New Year, Same Old You

Goal: Get thin; eat cheese. 'Tis the season for contemplating the size of your belly and the extra chin you've acquired over the past year. Clearly it's time to change your eating habits, but according to Veuve Cliquot CEO Mireille Giuliano, there's absolutely no need to go cold turkey on wine and cheese and chocolate mousse. Just do what French femmes have been doing for ages: Take pleasure in eating. Savor a... good hearty meal. But don't eat heavy all the time. And get some exercise! French Women Don't Get Fat proffers the refreshing message that food should be enjoyable and satisfying, not a source of guilt or obsession or angst. Rather than depriving yourself, take the ultimate anti-diet approach: eat rich yummy food, but in moderation. You'll be looking tres chic in no time.

Goal: Clean out your closet. Literally. When you’re besieged by physical clutter, it’s no surprise that your mind can also become overwhelmed. How can you possibly accomplish anything if you're constantly surrounded by stuff? Peter Walsh is a professional organizer and sometime Oprah guest who has seen how the possession of too many material objects can suffocate you emotionally. In It’s All Too Much, Walsh first explains the psychology behind the impulse... to hoard, and then he maps out ways to de-clutter your home—and your life—one room at a time. So recycle that pile of magazines that you’ll never get around to reading. Donate your old clothes to charity. And remember: an organized closet could very well be the first step to an organized life.

Goal: Finish up that screenplay. If you wanna catch a big fish, you've gotta go deep. So says cult filmmaker David Lynch. A devoted practitioner of transcendental meditation, Lynch believes that his best ideas come to him when he ventures beyond the shallow edges of his mind and delves into the depths of his consciousness. Now, before you run off in the other direction, let’s acknowledge that intense meditation may not be... for everyone. But listen to Lynch illuminate his artistic process as he narrates Catching the Big Fish, and chances are you’ll start to feel your own creative juices flowing. From completing that unfinished screenplay that’s been languishing in your desk drawer to writing that perfect novel or song, or even dreaming up a slightly more interesting business presentation, Lynch’s lessons are sure to provide a rousing dose of inspiration for all of your creative endeavors.

Goal: Don’t let your jerky co-worker ruin your day.
You can’t avoid them. They’re everywhere! Each and every office seems to have at least a few employees who bring down the morale of the entire company with their goonish behavior. They’re bullies, meanies, or — as Stanford University management professor Mark Sutton refers to them in his boldly titled book — they’re assholes. In The No Asshole Rule Sutton details just how destructive... these brutes can be, in terms of quality of life for individual workers and for business productivity in general. If you’re lucky enough to be the big boss at work, you can follow Sutton’s advice and simply get rid of the offending parties. For everyone else, Sutton offers strategies for coping with your most difficult co-workers. With a bit of emotional detachment and a positive-but-realistic attitude about the office butthead, maybe Monday mornings won’t seem quite so dreary.

Goal: Move on. By now you know the drill: If he doesn't call, if he's not asking you out, if he's got a girlfriend, then he's just not that into you. Harsh, no? What woman ever wants to hear those six nasty little words of tough love? So mean! So smug! But perhaps the takeaway message from the 2004 bestselling relationship bible has more to do with how great you are and... less to do with how much he sucks. According to authors Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo, you're too wonderful to be wasting your time on someone who doesn't realize how lucky he is to have you. Don't let your fabulousness be encumbered by some guy. You’re way too good for that. Who knows? There just might be a life-affirming grain of truth to that ubiquitous, obnoxious little catch phrase.

Goal: Get stuff done. Now that you've mapped out some reasonably attainable resolutions, it’s time to actually get out there and put your plans into action. And hey, don’t let Guitar Hero or the siren call of the Internet get in your way — procrastination is your enemy! Neil Fiore believes that procrastination stems from your natural inclination to avoid being boxed in. Too much structure kinda freaks you out. In The... Now Habit, Fiore explains how a properly devised schedule (he calls it an “unschedule,” actually) can incorporate goofing off time into your regular daily routine. Quality, not quantity, is the key to getting work done, and you’ll be way more productive when it counts if you can also indulge in some periodic guilt-free fun. So pencil a little TV time in with your higher priority tasks, and perhaps 2009 will be the year that you get stuff done!