Try this every day to maintain the momentum toward your goal.
Losing Steam?
Some of us lose steam towards the end of February / early March. Some of us lose steam much before then. The reality is January doesn’t always mean a fresh start.
My philosophy is every day is a new beginning and a fresh start. It’s up to me to make my actions align with that belief.
So, how do I stay motivated? This month I decided to try something new.
Write It Down
I keep track of my accomplishments at work every quarter because they are tied to my performance reviews. However, I haven’t considered writing down my accomplishments in my personal life outside of work.
I am used to writing down my goals or tasks on my to-do list and crossing them off whenever I complete them. This month though, I decided to write down my accomplishments (aka my wins) every week to stay motivated.
Is this something that you do? If not, I encourage you to try this simple way to stay motivated!
The accomplishments you record could be simple or complex — it’s all up to you. An “accomplishment” is whatever you deem successful and a step in the right direction toward your goal.
Be as creative as you want. Write it in a different color. Write it on sticky notes and post them on your mirror, computer, or desk. See these as constant reminders to yourself that you are progressing.
Keep Track
My friends and I always said, “if you didn’t take a picture, did it really happen?” The same applies here. If you didn’t write it down, did it really happen?
I mean, of course, it still happened. But I think the main message is that we don’t want to lose the memory of the moment. We want to be able to look back and say, “oh yeah, I did do that!”
Let’s be honest. A lot of the time, we need something to jog our memories of what happened yesterday. And remembering core moments over months or a year could be difficult if we can’t find the evidence that they happened.
Write down your accomplishments to keep track of the momentum and record evidence of the progression toward your goal.
The To-Do List
One thing I noticed is writing down my accomplishments is different from crossing tasks off of my to-do list. Doing both of these things still helps me be successful.
However, I realized there’s a difference between the two. You may realize the same thing too.
My accomplishments are usually extensions of the tasks on my to-do list. For instance, say I have family visiting and I want to tidy up the house as much as possible. So I have washing the dishes as a task I have on my to-do list. After washing them, I also took the time to clean the entire kitchen.
So I can cross off that task and say I cleaned the kitchen. Cleaning the kitchen is an accomplishment that I can write down. While cleaning the kitchen wasn’t part of the to-do list, I decided to go the extra mile to make progress on my goal.
This is just one example you can apply to any of the different goals you may have. Going the “extra mile” is what an accomplishment can reflect. Not only did you meet the expectations that you set, but you also went above and beyond your expectations.
That’s worth acknowledging.
Now I’m writing down my “wins” on a blue sticky note and posting them in my planner. Doing this makes it easier for me to find, read, and encourage myself.
They’re little inspirational messages to me, from me. They help me be consistent in using my planner as well. It takes small habits to build lasting change.
This is one habit that I plan on sticking with. I haven’t found the cure for procrastination, but this is a good start.
