2 Things, Yes, Only 2 Things You Can Do Now for an Epic 2021
With the new year, comes hope. With hope, comes motivation. With motivation, comes accomplishment. These are all well and good, but how do we maintain the momentum needed to follow through on what we set out to do? The following blog will explain 2 very small changes that you can implement right now that will have a tremendous impact on the way your 2021 turns out. Read on!
I am a procrastinator of the worst kind. I have goals and ambitions and ideas that could change the world. Unfortunately, those goals, ambitions, and ideas clutter my mind to the point that I exhaust my brain and end up doing absolutely nothing. Am I alone in this? If you’re still reading, I would wager than I am not. There are a few things that I had to accept before moving towards a more productive life, and here are just a few of those things:
- There will never be enough time in a day to finish what I want to finish
- I will always be given more responsibility throughout any given day
- The phit will always hit the shan
- I will always have to adapt to change
Understanding that some things are just out of our control is the first step in to gaining control. I know, it sounds almost counter-intuitive, but hear me out. Recognizing the items listed above will put you in a position of power; power to keep moving and to change and improve those things that can be changed and improved. Now, before I start sounding like a corny motivational meme, let’s get into the two tiny things you can do to hit the ground running in 2021.
- Wake Up Earlier
This one if super tough on a lot of people, including me. I have a tendency to wake up at about 5am to go to pee pee town. After that, I hit the sheets again harder than I’ve ever hit them, then I’ll doze off until about 8am. On one occasion, I woke up at my usual 5am nature call time and instead of crawling back into bed, I turned on all the lights in my apartment and sat at my dining room table long enough to snap myself out of my sleepy trance. This didn’t take more than a few minutes. I then prepared myself a cup of coffee and enjoyed my brew in peaceful silence. Before I knew it, I was showering and getting ready to go into the office. I was in my office by 6:00 am. The things I accomplished that day still have me in awe. I would like to say that I repeated this feat every day from that day forward, but I didn’t. I did, however, manage to wake myself up an hour earlier than usual and I haven’t looked back ever since. As a result, I am more productive at work to the point that I accomplish so many work related tasks that when I get home, I relax better and make more time just for me.
- Make a To-Do-List the Night Before
Our minds have an uncanny way of exhausting us with mere thoughts of work more so than the work we actually do. To combat this, buy yourself a handy dandy notebook and grab yourself your favorite pen. Before you go to bed, make a list of everything that needs to be done tomorrow. Don’t worry about prioritizing this list, just write it down. Write down items that you couldn’t get to today and just carry those over to tomorrow’s list. In fact, every night, carry over every item you couldn’t get to today and begin a new list for tomorrow.
This practice will accomplish two things. First, it will give your mind a much needed break. Instead of worrying about what tomorrow will bring, you will have already penned those tasks and set them aside until the new day begins. There will be no need to worry or be anxious about tomorrow. You’ll already be ahead of the game. Secondly, your list puts your mind into action to find solutions rather than worrying about problems. Within approximately a few days, this listing practice will become a habit and one you will look forward to every night.
There’s one more thing to be said about lists. You will feel a certain sense of accomplishment every time you cross off an item from your list. At the end of the day, you will feel more accomplished and motivated to keep the momentum going. There is something about actually watching your troubles (listed items) disappear that will stimulate your mind to want to accomplish more. Before too long, you will be adding items to your list that you never thought you would ever get to.
That’s it. That’s all you need to kick of 2021 with a bang! The ball’s in your court now.