We’ve all heard the expression “New Year, New Me” and maybe take it to heart for a few weeks while trying to implement new habits or mindsets to tackle the new year in stride. For a lot of people, myself being one of them, it can be difficult to stay consistent with new habits when old problems or familiar stress inducing situations trigger the old responses we are trying to correct. Last year was a big year for me working on breaking my bad habits of letting old behaviors take over the progress I’ve made. I’m going to share with you a few tips and tools that have worked for me with staying consistent with how I get my day started and stay motivated in positivity to accomplish what I need to get done in a day to eventually accomplish my monthly/ yearly goals. Hope they help you!
Start a Morning Routine You Can Stick To :
Consistency in the morning has been key for me. I’ve created a routine that not only prepares me for my day but it’s also something I look forward to waking up to do. I’ve come to find how I start my morning is very important because I feel like it really controls the outcome of the rest of my day. Being able to turn that time into an enjoyable peaceful moment simultaneously filled with positive productivity was my goal. Here I’ll share a quick run down of what a typical morning looks like for me. What works for me may not work for you but maybe there’s something in here for you.
First thing I do in the morning, that I’ve recently added, is filling out the morning portion to my Five Minute Journal, this has become a very important tool for me and I will explain more on it in a minute. On to the standard brushing of teeth and switching up the morning face routine based off of what I think my skin needs that day, which is always followed by a generous walk for the pup and the adding of steps to my 10,000 steps a day goal. I come back prepare coffee and Bailey’s food as I pull out my planner and write my to do list of 3 realistic easy goals I can accomplish whether it be returning emails or cleaning around the apartment and 2 bigger goals that can extend a few days whether it be filming content for the next two days and then editing the following two. Once my to do list is ready, I start with whatever I’m most excited about or most important to get done and go from there. I also like to incorporate some form of exercise 4-5 days a week, usually two pilates classes a week in the morning or early afternoon and on other days I do my home workouts, run on the treadmill or go for a walk with a friend outside to hit that 10,000 step goal. I truly enjoy my morning and planning out my days/ weeks to work toward accomplishing my big picture goals.
Five Minute Journal:
I absolutely love my Five Minute Journal. I’m sure you’ve seen them everywhere but you can find them on the Intelligent Change website, Amazon and I’m pretty sure they sell them at Urban Outfitters. Now let me tell you, this little journal has been a game changer for me with the mood and desire in which I start my day. It’s not this epic secret holder by any means but truly a tool to help shift your perspective and mindset for starting your day. They ask you to come from a place of gratitude which is so insanely simple but something we don’t tend to think about day to day with our ever moving lives and busy schedules. Gratitude truly is the key for happier living and yet there are times where we feel we have nothing to be grateful for. This journal is amazing for exactly that. There are no expectations, right or wrong answers, it’s up to you to look within yourself and around you to determine what you choose to be grateful for.
Starting with the date you are given an inspirational quote of the day, 3 lines to fill out with the prompt “I am grateful for…” followed by “What would make today great?” 3 lines there and then 2 lines to fill out your daily affirmation.. simple enough right? Starting your day with these thoughts guiding how you would like your day to go and what you would like to feel throughout/ what would make your day great, changes the way you interact with moments within your day. It’s almost like you’re programming your brain to see what’s been in front of you all along but with the conscious idea of how you would like your day to go, making it possible to create that reality. Essentially moving through your day with intention vs. going through the motions and letting life happen to you.
At the end of the day you fill out a quick 3 lines of Highlights of the Day and 2 lines for “What did I learn today?” Again, easy enough but you will be shocked by how recognizing the little moments that made you smile that day or acknowledging a lesson you learned and writing it down vs letting it slip away really makes a difference going into your next day. This has been a very beneficial tool for me ending 2022 and I won’t start a day without it now.
Use code ICHANGE on the Intelligent Change website for 10% off your first purchase.
Day Planner :
The phone calendar is good and great and all. If it works for you, fantastic, don’t change a thing. If you’re one of those people who are able to take mental notes of dates and information with no need to write them down, bless you and your brain, I don’t know how you do it. For me, I can’t live without my yearly planner. Not only to remember upcoming events and important dates but to also be able to look back and see where and what I was doing on any given date. I need, crave, love organization. I use my calendar to write down important events, due dates, trips and most importantly my to-do list.
Every morning as a part of my daily routine, I sit at my computer and pull out my day planner before I open up emails or anything for that matter and make a to do list of what I need to get done that day based in order of importance. Whether it’s to respond to an email I opened the night prior or a continuation of a project I started the day before, I make sure that what needs to get done that day stays at the forefront of my mind with this to do list without overwhelming myself. A nice mixture of work related tasks, leisure/wellness activities (pilates, walk with friend, out to eat) and at home chores so I feel balanced and not spread too thin.
