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An achievable vision and an actionable plan can be the difference between a fulfilling year and one full of indecision and excuses. At Ambrion, we want to make sure 2019 is your best year yet. We want you to better manage your time at work so you have more time to play. We want you to have more success with less effort. We want you to develop bulletproof routines and habits so you can live your dreams. Here is our cheatsheet for getting organized, having more time, and living a fulfilling life in 2019.
Create a rock solid morning routine
Say goodbye to your tired morning routines, or lack thereof, and welcome in a fresh approach. Because it could end up changing how you approach everything else.
A good morning starts with a peaceful evening. Prepare your breakfast, pack your lunch, gather your gym clothes. Anything you can do in the evening, do it. Then, take some time to envision what your ideal morning looks like. Yes, the first waking hour doing meditative yoga might sound wonderful, but if it’s not realistic, then brainstorm ideas that are feasible. Maybe it’s as simple as closing your eyes and expressing gratitude for the day.
Be clear on what you want
Let’s imagine that one of your goals for 2019 is to exercise more. That’s great! But, to put your goal into action, you’ll have to be more specific. Break down your large goal into bite-size chunks. For example,
Old goal: Exercise more
New goal: Run a half marathon in June
Then, back up. If you want to run 13.1 miles in June, you’ll want to start training 12 weeks prior to the race date. Next, get even more specific. Each day, write down your intended mileage. Lastly, visualize yourself at the finish line. How will you feel? What will you be wearing? Who will be there cheering you on?
Find one way to move yourself forward each day. And keep your plan nearby — like the half marathon example. That gives you a roadmap for what you need to do each day, week, month to be successful.
Chunk your time
What’s on your to-do list right now? Or, is your list more like a never-ending stream of must-dos and emergencies running through your mind? That creates stress and anxiety. Instead, try chunking tasks together — figure out what needs to be done and break down those tasks into small steps. For example, if you want to remodel your bathroom, you wouldn’t just take a sledgehammer to the walls. You would start with a plan.
- Decide on a bathroom design
This might include things like color scheme, light fixtures and storage space. - Gather your tools
Grab your safety mask, gloves and goggles. - Demo day!
Start by removing drywall, fixtures and insulation.
Do this for each step. Then, set realistic time expectations. If Demo Day is going to take five hours, break that down into small chunks: first, remove drywall. Then, remove fixtures. Lastly, identify when you’ll need to delegate tasks or ask for help. Maybe you can remove the drywall yourself, but you need help with the insulation. By breaking tasks down and chunking them together, your goal becomes much easier to achieve.
Create habits that will make you better
Rather than big, sweeping changes, experts say the secret to success is in simple daily routines. The key is to starting small. James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, says we should devote just two minutes a day to a new habit or practice. So, if you want to start exercising more, you lace up for running shoes and take 30 steps outside.
Want to create new habits? There’s an app for that.
Momentum encourages you to not break the chain. “Every day that you complete a habit, your chain grows longer,” their website states. “As your chain grows longer, you become less likely to quit.”
Productive empowers you to organize your life and build a healthy routine through positive, life-changing habits.
When you sign up for StickK, you create a commitment contract with yourself to reach your goals. You can even assign a friend to check in to make sure you’re reaching stickKing with it.
While these apps are helpful, they can’t actually make you get out of bed at 6:30 a.m. five days a week and head to the gym. In the end, you have to actually do the work.
Each month, reach out to a corporate or community leader you admire and invite them to coffee
Make a list of 12 people you respect and admire who are attainable — meaning they’re in your community, your church, your workplace, your gym. Each month, reach out to one of them and offer to buy them coffee.
Spend an hour picking their brain; how did they build their business? How did they transform their body? How did they find success and fulfillment in their company? These people don’t have to be older or wiser than you; rather, they have some sort of skills that you desire to learn.
For example, maybe a colleague is great at collaboration. Connect with them to learn a few ways you could do the same.