How to set your life straight
I meant to write this article in the beginning of the year.
But now that the year has begun, I hope that everyone (if possible) is setting their s#!t straight so that they can enjoy 2020 and make it an amazing year!
I distilled in this article what I believe are the first steps that one needs to take in order to be productive, efficient and well-organised in order to pursuit great goals!
Why would anyone want that?
Because it will make life more simple and fun, having cleared out the clutter and minimising the daily noise. Pursuing dreams and taking on challenges takes up energy and requires some strategic planning. You need to focus on that, not on avoiding to check your bank balance or trying to remember if you have any clean shirts for tomorrow’s meeting.
So these are my tips:
Clean your room!
Would you watch a TV channel that you dislike?
Would you keep up-to-date with a YouTuber whose guts you hate?
Of course not.
You (hopefully) watch media that you like and that inspires you and gives you a useful fresh perspective on whatever subject you were interested. Or anyway, something that piques your interest.
Why would your room be any different? It isn’t!
I asked other people as well, and everyone I asked had replied that they can’t get work done unless their desk is clean. I can confirm that is how I also feel. And believe me, I have tried numerous times and if it’s not clean then my work is not enjoyable. And if my work is not enjoyable… I’m not doing it!
I used to clutter my room with documents and notebooks and papers, and my clipboard used to be always packed with papers. No bueno!
And anyway, your room has to be your most comfortable place in the world. It’s not called “your room” because you own it, it’s called “your room” because it’s your lair!
Why do some buildings look lush and beautiful, and others look like they’re waiting to collapse? Apart from the functionality of it (being safe and warm) people have been developing the aesthetics of buildings (exteriors and interiors) since forever! Since old castles and churches and cottages and farmhouses…
So, if your room is like your temple, does it look like one?
is it nice and clean? Does it have colours that you like? Are the desks and surfaces tidy? Is your stuff organised? Are your clothes not all around the place?
What your room looks like is going to dictate your activities and output. What your room looks like is going to dictate your future.
If sometimes you just feel like escaping, and you sleepover at a friend’s place, or you stay out late just because you don’t want to get home and escape your daily routine, that’s ok. But your home is your Headquarters. It should be the place you feel most at ease, so make it be like that!
Until you do this, nothing else is going to work. I’m sorry to say that. Maybe for you it’s different but as I see it, how well organised your room is is the base upon any other indoor activity leans upon. Look at the good side: with some tweaks your productivity can skyrocket! 🚀
Some high-performing people like Bill Gates, for example, have all their clothes ready for the day, so they don’t have to waste time on choosing clothes. I, personally, enjoy choosing what I wear, so I wouldn’t go that far with that. But I do go full OCD with other aspects, like the order in which clothes are placed in my wardrobe. or the place I keep sticky notes. Each person is different and has different preferences. The important thing is to use yours in your advantage and not to your loss. Nobody enjoys getting annoyed or stressed out because they can’t find their keys.
Track your financials
Most people cringe when they think about checking their bank balance. Also, there are people who know they are on their last £10 and they’re budgeting for food for the week. If you don’t take care of your money, your money is gonna go away. There is nothing easier than spending recklessly.
However, if you ever saved money for a bycicle or a pair of fancy shoes, you understand the beneficial power of budgeting. As Rome has not been built in a day, it needed planning, funding and resource management. Anything does!
Any project, venture, trip… Anything requires you to put some effort and time into it and be persistent in working toward it. Some goals are easier than others. It’s good to go for small wins in the beginning, so that you get a taste of the “fruits of your labor”. Remember how people say that it is important to be responsible! This is the reason why: so that you learn how to get anything you want.
And even if you have unhealthy spending habits, you cannot solve them unless you become aware of them.
I started keeping my own financial statements, and I can vouch that I have never felt this calm and confident about my money. And the best thing is that if my spending is “healthy”, then I can definitely afford a nice treat from time to time, or even better, put money aside for something bigger.
Otherwise, without keeping an eye out for possibilities, I would never invest in anything new. The most “unhealthy” type of spending is not spending money investing in yourself.
When I look at my Financial Statements ®, I basically see a track record of where I’ve been and what I have been doing. The numbers tell I story, and I and only I alone can decypher and understand that story. Because I lived it. It may not be an interesting story (at times), but it is my story, and by keeping an overview of it I can make it an interesting story. That is, a story I am interested seeing become reality.
I can’t stress enough that this visual, that only a financial statement can offer, is not a superpower. It’s supposed to be normal to keep an eye on your money (and other assets) and it’s supposed to come natural! It’s not easy, but after you start doing the right thing and keep your own accounting, you can feel at ease and make significant choices for your life. That is the moment you truly become accountable.
And if you set proper goals, attainable goals, then you basically draw a map of where you are and where you are going. Your path becomes clearer and clearer. Until it becomes reality. The path won’t create itself, and it will definitely not call on you to follow it. You have to work on it! And it starts with the ominous task of accounting. Trust me, after you start doing it, you’ll wonder why you didn’t do it long before.
Plan, plan, plan!
It is February. It’s still the beginning of the year. It’s still cold (and lately quite stormy) outside. It’s the best time to plan and decide on what you want to pursue this year. And you have enough time to prepare.
When pursuing your goals, and doing your “thang”, it’s better to keep focused on it and know where your aiming at. Changes of plans in the middle of the grind are tiring and sometimes even stressful. It’s more pleasant to relax, set your direction and enjoy the ride. Some things work out, and some require you to pivot. Things usually don’t work out on the first try. And giving up at the first sign of hardship and starting from 0 all over again continuously will not get you very far. Make a plan and stick to it. And adjust it according to the unforeseeable events that life presents you with.
I invented a game. It goes like this: You take a friend and pretend that it’s December 2020, the end of the year. Now, you have to explain to you friend what you have done this year and how it went. Ofcourse, you’re not going to foresee the future up to every minute detail. But it puts thing into perspective!
You might get surprised on how hazy and unclear your vision for the year is. You might even invent goals, just for the sake that you know they should be there. That’s ok, you can change them later, but you need goals! They get you closer to you ultimate vision. The point of it is not make one huge leap to Utopialand, the point is to get closer. And this game is meant to push you into drawing a clearer picture! At the end, you return to February 2020 (or whatever month you’re in now) and get to work! ;)
Recap
- Prepare your work area. Working needs to come easy, you gotta get comfortable, it’s something you will be doing every day, whatever it is!
- Track your financials. No vehicle can travel very far if it runs out of fuel. Make sure yours is budgeted for and taken care of!
- Plan the year away, and live through your goals. Nobody else is going to do this for you (and couldn’t do a better job than you can). If you’re not having a good time, you’re wasting your time.
Good luck !! 🚀
