Here we are, another year!!
How many of you have made resolutions, taken some time to reflect on your accomplishments and things you have learned from last year…??
For me this New Year doesn’t have the same feeling as 2019 into 2020 had…. but if I had to choose 1 word for this coming year, 1 word to focus on, 1 word to strive for personally, it would be…
GROWTH
I know this word is passed around soooo much, and depending on where you are in your life, it may be a word that isn’t on your radar… but know the most fundamental elements ARE easiest to ignore.
So why GROWTH?
It’s the ability to put in the work, day after day, no matter what , it counts for a lot. It doesn’t even need to be your best effort…you just have to invest in the right practices, the right way, repeatedly and you will unconsciously GROW many areas of your life!
Seeing as we’re a week into 2021, NOW is the time to start to acknowledge that you need more than a New Year’s resolution to make long-term progress. You need structure, routine, and GOOD habits to get the growth (or really anything) you WANT! And you need to hold yourself accountable to committing to these! Be 100% all in for YOU!
5 Habits to Improve Productivity to Get You on Track to GROW!
1. Schedule Yourself First:
Have you gotten your 2021 planner or scheduling app ready to go? If not get it, then schedule specific time for YOURSELF!!
Schedule ‘you time’ for 30 minutes to 1 hour EVERYDAY, actually pen it into your scheduler – and here’s the kicker: YOU HAVE TO HOLD YOURSELF ACCOUNTABLE AND DO IT.
Yes we are all busy people, but choose an optimum time that will benefit you- Is that waking up 30 minus earlier to get alone time? Is it after you drop the kids off to school? Is it taking that time before bed?
What will you schedule in? Working out? Reading? Stretching? Mediation and reflection? A massage with yours truly š ? Even drinking your coffee alone in silence and watching the sunrise!!!
Nothing is too small, but you need to do this with INTENTION to satisfy YOU.
Fill your cup up first – it’s not selfish, it’s not greedy.
When you get into routine of putting yourself first, you will start to see positive change in your responses to other things and people in your life.
2. Manage Around Your Energy:
Learning to harness your energy will make a huge impact on your life!
Some people can’t function before noon unless they’ve had coffee and do their best work after everyone falls asleep. Others wake up at 4:30am ready to hit the ground running but experience a drop-off in energy as the day goes on. And there’s a whole spectrum of people in between these two extremes…
If you can learn how your energy levels fluctuate depending on time of day / day of week / time of month, and schedule important tasks and workload around it, you’ll be able to get more done in less time.
Honor how your energy flows, work with it – not against it and you will succeed faster!
3.Prioritize your to do list:
It’s so easy to fill an entire day with busywork and never get anything REALLY important done. Thats why prioritizing is KEY to your long term growth!
If you want to be consistent, you have to recognize that not all tasks are created equal.
From your to-do list, each day identify the ones that have top priority, and limit yourself to doing only 3 of them that day. And only move on to less important items once you’ve completed those.
Occasionally you’ll find that completing 3 high priority tasks is too much. In that case, focus on doing just ONE task for the day. Look at each of your top tasks and ask yourself ‘if this was the only thing i’ve done today, would i feel good about my results?’
If the answer is yes, that’s your cue to get to it, complete it and rest assured your day wasn’t wasted…even if there’s a whole lot of other things on your to-do list.
4. Get Out of Your Comfort Zone:
Staying complacent and receding in times of fear will not allow you to move forward.
When that moment arrives to put yourself out there, that’s the exact time you NEED TO CHOOSE to take the risk and aim to do something different than your normal pattern / behavior.
Challenging yourself, asserting yourself and taking a stand to actually change and grow is when the magic happens.
And after, congratulate yourself, celebrate that moment, and reflect on how you feel after! Internalize this moment!!!
5. Get a Success Partner:
Having support is one of the most important things to accelerate your personal growth. It also gives you accountability to help you along your journey.
By positively explaining newly gained lessons to someone else, sharing insights and ideas, you internalize them to yourself – which embeds these positive learnings into you unconscious mind, and will help you gain a more positive mindset!
Also your support person may have other positive insights, books and information that maybe you wouldn’t have discovered by yourself!
And if you would like to work with a coach that can help you break down past barriers that are still hindering you to move forward, keep you accountable for taking action and helping you get what you want out of life- I would be happy to chat with you!
So know as we start this new year, I hope these 5 principles serve you well and help you on your journey to GROWTH!