TL;DR – Just one week away till the new year. Here are five ways to get you prepping for a successful new year ahead!
Another year is coming to an end and the new one is fast approaching. How did you do? Was this year good or could it have been better? It’s normal to feel some regrets but don’t forget to celebrate the little victories you’ve achieved too.
It’s always best to start the year with a positive attitude. With preparation and planning done on your part, the higher your chances of achieving a successful new year!
To help you get started, here are 5 ways you can prepare:
1. Reflect on your year
Taking time to reflect on the past year will help you surface what worked and what didn’t. While we celebrate the accomplishments achieved, it’s also good to learn from missteps or perceived failures. When we learn from a misstep, part of the experience is redeemed, as it serves its purpose by giving you an idea of how to overcome it in the future.
2. Curate your life
Our lives are filled with activities and commitments which can result in us being stretched too thinly. We have only so much time and energy, so we often find ourselves being committed to just one or two areas of our lives and neglecting the rest.
List down the areas of your life that are important to you. For example:
- Health and Fitness
- Mental well being
- Finances
- Family and friendships
- Career development
- Spirituality
After listing them down, rank them from the most important to the least and allocate how much time you would spend on each in a week. Consider what you have done for each area this year and what you would do differently next year.
3. Out with the old
According to a study by Princeton University, researchers discovered that our environment can positively or negatively impact our ability to complete tasks as well as our overall mental health.
Decluttering can boost our mood and help to sharpen our focus. When you are decluttering, you are problem-solving while getting things done. You gain visual accomplishments, and it will result in you feeling more energized and productive.
While we clear the physical clutter, we should also remember to clear out our digital clutter – junk emails or unread emails, old photos and videos, dated music or podcasts. Organizing your digital desktop and electronic devices will also set you off to a good start.
4. New Year’s Resolution
As cliché as it sounds, this is an unavoidable step. Don’t feel defeated just because not much was accomplished this year. The whole point of this step is to allow you to dream and come up with one that motivates and inspire you to take action. The key here is to create one that will spur you to take action!
So if you aspire to have a bikini-ready body with abs, then the end goal of an image of a hot body should motivate you to keep your exercising regime.
5. Make a schedule
Planning a schedule isn’t fun but it’s one of the most effective ways for you to manage your time and to help you keep on track. It kind of forces you to be disciplined.
Looking back at point number two, you can start by allocating some time after work to carry out the activities that are important to you. For example, if health and fitness are your priority and your New Year’s Resolution, then set aside one hour a day, three times a week to exercise would be ideal.
Instead of filling your schedule with productive activities, you should also carve out some time for fun. Make time to catch up on your social life; meet with your friends and family. This would allow you to keep a balanced lifestyle.
Read about how to balance your work life and social life here.
