How to Set Yourself up for Productivity in the New Year
Setting goals, making plans, and following through
So I’ve never been the kind of person to keep to a planner. I buy them every year with ambitions of filling them in and following them, tracking my progress. I buy nice pens and stickers almost like an incentive to myself — if you use this planner you can use these shiny new objects alongside it. It doesn’t help. Keeping a traditional calendar just isn’t for me, even if I really wish that it was.
I’ve also got a lot that I want to get done in 2020. In 2019, I finished my MFA, effectively wrote a book, traveled as extensively as a graduate student budget allowed, learned several new crafts, and worked my way through some personal issues that needed working through. While I’ve lost a bit of momentum since graduation, this year I have ambitions and a plan for productivity. Here are some ways that I set myself up for the best possible chance of success.
1. Make a ‘map’ of your year
Is that too much time? Make it a month, or a semester. Whatever amount of time is tangible to you. I’m setting up my year, but it’s flexible and things can always be added or removed as my ambitions change. I personally like doing this on a large sheet of paper as I’m a “physical writing” kind of person, but if it’s easier to open up Photoshop or Procreate, or some sort of document, that’s fine too.
On this map, we’re going to be putting down our major goals in somewhat of a web formation (think “mind maps”, if that’s an activity that you did in school). The goals can start off as vague as you like, whether it’s to be more fit, travel more, publish a book — whatever it is that interests you at the moment. Write them all down. Remember, this is only for you.
After this, under our “major goals”, write the “minor goals”, or steps, that have to go into them. Do you want to be able to deadlift your body weight by summer? Looks like your minor goals might include signing up for a gym membership, lifting incrementally heavier weights, and taking care of your eating habits. Do you want to get 50 pitched articles published by magazines? Your goals will likely include daily writing, daily emails, and smaller pitch goals (in increments of 5 or 10). Making little lists like this for yourself establishes a reward system. It feels good to cross things off of your list. Think of yourself like a videogame character going on quests.
2. Stop Multitasking
But multitasking is productive! No, stop it. If the Sims 4 has taught me anything, it’s that multitasking causes more problems than it solves. Multitasking allows you to half-ass multiple projects instead of whole-assing one project. While this can be useful when you’re trying to meet university deadlines, when you’re trying to meet personal goals and do your best work, you’re only hindering yourself. I find myself taking much more time to do things when I’m flitting back and forth between projects. I can sit down and commit to one article and finish in about an hour, or I can get distracted with the other things I’m working on and it can take me all day.
I’m guilty of this, so this is New Year advice for me as well. As I’m writing, I’ve already looked up an exercise routine for my gym trip later this afternoon and started up my new publication on a whim. I think it might be part of the millennial mindset to always have to be doing something, allow no downtime in the brain, but not only will multitasking cut down the quality of your work and ruin your productivity, it has the potential to burn you out. Burnout is the enemy of productivity.
3. Don’t give up before you get started
Also guilty. It’s easy to look at something scary, and big, and think it’s way too ambitious for you to conquer. Realistically, some things might be. Not everyone has the time or resources to set aside to throw their life away to be a struggling Hollywood actor, or a full-time traveler, or whatever giant dreams they may have. That said, don’t cut yourself off.
One of the benefits of making the “map” at the beginning of your process is seeing how everything looks when it’s broken down into smaller pieces. Big goals look overwhelming. Do you want to become a full-time YouTuber this year? Well, good luck, but you need to start somewhere. You need to write scripts, and establish a plan for posting and self-marketing. You need to network and research. You need to gather materials, like a camera, potentially a microphone, and some editing software. You need to learn to use them. Trying to conquer all of these things at once seems like too big of a task, and it’s easy to just give up. Take it step by step, and it seems much more accessible.
4. If something isn’t serving you, leave it behind
We all have bad habits that we cling to. I, personally, have a bad sleep schedule. I go to sleep at four and I wake up at eleven feeling cranky and like I wasted most of my precious winter daylight. This is a habit I’m trying to break in the new year, because it isn’t serving me. Look at the habits you’ve been collecting, and see what’s been working for you and what hasn’t. Sometimes it’s easy to latch onto something just because it’s familiar, not because it actually provides any real benefit.
I’m not going to end this with platitudes about how you’re the only thing standing in your way. Life happens, and we all come from different circumstances and encounter different struggles. If you want to set yourself up for the best chance at productivity, though, consider using these suggestions to help you onto that path.
