Every year I put together a list of habits to adopt to thrive in the new year. In one sense, it’s a way to hold myself accountable to achieve these habits in 2021, but it is also a way to inspire you to implement these helpful habits. I’m very passionate about setting intentional goals for the new year because of this alarming stat: 80% of people give up on their New Year Resolutions by February 1st.
I’ll never forget how alarmed I was when I first heard that stat. As someone who encourages people to ignite the fire inside them and always go after their dreams, I felt like it was my personal mission to increase the number of people who actually achieve their new year goals. Will you join me in increasing the percentage of people who accomplish their goals?
Here are 11 habits to adopt to thrive in 2021:
1. Prioritize your wellness
How well we take care of ourselves determines how our entire life occurs. If you have been lacking in your exercise, nutrition, sleep, rest, and self-care, it’s time to make a change. Your body is a system, it’s got inputs (food, exercise, etc.) and outputs (energy, mood, etc.). Therefore, if your outputs are suffering, it’s time to change something in your inputs. If you’d like to learn more about biohacking your body to enhance your wellness, check out this blog post.
2. Spend more time outdoors
2020 unfortunately was a year where many of us were inside much more than we would have liked. It’s important for us all to get fresh air. Studies show that just looking at green spaces calms your mind. Seeing greenery and immersing yourself in nature lowers your stress hormone cortisol. Prioritize making time to literally smell the roses! Go for a walk, hike, or sit and read in a park.
3. Drink more water
Our body is made up of about 70% water. Therefore our entire body functions smoother when we drink an ample amount of water. Experts recommend drinking half your body weight in water daily. It also does wonders for your skin. Additionally, many of us mistake thirst for hunger. Before you grab a snack, drink a cup of water, and see how you feel after. I aim to drink a gallon of water a day and I’ve greatly noticed how it has positively affected my body.
4. Get very clear on what you want
As a Time Management Coach, I meet with a lot of people who struggle with achieving their daily tasks. One theme I’ve noticed from a lot of them is they don’t have a clear definition of what they want to achieve. Before we can even discuss how to make it happen, it’s important to be crystal clear on your goal in the first place.
Write down what you want to achieve (avoid judging yourself or putting yourself down), next set a deadline to achieve it, then put some time on your calendar to get started! It’s that simple. If you’re looking for an accountability partner to help you make the time to pursue and monetize your passions, book a free strategy call with me here.
5. Improve your self-talk
Stop speaking badly about yourself! Your subconscious hears and internalizes everything single thing you say about yourself. Therefore what you say (whether you’re joking or not), you start to consciously believe. As a recovering perfectionist, I am super critical of myself. However, I am working daily to reprogram how I speak about myself. Remind yourself to speak to yourself like you would someone you love. Don’t let the fear of failure, stifle you. Embrace the fear, be bold, and take things one moment at a time.
6. Meditate
I struggled with meditating consistently for years. But in the last quarter of 2020, I invested in the Calm app and it has transformed my inner peace. I now meditate daily for at least 15 minutes. It has greatly helped my anxiety, made me feel more in tune with my emotions, and honestly, I’ve become a lot wiser. Meditation reduces stress, anxiety, and improves your attention span, memory, and mindfulness. If you need some help getting started, check out this post. We all can take 5 minutes to intentionally breathe daily.
7. Learn something new every day
In 2020, I vowed to learn something new every day. Every day, I read, listened to a podcast, or watched a video about a topic in my field. This has greatly improved my mindset and my intelligence. You’d be surprised how much you can learn in one year. Find a topic you’re interested in and go to town! There’s so much to learn out there. We can always be better and new ideas are shared daily.
8. Set 3 daily goals
If you’re horrible at time management and need a baseline to get started, start with setting 3 goals each day. Be mindful of what you choose. Avoid setting 3 goals that will take you 8 hours to complete, that’s just not feasible for one day. Set your three goals the night before and assign a time frame to each, then execute. Don’t overthink it, just take action.
9. Write everything down
Stop treating your brain like a filing cabinet, it’s not. Writing things down helps you remember them, clears your mind, and holds you accountable. If you write down your goals, you’re more likely to achieve them. Writing things down enables a higher level of thinking so you can take more focused action. When your brain isn’t busy remembering everything, your brain can then process and analyze more.
10. Keep an achievement log
Celebrate your wins!! You don’t have to wait for other people to tell you you’re great. Tell yourself. Often. Speak to yourself as you would speak to your best friend. I highly recommend using an app like WinStreak to log your daily wins or simply jotting down your achievements in a notebook. Personally, I have an album full of screenshots of compliments and achievements. All of these reminders are the best to refer to when you have a bad day and start doubting your abilities.
11. Take criticism objectively
This is a challenging concept for me but the more I avoid taking critiques personally, the easier it gets to accept feedback. When you make a mistake or receive critical feedback, don’t panic. Think of it as an opportunity for learning, and remember that the process of “failing” –when you’re willing to pay attention–is often what leads to your greatest successes.