10 Tips for Having a Happy & Productive Year

I’m not really into that whole “new year, new me” stuff that everyone likes to post about as the new year approaches, as I don’t think you need a specific time or date to make a change in your life. But I do love the positivity and hope that everyone cultivates around this time of year and as the majority of us have entered the brand new year reenergised, I would like to focus on how we can all ensure we get the best out of 2018, so we can look back happily, rather than regretfully, when 2019 comes around.

So how do we go about making this year a productive and happy one? Here are 10 tips that I am implementing this year, which I believe you could benefit from too, if you do the same.

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1. Write down your goals

To begin with, I think it is really important to take the time to physically write down a list of everything you would like to achieve over the course of the next 50 weeks or so. This means that it is out of your head and out into the physical world – the first step in making those goals a reality. I find it useful to break up your goals into different sections too, such as personal goals (whether you want to start a family, get healthier, read more…etc.) and business/career goals (where you would like to see yourself or your business by the end of the year). Even better? Make a vision board!

2. Make a plan

Next, go through each goal on your list and break it down into an easy-to-manage plan – without a plan, your goal will remain just a goal written down on a piece of paper. For example, if you want to write a book this year, make a plan of writing one chapter per week. You can then break this down even further into writing one page a day, or even a paragraph a day. When you set yourself a realistic, manageable deadline, I assure you, you will always tend to go above and beyond it. This amazing TED talk will show you how even the most unrealistic goal can be achieved, if you just break it down into small, manageable chunks.

3. Get to work!

It’s time to stop the excuses! We all saw what a difficult year 2017 was on a global scale, with atrocity after atrocity taking place. What that reinforced, if we didn’t already know, is that tomorrow is not guaranteed to anyone. If you want something, you have to work towards it. Using the plan that you have made, get to work straight away – there is no better time than now.

4. Begin each day with a moment of mindfulness

 Before you reach for your mobile phone in the moments after you wake up, pause for a moment and start your day the right way. Close your eyes and focus on your breath; thank God/the Universe/whatever you believe in for this blessed day and take a moment to tell yourself that the day that lies before you is going to be wonderful. I’ve been doing this for the past year now and believe me when I say it really does help your day flow much more positively and smoothly.

5. Affirm your desires and visualise your dreams coming true

The law of attraction is a real thing – whatever you put out there is what you will receive; whatever you believe you are, you will become. This works both positively and negatively, so always focus on the positive. Tell yourself that you are worthy, wonderful, healthy and wealthy (if that is what is important to you). Close your eyes and for at least 15 seconds a day, visualise yourself living your best life. Affirm that you are living your best life. And then work towards it. Like I said, whatever you put out there will always come back around to you. I love these affirmations by WeAreCreators and listen to them regularly, while I close my eyes to fall asleep.

6. Show gratitude

 There is so much that we take for granted in our everyday lives, so much so, that sometimes we lose focus and drift off course, becoming demotivated and depressed. Meditation, prayer and even keeping a gratitude journal (where you write down things that you are grateful for in your life every single day) can keep you humble, positive, happy and focussed.

7. Give

 As they say, the more you give, the more you shall receive and there has never been a truer word said. If you can’t give anything else, give your time, your energy and your smile to other human beings. Put yourself in the mindset of abundance, rather than scarcity and you will find yourself naturally giving more to the people around you. There is nothing more wonderful than spreading joy.

8. Take time out for yourself

Take time for self-care at least once a week – in doing this, I mean taking the time to treat yourself. This could be something as simple as running yourself a hot bath, going on a long walk alone, watching a movie that you love or buying yourself that thing that you keep walking past in the shop window. Self-care is vital to how focussed and productive you will be.

9. Don’t compare yourself to anyone else

 In this digital age of social media where everyone is thrusting their ‘perfect’ lives in one another’s face, it can become all too easy to become envious and self-judgemental. Forget all of that and focus on YOU. You are unique; you are on your own path and only you can do you. So do YOU well and don’t worry about anyone else.

10. Live fearlessly

Take time to realise what your fears are and then figure out how you are going to conquer them. There is a whole new world waiting for you beyond the borders of fear but it is you that must take the first step. Life is to be lived, so live fearlessly – you have nothing to lose.

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So there we have it! I hope and pray we are all able to make the changes we so desire in our lives right here and right now to build a better future not just for ourselves, but also for the world that we live in. Leave a comment below if there is something different you are adopting this year and I wish you a happy and productive 2018!