Not Yet Another New Year Resolution...

The pressure of the New Year: great health, smashing career, more savings, more trips, more fun…

Usually, each commitment lasts for about 3 months (I wonder why), which is still longer than the times you have visited the gym.

I have struggled with time management in 2023 - not blaming the hyperactive toddler or any other external factors. It was a pure lack of discipline and self-motivation. It is pretty normal for these two phenomena to happen from time to time, ups and downs, ebbs and flows. A list of resolutions won’t do the same magic as exploring what works well (a nod to the 80/20 rule), what can excite you for the long run, and what you would really enjoy while finding your way!

Here are some practices that helped a busy mom start 2024 on the right foot:

1) Stable Health is an inner job - food, supplements, appreciation for the daily efforts, starting to like your body again, exercises, and energizing activities, loads and loads of trials, and some tears while you find your own pace. Your mind needs regular breaks, maybe check Calm or Day One for a New Year discount. That advice for the 8h sleep doesn’t really work on parents, so how about power naps for 15 mins while listening to a rainforest? Made a big difference for my mood and energy.

2) FOMO is real but so is JOMO - I have literally signed up for over 85 events in 2023!! Have 21 new bookmarked pages, 14 recordings to watch, and around 16 tabs open on my browser 🤯

Along with all the other things I either want or have to do because “the world is advancing and so should I”. Wrong. The Joy of Missing Out comes when you Schedule your Priorities, not when you Prioritize your Schedule (one of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People which I found pretty inspiring after listening to the review on Headway). I am not setting the ambitious goal of reading 52 books every year - I am curious and eager, however, my way to learn is through podcasts, audio reviews, taking notes and enjoying productive spikes on a Sunday evening. I signed up for 1 course for 2024, will prioritize 1 key business and 1 personal goal, and THAT IS IT.
Ultimately, I don’t want to compare myself to others, as they don’t have my brain, my preferences, or my lifestyle.

3) The Work-Life Integration might be just what you need to find your ikigai - I know what I am good at and what I am not good at. Not all of us have the same self-awareness and that is ok. When I first heard about the ideas of “learning something new every day” and “learn to unlearn” I really thought they are all about intentionality, i.e. putting a conscious effort to structure/unstructure your learning curve. Actually, I discovered it is much more related to adapting your prism and seeing how much you actually learn on a daily basis. Few examples: project management (household plans, expenses and activities); listening and adapting my communication style (to someone who has not paid to learn from me); efficiency and effectiveness in terms of achieving short and mid-term goals (hoovering while steaming carrots and emptying the bin just in time for the family dinner). It might sound funny, but separating skills in different “WORK” and “LIFE” columns does not make sense anymore.

And if anyone is wondering - no, this blog post was not written by AI.