragmatic as opposed to new-agey, sets him apart from the pack. Visit his blog or buy his book (The Power of Less: The Fine Art of Limiting Yourself to the Essential... in Business and in Life) for clear, practical suggestions that'll have you wanting more (of less).
The writer of the Million Dollar Journey blog wants to be worth a million dollars by the time he's 35, and he's happy to take you along for the ride, with advice on investing, taxes, which bank to use, and more. If you're worried about his financial cred at such a young age, don't be: This blog is a favourite of journalists from the Financial Times, the Globe and Mail, and more.
If you're not quite at the million dollar stage and are still trying to get into the black, practical everyday cost-cutting support is available from wisebread.com (tagline: Living Large on a Small Budget). Recent posts have good advice on peddling back to good credit, activities that are good alternatives to shopping, six strategies for paying down debt, and living cheaply for the long term.
Go Back to School
If your resolution this year is to get more education and you're not necessarily concerned about the piece of paper (in other words, it's more about personal growth for you than advancing your career), Academic Earth is a goldmine of academic awesomeness. Featuring free videotaped lectures on a variety of subjects from processors at Yale, Stanford and Harvard - sometimes entire courses - Academic Earth is part of an initiative by top universities to allow open access to information. The first beneficiary? You.
Lose Weight / Get Fit
Get over your stigma: The Wii home workout is a cheap and effective way to lose weight and get in shape. For those who prefer more of a sweat than Wii Fit offers, competitor EA Sports Active More Workouts gives you six weeks worth of routines that make Nintendo's version look like a walk in the park. (Probably because one of the new Wii Fit Plus exercises is walking in the park.) This is a true gym-style workout, and can be grueling at times. Extra exercises focus on abs (sorely lacking in the original), stretching, and more.
For those who are more worried about keeping track of the nutritional side of things, the iPhone app FoodIQ 3.0 taps into a database of thousands of supermarket or meal items to track your calorie, fat, fibre, nutrients etc. Includes lots of charts and customizable options to keep you motivated.
Get a Better Job
Johnathan Fields' book Career Renegade: How to Make a Great Living Doing What You Love isn't exactly about finding a new job - it's about building your own career. The difference between Fields and a hundred other Secret Of My Success types is that Fields promises never to ignore the money while pushing you to do what you love. Still, this is for entrepreneurs and risk-takers, not for those looking for a step up in their current company. Keep that in mind before buying this book.
Cook More
There are two essentials for people who want to cook more at home: Mark Bittman's simple-as-it-gets How To Cook Everything (released last year in a completely revised 10th Anniversary Edition) and Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc at Home. Keller is the only American chef to be awarded Michelin stars in two restaurants simultaneously, which speaks to the sophistication of his style, but here he turns his attention to home cooking, and collects an array of family-style recipes bursting with flavour. An instant classic.
Quit Smoking
So simple it's brilliant: The Quitter iPhone app asks you how much you smoked and when you quit, then calculates how much money you've saved so far. Watching that dollar figure rise is a great motivator to keep from lighting up again.
Reduce Stress / Do Something Meaningful
Leo Babauta has one basic rule: Simplify your life until you're focusing on the essential. It's not a new idea, but his no-nonsense approach, pragmatic as opposed to new-agey, sets him apart from the pack. Visit his blog or buy his book (The Power of Less: The Fine Art of Limiting Yourself to the Essential... in Business and in Life) for clear, practical suggestions that'll have you wanting more (of less).
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