Diving into the New (Year)
With a new year comes a new wave of habits and hobbies to dive into. Although these have been there, they feel fresh. A clear point to stop, think, and move forward.
As I learn about others' opinions on goal-setting and how I can make progress toward achieving my own, I've been led to the mindset that it's not actually the goals that are important, but the habits that would make them happen.
This year I will be shifting my focus on values, and the habits that will strengthen these values; Building small habits that can lead to bigger outcomes (like this newsletter). So instead of saying: "My goal is to read 10 books this year." I'm saying: "I value decompressing from the day and learning new ideas, so I will set aside 15 minutes each night to read." The focus will be placed on a value and supporting habit, instead of a goal.
Try It: Write something you want to accomplish. What values would be needed to create this outcome? Next, what habits are needed to grow and strengthen those values? Work backward from the outcome you want and find the habits that would help make it happen. Make it easy to do, try to stay consistent, and be patient.
A book to read
This book by James Clear breaks down the walls of traditional habit-building to help you rethink and share a step-by-step guide to maintaining your own.
An app to track your habits
This app has become one of my favorites to use. It allows you to add and track all kinds of habits in your schedule, and it has great widgets to use.
A podcast to listen to
Happier Ep. 408 with Gretchen Rubin
This episode brings up the idea of using a one-word theme for the year and shares some listener examples. Doing this can be helpful in staying focused.
My one-word theme this year: Craft
What would your one-word theme be?
Some notable habits
- One Sentence: It's pretty common, but writing one sentence a day is super helpful.
- Win Wall: The idea is to keep a wall of wins that happen throughout the year. If you need something to boost you up or look back at it, the win wall is there.
- Memory Jar: This is similar to the win wall, but focused on memories. The idea is to keep track of something memorable that happened by writing it on a notecard and dropping it in here. At the end of the year, you can look back at the moments.
- Resetting: The idea is to "reset" something after you're done with it to set it back to the best state for the next time, i.e. cleaning a room before you leave it or straightening up your desk before the next day.
