As you get older, you start thinking differently. You tend to realize that doing certain little things differently can change your life immensely. So if you had to start all over again today, what’s the one thing you’ll do differently?
Most of us don’t do the things we do because we spend a lot of time doing the stuff we shouldn’t do. So while 2016 is still fresh, you need to start making changes that will grow you as a person. You know all that stuff that you did on your first job or while still in college? You need to stop doing it. Remember that what happens in your life is as a result of the choices you made in the past.
#1 Set goals within your control
Certain things in life are completely within your control. You can’t control if you get promoted at your workplace but you can work harder, take extra responsibilities or do more hours to get that promotion. You can’t say with certainty that you’re going to lose 10 Kgs but you can eat healthier, go to the gym more hours a week and skip unhealthy snacks to lose weight. When you set goals you can’t control, you get very frustrated when you end up not achieving them.
#2 Find joy in the process of attaining your goals
Most people give up along the way because they don’t sit back and enjoy the process of reaching their goal. When setting goals, think about what you’ll need to do in order to achieve that goal. For instance, if you want to get a 6 pack, think of the countless hours you’ll spend at the gym and enjoy every moment of it. People who find joy in attaining their goals are happy even if they don’t reach them because they enjoyed the journey anyway. So have fun and stay in the moment. Enjoy what you are doing to get to where you want to be.
#3 Start taking full responsibility for your life
The victim mentality should be left to rot in 2015. It’s time to take control of your life and take responsibility for what happens to you. If you don’t like your job, it’s up to you to take time to network with people, find job sites and apply or create your own business. You have the power to change any situation in your life.
#4 Focus on the good
When you want to feel and stay happy, focus on the good. Remember that what you think impacts your emotions and mood. You need to start interpreting things differently. Your views and perceptions end up becoming your life. If you focus on negative thoughts and negativity then that will become part of your life. You will attract negative people and situations too. If you train your mind to look at things in a positive perspective, you’ll be happier and attract good things in your life.
#5 Start working smart rather than working hard
You can be busy all day but not productive. Being productive is not just about managing your time but it has a lot to do with knowing how to spend most of your energy. You need to focus on spending the least amount of energy to get the most benefit. You need to sort your priorities and make your days more productive. You can actually reduce your hours of work in a day from 8 hours to 4 hours and get more done.
#6 Stop saying ‘yes’ all the time
You need to know what’s worth your time and effort. There are some tasks that bring in low or almost no result. If you think something is not going to be worth your time, just let it go. Track everything you do and try and optimize your time to get the most of it. Most of us say yes all the time because we don’t want to disappoint people.
#7 Allow people to help you – you can’t do everything by yourself
It is important for you to realize that you can always seek help when needed. There is no harm in allowing someone to do something and do it better than you. It gives you more time to focus on something that’s probably more important rather than wasting your time trying to figure out things for yourself.
#8 You don’t have to be a perfectionist
Research shows that perfectionists are usually less productive. They spend so much time on a task, have a habit of procrastinating or waiting for the perfect moment and miss out on the big picture because of focusing too much on the little things. When you wait for so long for the perfect moment, you may end up missing it.
#9 Stop second guessing yourself
If you need to make decisions, then do just do it. Find the data you need to back your decisions and go for it. Keep asking yourself how you are going to measure the success rate of the decisions you make. You shouldn’t blame yourself for any losses or treat every new decision with the same thinking.
#10 Take time to relax
Have your quiet moments when you just sit back and reflect on life. You will become more productive if you allow your brain and spirit to relax. When you have some alone time, you might find solutions to things that have been bothering you for ages and look at life in a different perspective.
You don’t make life changes overnight. You’ll need to put some effort into making your life more productive. Don’t just sit there and do things the way you did them last year. It’s important to learn who you are and grow to become a better person.