Prepare well in advance. Prepare with contingency plans. Allow 3 times more time than you think you’ll need.
A prepared general wins battles and wars. A prepared team wins championships. Be so prepared that by taking action on your plan it practically guarantees victory.
At least once each week, you need to review your progress. You need to understand if you are getting the results you were after and if you are putting in the effort you said you would, should or needed to.
This is your brutal facts of reality moment.
No excuses. No reasons. Black and white. Yes or no. If you were supposed to go to the gym 3x in the last 5 days, did you? Yes or no? If yes, well done! If no, what will you do differently this week (Monday am to Sunday pm)? Perhaps go to the gym even earlier so other things don’t get in the way.
If you were supposed to read 10 pages of a book every night in the last 5 days, did you? Yes or no? If yes, congratulations! If no, what do you need to do differently on each of the next 7 days to ensure it happens consistently? Read when you wake up? Go to bed 30 minutes earlier and read then?
Whatever your goals are, Review your progress every week, ideally on the same day at the same time. Sunday evening is a good time for this. Make it part of your seven day success cycle as outlined in my book.
If you want to succeed or excel, pay someone to keep you accountable.
This is the magic of Weight Watchers, a job with a boss, a coach or even a parent (Though the pay is negligible).
Get someone who will actually push you and ignore your excuses and all attempts to stay stuck where you are.
You can try to do it on your own, but very few have that level of discipline.
Splurge. Set a budget for someone 5 minutes a day to get on your case. They can track your progress too. They can also help you see your own excuses for why you are not being disciplined. (Hint: you don’t want it bad enough to put the effort required in)
Do you want success or just someone to listen to why you can’t be bothered to fight hard for your own goals?
Every day in January, spend 1 hour clearing out a drawer, the left side of a cupboard or a shelf.
Donate, toss or use it. Clear out your life. Why do you have all this stuff? If it doesn’t bring you tremendous joy, make room for something that does – and that could just be uncluttered space.
If 1 hour every day doesn’t work for you, try to do it all across two separate, 8 hour days. Or, two hours, every other day. Make a firm and specific plan that works for you and then stick to it.
The decluttered space will be a joy to be in every day for the 11 remaining months of the year.
Start your grand improvements today. Do not say you’ll start tomorrow, Saturday or Monday. If you seriously want to make a change in a habit or behaviour, why would you put it off for a day or three?
Seriously, you either start right now or you’re not really that serious in the goal or its success.
It’s so easy to put things off. That just tells everyone you’re more talk than action. Instead, be an action and results type person. Start that today.
When you’re all ready and you’ve done your prep, just relax and enjoy the show.
Will you feel exactly the same in 12 months? Or will you have actually done those things you wanted to do?
It’s all down to whether you really want them bad enough and you’re willing to do the work. And you are willing to sacrifice and let go of the current you to become the you you say you want to be.
Over to you!
Yesterday you were given a few things to do regarding 2024 and 2025. Did you do them? If not, put a date and time in the calendar right now to get this done over the next 3 days. Don’t let this opportunity get away from you.
Even if it is not perfect, start. Write on scrap paper if you have to. Book the time in if you didn’t do it.
If you did do it, congratulations! It’s great to review the year and remember all that you did in the last 12 months. It was probably more fulfilling than you thought it was.
Creating a dream / goal list for the future gets you excited about life and the years ahead. It’s a great thing to do.
Now go refine your work. Look over it again. Add bits you have thought more about. Re-read your words to get those great feelings of achievement and adventure. What an exciting year ahead!
Boxing Day is a good day to take off. Do something different or nothing at all. Don’t do any should’s or secondary interesting things. I wouldn’t just fill time doing nonsense, unless it’s part of what brings you joy or can be done to just to help you actually relax.
You may miss the busy days later on in life. It could be at empty nest time or at retirement.
There are other times, but regardless, enjoy your busy-ness now.
