Continue reading “Merry Christmas 2017”

Well, this weekend was a biggie, newest Star Wars came out (no spoilers here). Simple answer is I liked it….’nuf said.

So, we’re getting to the end of the year and the holidays are upon us. When this happens, I like to look at my list for things I wanted to accomplish. If you don’t make lists I really REALLY suggest you should. Studies have shown that simply by writing down your goals or items that need doing, you are increasing your odds greatly in completing them. Seems too simple and easy, right? You’d be surprised by how many people don’t. Everyone talks about things they want to do, this year is going to be different, and blah blah blah.

When you write something down, it becomes tangible. It now exists in some form outside of your own consciousness. There are now stakes. The best thing to do after you do write your list is to share it with someone, because now somebody else knows you are trying to do something.

Now there are different types of lists. You have your daily to-do lists and your life type goals lists. Both are important for different reasons. One makes you more productive in your day and the other can set dreams in motion.

For daily goals, I have a bunch of used recycled paper that I cut up into quarter squares. I used these for doing random thumbnails and to make daily goal lists. I like this better than using some digital notepads on my phone or tablet (although I will use those to jot down info for later). There is something about the tactile-ness of writing these lists and the release of endorphins when cross off an item as completed. I consider a day very effective if I achieve 3/4 of my to-do list. Now this may not sound impressive but I continually add things to my daily lists.

Now the Life Goal lists, these are bigger and can take longer. For these I will use digital tools. Usually Google drive word/excel sheets, because I want these handy whether I’m home, at work or on the road. I draw up goals for my career/art, personal, and financial. This list is great because it allows for your to introspective.

“Am I happy with my current job or position?”

“How much money do I want to save this year?”

“What skill can I increase this year?”

“Where do I want to travel this year? How often will I travel?”

For larger ideas, you may need to break them down into smaller pieces.

What’s great about these larger goals, you can setup timelines. They could be weeks, months or years in making them a reality. You can setup calendar reminders to keep you on course. So, if you haven’t try giving this a go. Take a few moments today and think about it, the big and the small. Prepare yourself so that when the end of year comes upon us you can have a new list of items to check off your list for the coming 2018.