5 Productive Habits for the New Year

5 PRODUCTIVE HABITS FOR THE NEW YEAR

Last week I shared an AMAZING LIST of 100 Life Changing Actions to Turn into Habits, and now I want to share the habits and strategies that I will be challenging myself to take on in the New Year! When it comes to creating habits, there are many options to choose from, but it really comes down to what you are trying to accomplish and which habits will be able to support you as you make progress on your goals. I also believe that when it comes to selecting habits to change or build, you shouldn’t strive to work on too many at once. In fact, I think it’s best to try things one at a time- trust me, making one small habit change is enough to throw off your entire routine so giving it your complete focus and attention is a best practice.

My Goal: Wake up earlier during the work week.

Habit: Make the bed once you get out of it!

How the habit supports the goal:

(1) Making your bed in the morning is an easy way to start your day productively and motivate yourself to do more. I’m hoping that committing to this during the week will motivate me to want to get more done in my mornings.

(2) Since I work from home, staying in bed or going back for a nap in the afternoon is a serious temptation, but when you make your bed it becomes harder for you to give in because you put effort into making sure your bed looked nice and you don’t want to undo that work, right? That’s the idea!

My Goal: Expose myself to new ideas.

Habit: Finish 1 book a month

How the habit supports the goal

(1) I am not someone who has a hard time going through books, but I do tend to read in spurts so one month I could read 4 books and another I may start 1-2 and never finish any. So for 2017 I want to challenge myself to finish at least one book a month so I am consistently exposing myself to new content and ideas.

(2) Reading is probably the #1 way I learn anything! Of course, I like to enjoy books via Audible.com and listen instead of read. This helps me absorb more information and understand content better. http://bit.ly/audible2free

My Goal: Lower my overall stress

Habit: Perform 1 Self Care activity per day

How the habit supports the goal

(1) I tend to work pretty intensely during the day. I may not always put in 8 hours, but I may accomplish 8 hours worth of work in 4. This leaves my brain mentally exhausted at the end of the day and usually, if I have a lot going on that I’m juggling, stress creeps up on me. Taking time out of each day specifically to do something relaxing for me, is a way I can combat this so I don’t get overwhelmed as often as I currently do.

(2) Making yourself your number 1 priority is a great habit to get into. There are not many things I do every single day, but by doing something for me everyday, I will support this mindset and develop boundaries with other priorities and tasks.

My Goal: Start memory keeping

Habit: Journaling

How the habit supports the goal

(1) I am not someone who has a great record of memory keeping, however, with certain life changes (turning 30 and purchasing my first home) I’ve been wanting more and more to find a way to keep track of memories ongoing. I think the easiest way for me to start doing this consistently may be simply writing about my day in a journal.

(2) This year I tested the waters with journaling and although I wasn’t completely consistent, I was able to record some important events from my year that I can now look back on. To a great extent as well, my monthly blog post Entrepreneurial is my way of documenting my business life regularly, and I am very glad I started that this year and have those posts to look over!

My Goal: Stop forgetting the little things

Habit: Write things down

How the habit supports the goal

(1) I know this may seem very similar to my last goal/habit but it’s a little different. Learning to stop relying on your memory and start writing down details is a hard process. I have come pretty far with this habit already, but I still find myself forgetting things all the time. Tasks, ideas, plans, etc. It’s very frustrating and to combat this I must start writing everything down!

(2) They say you learn better when you write something down, just that one small act helps to improve your cognition. So, I’ve pulled out a desk pad to leave out and even when I am doing passive things like talking on the phone or watching tv or a video, I try to doodle or take notes!

What habits are you planning to implement in the New Year? I’d love to hear about them in the comments, and if you are not sure what habits you may want to change or add to your life, check out my post on those 100 habits for some ideas and inspiration!

xoxo,