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Saturday 31 December 2011

Resolutions...or not!

Remember the giveaway post here...when I joined in with the Quilting Gallery's 4th Birthday Blog Hop.
Well for your edification and enjoyment I present
 The Analysis of the Data post!
Yes!... you asked for it...well some did and I thought it was worth running with as well...

The background: to make the comments on the giveaway post a little more interesting, I asked entrants to tell me what resolution they kept or failed to keep in 2011.
As the comments poured in, I thought it would be fun to have a bit of a look at all the reasons people gave, whether they made them, kept them, and why or why not...
Let me say straight off, THANK YOU to all who commented. I couldn't reply to you all, though I did try at first...but you left me with a song in my heart and a goldmine of fun comments. THANK YOU! 

Before I launch into the results, I have to tell you that I worked as a Psychologist, pre-children, and really enjoyed the Uni courses on statistics and scientific method and carried out a few research projects in my time. Now the reason I tell you this is that I had a really hard time not turning this into a mini thesis with and Introduction, Method...aaaarrrggghhhh!!!…don't worry I'm not about to - it would have taken up far too much sewing time...

So in pictures here’s the graph of the answers to the post question:
GRAPH #1 
These were the categories that I took out of all the answers. Many had to be grouped together because this was getting to be bigger than BenHur and remember I want to get back to sewing!!!
The first three listed below are items only mentioned once in any of the replies - I should resolve to do the 'snip loose threads as I go' it would save a lot of "grrr-ing" at the end of projects!

Types of Res

So by far, most people (excuse me - I mean my readers!) don’t make New Years Resolutions.
The next most made resolution involves getting fit/losing weight/eating more healthily.
I was glad to see that the third most frequent resolutions have to do with quilting/sewing; including finishing specific projects or UFO’s (some a few yrs - or more - old) *coughs*, taming and organising fabric stashes and sewing areas. For some that was setting up their sewing area for the first time. PIGS are Projects In Grocery Sacks...I love that name)
[The reasons that fade to dots are: tame/sort/use fabrics or organise/tidy up sewing room,  and
be a better mother/wife/daughter/take care of self & manage own time- my graph skills are rusty as...]

RESULTS: (sorry couldn't help myself - it's like being on automatic!)
Ok enough of looking at the types of resolutions…how did we go at keeping those we made…
GRAPH #2 [The raw data people - like you really needed to know that!]
outcomes
So the way to read this is
 the bars in blue show the number of resolutions that were KEPT
The bars in red are those that were PARTLY KEPT, either till part way through year, or slower than the person wanted.
eg the reader who wanted to read 52 books in the year only made it to 43
 – I say only with total awe in my voice!
The numbers in green are the one's that WEREN'T FOLLOWED through *sigh*,
and
The purple are those who were brave enough to propose a resolution, or continue with one, into 2012!
(disclaimer: I think the numbers tally, but there were multiple answers and multiple reasons - which just shows how lovely bloggers are to take the time to make considered and careful replies - so forgive the odd miscalculation...not thesis...remember)
GRAPH #3

percents

DISCUSSION: (oops it happened again...)
Ok, so what does it all mean...(and note that in the above graph #3 "resolution not done" doesn't mean that it was a total failure, as it may have been partly done - (or in the case of don't make resolutions is that "not done" 'cause they weren't made or "not done" cause they didn't make any LOL- {see Graph #2})

* Don't make resolutions and you'll never, ever  have to worry about breaking them, remembering what they are, or feeling like a failure...

* You are more likely to keep a resolution that involves your hobby.
* You will be 100% successful if you choose to start, or better, your blogging skills
* The next most successful resolution was to improve your quilting skills - almost 90% of those were kept!
* Other successful resolutions were to finish a specific projects (just under 70%) and UFO's (50%) were finished. 
* You will also be quite successful if you plan to tidy/tame/sort/ fabrics or sewing area - about 45% followed through and of those that didn't, over 50% did at some stage, but it got messy again as they worked on projects - I'd call that a win!

*You are less likely to keep a resolution based on "getting fit/losing weight/ eating healthily" - that's not to say that you won't...but it seems to be one of the hardest to stick to...

Ok now we come to the bit where I put in some fun anecdotal information that came out of the data!
*  write it down - then you won't forget it
*  Projects In Grocery Bags - well I laughed and then frantically tried to put my projects into anything but!
*  someone found that making mid year resolutions worked better for them!
*  Dont make resolutions, set yourself A GOAL OR A PRIORITY...it sounds better and isn't limited to a specific year!

Ok that's it...I'm cured of ever wanting to make another resolution...THE END...

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL...

Your comments on here
Your blogs I've read
have made this a fun year, 
No looking BACK for me...
It's all FORWARD into 2012,
with a smile on my face, 
a bazillion projects in my head
and a sewing room beckoning...


thanks for taking a peek over the fence in 2011

PS Just in case there is someone out there who feels the urge, there really is no need to critique this (pseudo) scientific study. If I ever put it into the Journal of Social Psychology, then you can tear it to shreds! OK? Good!

7 comments:

  1. Well that was very interesting but I can't imagine how much sewing time was donated to this little project. Happy New Year!!!!

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  2. great post.... but I never did find out if we are crazy or not???
    Hugz

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  3. Oh dear, my eyes glazed over at the sight of graphs & wordy discussion... apologies & Happy New Year! ;)

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  4. Interesting and entertaining analysis despite what Vic said.

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  5. Wow! Did that take you, like, a very long time?!!! I'm full of admiration for your graph making skills.
    Happy New Year to you, and I agree - no resolutions, just quiet daily reflections.

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  6. It's not everyday that one has the privilidge of reviewing a major work of research such as this. But as I read newcomer Quilary's touching research, it was as though a tornado of freshness was sweeping across the tired, bewildered vista of contemporary resolution research.
    That Quilary has managed to avoid tumbling off the cliff of triteness into the abyss of overused metaphores is in itself an achievement. That she has captured the very escence of the tortured demands on time of every quilter is a modern literary miracle.
    Quilary has reached into her very soul, drawing forth the angst that can only come from having to decide whether to snip as you go, or label UFO as PIGS, or to get fitter.
    And yet, one cannot help but wonder if Quilary is alluding, in her dark brooding anguish to a more fundamental tenet of the quilter. Regardless of findings; she who dies with the biggest stash wins.
    Bravo Quilary. A literary tour de force. In one important piece of research, Quilary has placed herself at the vanguard of quilting literature.

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  7. That looks like a LOT of work! But, I appreciate it...it was REALLY fun to read. Thanks for doing it. =)

    I try to only set a few goals, 2 or 3. But, they are just kind of a map to a destination... not like buying the airplane ticket. =)

    hugZ,
    annie
    anniesrubyslipperz.com

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Nice of you to take a peek over the fence. It's lovely to meet you. Do come in, have a cuppa and a chat. I will talk back...

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