A Disenchanted New Year

The new year is approaching with it’s luxurious promises of change and transformation. Everyone is going to become healthy, wealthy, wiser and better than they have ever been before, because this new year is unlike any other. It’s a familiar jingle. But I’ve personally grown a little disenchanted with it. What I’m trying to do is get into changing my everyday habits so that I can trick myself into believing that I’m lazy and mundane, then accidentally write 1000 pages this year because of it.

How to Avoid This

Let’s break this down further into its moving parts. I’m going to first show you the list of habits I’d like to start and keep up with over the coming year, then we’ll move on to how I can make these habits sustainable with a little bit of research behind habits. After that I’ll break this down into an easy to apply cheat sheet to help make your 2022 productive, and then say my goodbyes and wish you a good year.

My Specific Habits

• no goals- Just habits
• I want to write and read everyday
• I want to apply for jobs every week
• I want to work towards getting a cat with my girl friend every month
• I want to make 2 full projects every month
  
  

Why this will work

Well… Systems work better than goals?

“A system is a set of principles or procedures according to which something is done; an organized framework or method.” – Dictionary.com (I swear, look it up)

I think it’s more specifically about having a procedural element to principled living. So instead of saying I’m going to go do the dishes, make the procedure where going to do the dishes is easier than not. My coffee doesn’t made until the sink is clear, and it’s made a really huge difference! Now I feel like a cleaner person, and its from that procedural element.

Clarity is better then will power.

“many people think they lack motivation when what they really lack is clarity. It is not always obvious when and where to take action”

– James Clear, from page 71 of Atomic habits

Vagueness really is the ultimate killer of progress. How can someone progress if they don’t know what they are moving towards? How can someone do something if they don’t plan or have a time when it will be done? How can someone be a different person if they have no idea what that new person does differently? It’s all vague, and it’s all frustrating.

So toss out vagueness when you can. Write a simple sentence and give actions start times and places. Give new identities things to do. Do some research and figure out how to get rid of the amorphous blob vague monster in your closet. Give this sentence a quick jot, and you’ll be way better off.

Cheat Sheet

instead of Goals this year, create small habits to start and treat those like the new goals.

Goal: Read more → Habit: read a page every morning before work (probably on the couch)

Goal: Get fit → Habit: Go for short walks, try to add a block on to each month.

Cheat: Don’t be a thing, do verb at place at time.

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Thanks for giving this a read. I appreciate your time tremendously, and hope you have a wonderful, safe, and happy new year!