There are only 50 days left in 2013. And while I love the fresh beginning of
a new year, as you head into the next couple months, it’s all too easy to get
caught up in the resolutions you want to make for next year, rather than
focusing on finishing this year strong.
You see, I don’t want you to wake up on January 1 thinking you should
have—and could have—done something better last year. You’ve still got time!
Whether it’s a big project you want to attack or a small habit you want to
change, you can go into the new year feeling triumphant.
And so, since I’m all for making progress by achieving small wins, here are
three common challenges you can master before the end of the year: one thing for
today, one for next week, and one before year end. Then, when the new year rolls
around, you’ll be way ahead of the game—and ready to tackle a new set of
resolutions.
Today: Stop Living Out of Your Inbox
There’s a reason that you probably struggle with this one (and many of my
clients do, too): Responding to the constant “ding” fills your brain with
dopamine, a little squirt of happy juice that gives you satisfaction.
Despite that good feeling, centering your work around your inbox isn’t
exactly effective—constantly stopping to check and respond to messages is a
distraction that keeps you from staying focused on your bigger tasks and
priorities.
The good news is, there are some quick steps you can take to break this habit
today. 1. Check Your Email Only at Certain Times of Day At the beginning of the day, determine a few designated email
checkpoints—maybe once in the morning, once at midday, and once before you leave
for the night. 2. Turn Off Your Email Feed Instead of letting new email alerts interrupt your work, try using an app
like Freedom to turn off the internet and allow you to focus on the task at
hand. 3. Change Your Outlook Essentially, your inbox is a place where other people get to send their
priorities, issues, and demands for your time. And so, when you base your
workday around your email, you’re letting others control your time. Once you
realize that, it’ll be a lot easier to prioritize the things that are important
to you, rather than simply what comes into your inbox.
By Next Week: Stop Hating Monday Ask anyone, and you’ll get a pretty universal consensus: Monday is the worst
day of the week. The weekend’s gone, and it’ll be another long five days before
another comes around. And so, most working hours are spent complaining about how
awful the day is. (Sound familiar?)
The thing is, hating Monday doesn’t actually do anything to make it better.
The way I see it, Monday offers huge opportunities—if you approach it the right
way. Regain control over your Monday with these three steps over the next week.
1. Create a Clear Plan for the Week This fresh start to the week is the perfect opportunity to create a road map
for what you want to accomplish over the next five days. So, take some time
Monday morning to identify your key priorities and block off the time you’ll
spend on each one on your calendar. (This step is essential to help you leave
work on time and feel good about the work you’ve accomplished!)
2. Visualize Friday Once you have your plan for the week, think about how you’ll feel when you
leave work on Friday with these key priorities completed. (Hint: It should get
you excited to get going on the uber-productive week you’re about to have!)
3. Put Something You Look Forward to on Your Monday Calendar
Maybe you bring (or buy) a splurge of a lunch. Or maybe you set aside a new
outfit to wear. Perhaps you bring fresh flowers to your desk to make the day a
little more cheerful. One thing’s for sure: You’ll dread Monday less if you put
something on the calendar that you’ll look forward to!
By the End of This Year: Crush Procrastination
Putting off a few small tasks until tomorrow seems OK—until tomorrow turns
into next week, and next week turns into next month. And suddenly, you have a
lot more stress, tighter deadlines, and longer days at the office.
When you’ve waited until the last minute to do something, there’s no time to
go the extra mile; usually, you just have to settle for whatever you can churn
out at the last minute. Procrastination keeps your work ordinary, at best.
Now, tackling a challenge like this won’t take just a day or a week. But with
these three steps to get you started, you can certainly help turn your
procrastination around by the end of the year.
1. Schedule Your Priorities When you tell yourself, “I’ll do this tomorrow,” actually block off some time
in your calendar the next day to work on it. Scheduling helps give you both the
structure and the dedicated time you need to actually make significant progress.
2. Practice Focusing Try this: Pick a task you’ve been putting off, and work on it for 20 minutes
without looking up. Take a short, five-minute break, then do it again. This will
help you form new habits that will, over time, allow you to be (and feel) more
productive.
3. Phone a Friend Tempted to procrastinate? Ask a friend or colleague to hold you accountable.
Give this person the details on what you want to accomplish, and the deadline
that goes along with it. Then, ask him or her to check in with you for daily
updates on your progress. You’ll be much more motivated when you know someone’s
keeping tabs on your
work. Sure, you’ll have plenty of resolutions in just a couple months. But why
wait? Start practicing now—while there’s less pressure and no one’s looking.
Think about how great you’ll feel waking up in 2014 knowing you’ve mastered
these three simple ideals. And everyone else? They’ll be amazed at how much
progress you’ve made so quickly in the new year!
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