Steps to Make the Most of Today | ProductiveandFree

Wouldn’t it be great if we could time travel to the future?

How do you think everything will be like one year from now?

Take a brief moment and visualize it —

Where do you think you’ll be?

What do you think you’ll have accomplished?

Do you think there’ll be a difference between now and one year from now?

More importantly, would you like there to be?

Believe it or not, this simple visualization exercise, when executed properly, can be a very powerful motivator to help you make the most of the next few months or the next year.

For those of you who are looking to be more intentional, however, here are five steps to make the most of not just the the next month, next quarter, or next year, but of today:

Step 1: Evaluate the past.

How would you describe the past year or month in two to three words?

Was it stressful? Horrible?

Was it amazing? Fulfilling?

Using specific adjectives to describe your past makes you reflect on what happened and how you feel about it.

An alternative exercise is to grade each area of your life. Using a scale of 1-10, how would you rate the following:

your health and well-being
your relationships
your work and/or business
your finances
your passions (ex. sports or hobbies)

Reflecting on what made you feel good or bad will make it much easier to avoid your same mistakes, replicate your accomplishments, and develop your good habits.

You can ask yourself:

What worked? What didn't work? What can be improved?

Once you identify the areas in your life that need attention, it’ll be much easier to set goals and focus your energy, time, and resources towards improving them.

Step 2: Set SMART goals.

Setting SMART goals is a goal-setting strategy based on the acronym S.M.A.R.T. which stands for:

S - specific

M - measurable

A - attainable

R - relevant

T - time-bound

Goals need to painstakingly specific.

The clearer and more well-defined your goals are, the easier it is to identify the steps needed to achieve it.

Goals need to be measurable.

You should know when you’ve reached your goals, how much progress you’ve made, or how much more you need to do.

Goals need to be attainable.

Ideally, goals should be challenging enough to move you away from your comfort zone but not to the extent that it’s impossible to accomplish within the time frame you’ve allotted or given the resources you can manage.

Goals need to be relevant.

Disregard the expectations of your relatives and of society, and instead, be honest with what you want to achieve and more importantly, why you want to achieve them.

Goals need to be time-bound.

Whether it’s one week, one month, or one year, deadlines create a sense of urgency and will help eliminate procrastination.

It’s important to note that some people find the SMART goals strategy limiting, outdated, or even boring.

Whichever side of the fence you’re in, setting SMART goals is still useful if you consider what it is and what it is not:

It is a guide, a framework, and one of many strategies out there.

It is not a perfect system nor is it an end-all and be-all answer to goal-setting. No single strategy usually is.

Remember, setting goals isn’t enough. Anyone can do that.

What will set you apart is a well-formed plan to put your goals into action.

Step 3: Break it down.

If you’re like most people, you probably set really high goals because you want the best for yourself.

Don’t worry. This is actually a good thing and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

The problem lies in the plan you set to achieve them.

Since your goals are high, oftentimes the steps required to accomplish them are difficult, are too many, or will take too long.

So instead of doing the hard work, being patient, and developing resilience, many people never achieve their goals and attribute their failures to setting goals that are “too high.”

Is the answer, therefore, to aim for smaller goals?

Definitely not.

The key is to take smaller steps.

Breaking down your goals means dividing them into easy, simple, and manageable pieces that when done consistently, will slowly but surely form the bigger picture.

You can break down your goals by the following:

time frame (ex. set weekly or monthly targets)
frequency (ex. start with twice a week and move up to five times a week), or
progression (ex. start at level 1 and go all the way up to level 10)

This step really depends on your specific goals but keep in mind, the objectives of breaking down goals are to:

not be overwhelmed
sustain motivation
gain momentum
develop discipline
make accomplishing tasks a habit
turn “small wins” into big celebrations

Step 4: Set yourself up for success.

Now that you’ve set your goals for the new year and have an action plan in place, you need to set yourself up for success.

Depending on your goal, this means:

developing good habits
eliminating friction, and
implementing systems.

Here is the breakdown:

Let's take, for example, those of you who want to exercise regularly.

To develop this exercising habit, schedule it at a specific and consistent time of the day (ex. morning), for how long (ex. 30 minutes), and how often (ex. thrice a week).

The key is to make the activity as easy and habitual as possible.

To eliminate friction when it comes to exercising, identify your usual excuses and find ways to prevent yourself from making them over and over again.

For example, if your excuse is you have no time, try waking up earlier (and maybe going to bed earlier) or replacing another activity that isn’t beneficial for you like watching TV or spending too much time on your phone or social media.

Lastly, in order to implement a system around exercising regularly, try laying out your workout clothes the night before, getting a trainer or accountability partner, or even signing up for exercising classes.

Step 5: Always be present.

Do you know how you can truly make the most out of the new year?

It's to make the most out of each day…

all 365 days of it.

More quality time during family vacations; Less checking your laptop for emails

More listening and engaging in conversations; Less checking your phone while doing so

More enjoying the taste of your meals; Less rushing through every bite

More gratitude for your blessings; Less focusing on what you don’t have

More pursuing the things that excite you; Less wasting time on unfulfilling activities

If you commit yourself to mindfulness and being intentional with where you are now, what you’re doing, and who you’re with, you allow yourself to experience the present to the fullest.

Conclusion

It doesn't matter whether it's January 1st or August 31st, or if you make new year's resolutions or not. If you don't like something, you have the power to change it.

It all comes down to today and how you make the most of now.