January can feel like sort of an annoying month. Everyone, endlessly offering up their version of what they want to accomplish each year. Which, in theory is great. But what tends to happen (and I’ve been there myself) is you write them all down only to collect dust in your desk drawer. Before you know it it’s Christmas and YIKES, maybe another shot at those goals next year :S

What makes goals actually work and manifest, I’ve come to learn, is by putting action behind them. In other words, creating systems and practices to help get you in-line with what you want to achieve.

I’m a firm believer that our daily habits are what make us who we are and what our life becomes. You know, the little things you do that make up each day. Those add up over time. My philosophy is to get super micro and focus on those little actions, to the point that they just become second nature. Much easier said than done.

I’ve documented my goals here on the blog over the past couple years (see: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019) and can say with absolute certainty that I’ve gotten better with time. I’ve realized how simple it really is, and how complicated, we as humans make things.

What I want for my life is actually pretty simple:

+ good health
+ great relationships
+ a successful blog, business & online community
+ a beautiful home life
+ lots of love & travel.. to name a few

but what makes all of these things come to life? Here are some of the systems I’ve put into place that have helped me carve out the goals/habits I want to achieve:

+ utilizing my calendar: EVERYTHING (and I mean everything) gets noted in my calendar on my iPhone. Wake up alarms, time to eat, weekly workouts, driving time, time to write, time to shoot new content, meetings, conference calls, I even block out time to tidy up my home each morning. Putting it in the calendar means it’s actually happening and I can breathe easy knowing I’ve accounted the time in my day. I’ve done the whole rushing around thing and it does not serve me.

+ time batching: I kind of used to fly by the seat of my pants, when it came to managing my time. Now I use a much more streamlined approach. I block out chunks of time to do like-things. For instance, when I shoot new content I typically get it done in one day. When I’m writing fresh blog articles, I block out 3-4 hours to do so when my mind can focus. When I’m coordinating meetings, I try to block them into one day so I’m only driving downtown once a week. You get the idea. Much more efficient!

+ taking time to plan: over the last, I’d say, two years I’ve really tried to be more intentional about my time and how I plan. I used to leave things to the last minute thinking I could ‘figure it out’ when it came time. WRONG. Now I see how important taking the time to plan is and how it can very easily alter my reality. Things like making a weekly meal plan, were never things I thought to do so it made dinner time feel like a lot of pressure. Now I take time on Sundays to properly plan out lunches (for me) & dinners (for us). Because of it, I’m able to make better decisions about what we are fuelling our bodies with and spend less at the grocery store because I know exactly what I need to get.

+ reading: the past year I’ve REALLY taken the initiative to read & learn as much as possible. Personally, I am OBSESSED with books about mindset, habits, philosophy, business and personal development. I block out 30 mins every day (no matter what) to read at either the start or the end of the day. This might not be for everyone, but there is so much information out there! Find what works for you and soak in as much as possible. I’m constantly learning new little tips and strategies that I can then implement into my own life/business.

Next up, my 2020 goals!