Vision Board :
I’ll be fully transparent as I write this that I’m fully behind on making mine for this year and it’s something I’ve already added to my day planner ;). Whether you go the magazine and poster board route or Pinterest/Canva vision board it, I think everyone and their mother should be making vision boards. It’s an amazing way to remind yourself to visualize the things you want for your life in the future and there’s no cooler feeling when you realize you’ve either accomplished or are about to do something that you put on your vision board. The key is to keep it in a place where you constantly look at it and can be reminded of what you’re working towards. Nothing is too big or small to manifest for yourself, whether it be words to describe how you want to feel, a number as to how much money you would like to be making monthly, a dress you think you could only dream of affording, a tropical location you’ve been wanting to go to but just never booked the ticket… put it on the mood board! The best thing about vision boards is that you can always add as you wish and take down what you’ve accomplished. Manifestation is such a powerful tool and visuals are an amazing way to focus your brain on the ultimate goals you have set for your month, year and overall life!
Stop Waking Up and Scrolling :
“Comparison is the thief of joy.”- Theodore Roosevelt. Opening apps like Instagram and Tiktok first thing in the morning has become one of the things I’m changing in 2023. I want to wake up and be inspired by what’s going on in my reality and be able to listen to my thoughts and ideas as they come to me, write them down and execute. For the longest time I would wake up with these ideas, don’t write them down, open up Instagram or Tiktok and see what other people are doing, how they’re living and instantly start comparing or tearing down my own ideas in comparison. Allowing an idea I thought was cool be pulverized and twist into smoke as the ambition to want to create or film this idea is now gone. Everyone in this world has something to offer and yet we stand in our own way thinking that everything other people are doing is way better than any idea we have resulting in nothing. No creation, no inspiration other than to emulate what you’ve seen be done before and hope it works for you too. The belief in yourself and what you want to get out there is what’s going to help you accomplish your goals and stick to them. See yourself where you want to be and let the distractions of what everyone else is doing fall by the wayside.
Set Realistic Daily Goals that Add Up to the Big Picture Goal :
Having the visuals and mental picture of where you want to be and what you want to accomplish is one thing, now it’s up to what you choose to do on a daily basis to work towards that. I want to start my own company and make a million dollars a year. Okay great.. how are you going to get there? Wanting something in the abstract doesn’t mean anything until you break down the smaller steps it takes to get there. What is something you can do today to take a step, even if it’s a baby step, closer to that big picture goal? Am I utilizing the tools at my disposal to get the word out about what I’m doing? I say give yourself one or two goals a day that you could accomplish to get closer to where you would like to be. Send those emails, post those videos, write that first page or blog post. Make time to make your dreams reality because without even a little bit of action, those dreams stay dreams.
BE SPECIFIC When Setting Goals :
Most people if you ask them what they want, they will probably say the same things in vague terms like to be successful, rich, happy, etc. and yet these words would all look extremely different from one person to the next when asked specifics. For one person it could be making $1,000,000 a year with a 5 bedroom house and to another it could be to have a healthy, loving relationship with themself and finding peace in solitude. Whatever your future and happiness looks like to you, just remember to be specific as to what you’re moving towards. You’re working towards a house, what does the house look like? Where is it located? What does the interior look like? Visualize it, put it on the mood board and set tangible goals to work towards it. I feel like so much clarity as to the “how” to get there comes through once you know what you’re working towards in detail.
Setting Fitness Goals :
Now these are the hardest for me to keep up with truly. I used to let anything (and I mean literally anything) come between me and my workouts until my boyfriend got me the Apple Watch. They have so many fitness tools these days ranging in prices and appearance whether it be a Fitbit, Apple Watch, Oura ring or whatever is similar you can find on Amazon that pairs with your phone. The Apple Watch has been a game changer for me with hitting fitness goals since it not only tracks my steps but has the ability to track my work outs from pilates to my at home program. I have the irritating reminder setting on that let me know when I need to stand or move to close my rings. Oh the rings! Yes, Apple has it so that there are 3 rings you try to close each day that consist of your stand, move and exercise rings. Stand being hours of standing you’ve done that day, move being calories burned and the exercise ring is minutes of working out done. Even though I find the notification/reminders annoying, I also find it motivating being that I’m a very competitive person solely with myself so I know I will make the extra effort to fit in a work out just in order to close the rings.
Hope some of these tips and tools help you feel prepared for starting whatever ventures this year is calling you towards. May you have an extremely successful 2023 however that looks to you.
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