After thinking about it, I discovered that drinking more water impacted at least three of the goals I could have set for myself:

1. Drink less coffee
2. Lose weight
3. Eat better

Although I am not entirely focusing on any of the above three items, drinking water will assist with all three of them. If I drink water instead of coffee, I am accomplishing #1. They say that it helps to drink lots of water if you want to lose weight. Therefore #2 is also impacted. Lastly if I drink water instead of drinks high in sugar I am eating better by not loading myself up with sugar.

So look at your list of resolutions and see if there’s any overlap and diagram them out if necessary. Good luck in 2011.

Ingredient 1: Have lots of good food on hand

If you’re not a cook, hit the freezer section of your local grocery store and get anything from mini pizza bagels to jalapeno poppers. I like to pull a nice expensive cheese and some quality crackers or small loaf of fresh bread from the deli area. But nothing is better than bacon wrapped water chestnuts with a sweet dipping sauce. Get a can of drained whole water chestnuts, a package of bacon, some toothpicks, and a pre-made dipping sauce. Wrap a water chestnut with bacon and skewer it with a toothpick. Throw them in the microwave until the bacon is cooked to your liking and have your way with the dip.

Ingredient 2: Alcohol

Even if you’re by yourself, you’re not drinking alone. There are millions of people popping champagne around the world. Buy the ingredients for your favorite mixed drink, make sure you have lots of ice on hand, and chill a nice glass or two. This year I’m going with Pear Vodka Tonics. The pear infused Grey Goose not only smells wonderful but it goes down nicely with a bubbly tonic. It’s expensive, but you’re worth it.

Ingredient 3: The proper NYE countdown show

Several of the shows you see on NYE are pre-taped and likely lip synched. Make sure you find a live countdown show to get you through that last hour or you will feel utterly disconnected from the universe. Although I’m not a huge Ryan Seacrest fan, you can see the ball drop in real time on his Dick Clark show. Kathy Griffin and Anderson Cooper are fairly entertaining on CNN as well.

Ingredient 4: Someone to call at midnight

I have lots of family members that enjoy staying home on NYE as well. I usually get calls from them whenever it hits midnight in their time zone. But since I am currently in Hawaii, this means I would have to wake them up at 4AM if I wanted to talk to them at midnight my time. I’m not that mean. However, I do have some married friends on Oahu that I can call or at least text at midnight. If they’re still awake, they’ll answer the phone. It helps to talk to a live human being as the clock strikes midnight.

Ingredient 5: The internet

The real-time aspect of Twitter is a great way to feel connected even if you’re by yourself on NYE. Facebook is okay too, but it’s likely not lots of your friends are going to be online unless they’re alone like you. I like Twitter for NYE because you can read immediate posts on a live stream and comment right along with people. Sometimes you even get a shout back from people who reply to your tweets or retweet your witty quip.

So if you stuff your face, drink enough, and somehow stay connected to the rest of the world you can easily get through a comfortable NYE by yourself. There’s nothing wrong with being alone. It’s just like any other night. Happy New Year!

As they, and I, discovered, the brochure price on health plans really means nothing. Your final price is based on your current and past health. But since a decision deadline loomed, my friends gambled on the new plan before getting a final quote and passed on the company-sponsored plan. This meant they would have to wait until next year’s enrollment period to get back on the company plan if they changed their minds.

The quote for the new plan came back and was almost double what the brochure “starting” price had stated. They were furious. I would have been furious too. However all the furor was placed on the insurance company that misrepresented their pricing. True, the pricing scheme seems like a scammy bait-and-switch.

However if my friends had gotten this quote prior to the decision-making deadline they might not have been so infuriated. In fact they might have brushed it off with a simple “Forget them!” and decided to stay with their company plan. It might have been a non-issue.

I like to call the anger they experienced “deadline-induced.” Basically it’s the anger that comes from a deadline affecting a decision that goes awry.

When you make a decision you try to have as much information as possible. Sometimes you have to estimate relevant information. If you’ve done your research, you probably have a good idea of the possible outcomes and a feel for what will actually happen. But if you haven’t spent enough time researching you might get caught with your pants down because your information or your best guess is wrong. When the timeline is not in your control, it’s easy to place the blame somewhere besides yourself.

But when a decision has no deadline, you have all the time in the world to gather information and make a decision. Then if your decision goes wrong, it’s much easier to blame yourself. The decision and the timeline were both in your control. Taking the blame for your mistake is more palpable.

Whenever a decision timeline is not in your control, I suggest trying to get as much control as possible. By this I mean start your decision making process as early as possible. My friends probably knew they had until a certain date to make a decision, but they ignored it until absolutely necessary. Then it became a “Honey, why don’t we see if we can get this cheaper somewhere else just in case.” If they had gathered other insurance quotes earlier, their decision would have been without gamble, and more in their control.

Think about the times that you have had deadline-induced anger. Would you have benefited from starting your decision making process earlier? Did you blame someone else for your poor decision?

The thing to learn from all this is that time runs out whether we like it or not, so give yourself as much time as possible and start immediately.

A luxury hotel room might have nice linens and furniture, marble tile in the bathroom, and perhaps even a phone or a TV near the toilet. Yet, in most cases the room is still that — just a room. In most cases a standard hotel room is about the size of a decent sized bedroom with a little extra room to move.

Yet so often, I found myself oohing and ahhing over a hotel room that was smaller than my usual place of residence, had less things in it, and was costing me extra for everything — internet, breakfast, parking, etc.

I found that the 2 to 3 star hotels were much the same as the upper-level hotels and cost a whole lot less. Sure the decor might not be as spectacular and the sheet thread count might be a little bit less — but in the end, who cares. It’s a place to sleep. And often the 2 star hotels will have free parking, free internet, and free breakfast, which saves you anywhere from $20-30 a night in extra fees you might spend at a 4 star hotel.

The only thing that would make me pay more for a hotel room is the view or the location. If there’s nothing nearby that is a fair substitute, I’ll spend the money. But other than that, it’s just a waste.

My dad, for example, is getting extremely frustrated that his own dad doesn’t respond to his advice about things. Yet, try to tell my dad something and he’ll completely ignore your advice too. Even if you explain to him how he’s acting just like my grandpa, he still doesn’t get it.

My point in writing this is that even when you think you’re all on top of your life, there’s always a chance to step back and ask, “What am I doing that’s stupid?” It might be something like being late with credit card payments, or spending too much, or procrastinating.

It’s a lot easier to try to change your own habits once you become aware of them than it is to try to convince someone else to change theirs.

It’s simple: Expect to hit every red light.

I found that when I was driving up to green lights and some idiot cut me off or the light changed just as I was getting to it, that I would get very angry.

But now, since I expect to hit every red light, the rage is gone and instead of jumping from expectation to rage, I jump from zero expectation to elation. (Or elation as it relates to getting through a stoplight.)

So try it next time you’re driving and see how it affects your attitude.