Setting myself up for success every day
Over the past year or two, my procrastination tendencies have gone off the roof. As a result, I noticed I have become anxious and stressed about all the things I need to do. I talked about it a lot in my previous posts (See: 1,2,3).
I've read a lot of resources and one common theme was to develop habits that set you up for success. I guess I already have some in place, but I thought I'd officially list them all so I have a record and have something to read through whenever I get overwhelmed.
I think it's worth noting that the 'success' I'm talking about here is merely accomplishing my most important task of the day and making good use of my time. That's it.
Janell's Habits for Daily Success
- Simplify everything! Most especially in planning tasks. In fact, just set the most important one for the day and do everything in your power to do it.
- Consume only food and media that will contribute to a healthy mind, body, and soul.
- At the end of each day, write these 2 things: 1. The one thing you're grateful for today, 2. The most important thing to do tomorrow in verb + metric (+ output) format (e.g., write 1 paragraph in Background Section in the thesis manuscript)
- Prepare your clothes for the next day the night before.
- Leave your phone in the other room during Deep Work Hours (8:00AM-2:00PM)
- Fold up your bed so you won't be tempted to sleep midday. 20-minute power naps are ok!
I intend to revisit this to try to see which habits were most effective.