aking New Year's resolutions is not a bad idea, but I have an alternative. Have you ever become a bit intoxicated on New Year's Eve only to vow, "Next year I'll start off clean"? Have you ever let your desk pile up only to say, "Next year I'll start fresh"?

Well, next year is now.

Here is a different approach. New Year's resolutions, business vision statements and retirement goals are hollow. They are well-intentioned slogans designed to appease the procrastinator in all of us by pointing to an end goal that we ultimately hope to achieve.

Unfortunately, because the end goal is so far off, and the path to achieve it is unclear, we often fall short. Instead, what we need are a series of short-term goals, whether personal, such as family or health related, or professional, such as sales related.

For example:

• Today I will follow up on three outstanding sales leads.
• Today I will complete all my "to do's."
• Today I will swim 60 lengths in under 24 minutes.
• Today I will smoke only two cigarettes or less.
• Today I will organize my work area.
• Today I will do only the things my family wants me to do.
• Today I will not stop selling until I have sold two merchants.
• Today I will ...

Goals are a great motivator. We should all have near- and long-term goals. Urgency, however, is created by what is happening today.

Moreover, you will not always complete all your goals for the day. You may not sell two merchants today. That does not mean that you must visit every 24-hour diner to try to meet that goal, and if you don't meet it by the stroke of midnight, that you are a failure. If you fail, you need to work twice as hard tomorrow because you're not meeting the short-term goals that are necessary for achieving your long-term goals.

Why is it that we have a greater sense of urgency on Monday and Friday than we do on Tuesday? What if we were as effective every day as we are on our most effective day of the week?

We can achieve our long-term goals faster and more effectively by bringing a sense of urgency to each day and to our activities. This practice is not intended to create a sense of panic or an increased level of stress; rather, it is intended to ensure that every day is goal filled.

When times are slow, instead of working unhurriedly, work faster and get ahead for next week. Use down time to catch up on reading. If you know that your chances of getting a sale are slim after 2:00 p.m. on Friday, use that time to catch up on your correspondence. On Monday morning you will start out two hours ahead of your competition.

Don't procrastinate goal setting. Don't allocate one month out of 12 for your resolutions. Make New Year's resolutions every day, and fill each day with a sense of urgency.

Ken Musante is President of Humboldt Merchant Services. E-mail him at kmusante@hbms.com .