Having goals is good. Many advice that people should have clear goals. I do have some at the beginning of each year. Things like "I wish, I will, …". I promised to myself to do this, do that. But soon enough, I forgot most of them. Time goes by very fast. At the end of the year, I realized that nothing had changed. Another cycle starts with the next year.

Of course, I accomplished some. And I still set goals for every year. It is a good practice. However, I realized some problems with setting goals—the emotion. I felt excited, determined at that moment. That excitement faded quickly—end of January at max. And the mind started to do his best job—finds good excuses for not doing anything related to your goal, it keeps you where you are. Sometimes regrets came at the end of the year.

It is an endless loop—promise – regret – promise. I realized there is another way—routine, habit. Developing good routines/habits is the key.

What I want does not matter much. What I’ve done matters most. I had goals, but I still kept the same routines—did the same thing everyday. How could I expect different outcome? Maybe that is the definition of stupid.

People are afraid of changing. They just do not realize that.

This year, 2020, I decided to build new routines/habits. They must be

1. Small and easy
2. The good ones that support my bigger goals
3. Supporting me to become a better of me

I’ve started some since October 2019. Here is my list

Instead of wishing healthier

I commit to do 100 push-ups everyday. Some day I missed, but that was ok. I do not have to do it at once. I do 50 after I get up in the morning. The rest is in the afternoon.

I commit to do 50 sit-ups every morning—after 50 push-ups. While resting between 2 exercises, I prepare my coffee.

Push-up, sit-up, and making coffee cost me just 15 minutes. A very good use of my time!

I commit to run on treadmill for 1 hour, 3 times a week. It was hard at first. But after a month, I felt comfortable, sometimes not, with the time on the treadmill—It was hard to discipline in a boring treadmill for 1 hour. Some weeks I missed 1 or 2 sessions. That was ok. I did not consider a failure or breaking the rule. As far as I do not quit, it is going to be fine.

Instead of wishing well-organized

I commit to plan my day early in the morning—after the exercises. I simply write down what I want to do in that day—use Microsoft To-Do app. I like the My Day feature—allows me to jot down what I want to do without thinking too much about categorization, prioritization. After 2 months of practice, I started to feel it as part of my daily routine. It is a small routine, cost me 5 minutes.

Instead of saying I will focus

I apply the Pomodoro technique—working in a block of 25 minutes uninterrupted. I did not believe at first when I knew it 5 years ago. However, I decided to commit to it since last month. I am glad I did try it. Over the time, It gives me the confident that I can deliver something if I focus on it for 25 minutes. After that period I can stretch my body, take a breathe and then start another 25 minutes. If you want to make a change, try it. Do not question whether it works or not. Just do it.

 

Those are just a few that I have started. After 2 months, I can sense changes—in a good way.