Eliminating distractions is important and difficult. One of the hardest parts of starting a new project is getting in the zone. We all have distractions that prevent us from focusing on the task at hand. This makes it hard to get anything done. We’re going to show you how to increase productivity by eliminating distractions and staying focused.
Eliminating distractions: Turn off notifications on your devices
Turn off notifications on your devices. You don’t need to know every time someone likes your Instagram post or retweets your tweet.
Turn off the ringer on your phone so you’re not interrupted by incoming calls or messages. When people call or text, they assume you’re free to talk to them at any time. When they don’t hear back from you right away, they’ll be more likely to leave a voicemail or text message than call again. And you’ll save battery life!
Eliminating distractions: Block distracting websites with a website blocker app or browser extension
Use a website blocker app or browser extension. You can block distracting websites with a website blocker app or browser extensions such as Freedom (for Macs) or SelfControl for Macs or PCs. These apps and extensions will prevent you from visiting specific websites for as long as you choose — up to 24 hours. If you try to visit the site while it’s blocked, you’ll be greeted with an error message that prevents further access until the time period is over.
Eliminating distractions: Don’t open multiple tabs at once
Don’t open multiple tabs at once. When you open several tabs in your browser, it’s easy to lose track of what you were doing or what page you were on. Keep track of what you have open by using one tab at a time. Close all other tabs except for the one where you are working. It will help keep you focused on what needs to get done right now and prevent distractions from popping up while you’re trying to work on something else.
Or, utilize the tab grouping feature in Chrome or Safari:
Eliminating distractions: Don’t multitask and get organized
Don’t multitask: Multitasking is a myth. When you try to do two things at once, you actually focus on neither. Instead, take the time to complete one task before moving on to the next.
Get organized: This can mean different things for different people, but if you aren’t sure where to start, try creating an inbox of all your emails and tasks. Create folders or labels for each project, then file away any emails that don’t need immediate attention away into those folders or labels so they don’t clutter up your inbox anymore. Make sure you have a notebook or planner where you can write down ideas or tasks as they come up throughout the day so they don’t get lost in the shuffle either!
Eliminating distractions: Use a writing system to take notes and make to-do lists
Use a writing system to take notes and make to-do lists. In Paperless Way, I recommend using a writing system like Bullet Journaling or Getting Things Done (GTD). These systems help organize your thoughts and ideas so that you can focus on the task at hand.
Eliminating distractions: Take breaks regularly and reward yourself for staying focused
Take breaks regularly and reward yourself for staying focused. Breaks are important because they give your brain time to rest and recharge. Taking a break will help you avoid burnout and increase your overall productivity throughout the day.
For example, if you have a meeting scheduled for 2 p.m., take a 15-minute walk around the office or do something fun that helps you relax before returning to work. Reward yourself with a treat or special activity after you’ve worked for two hours straight.
Takeaway: Stay focused on the task at hand by using these tips to eliminate distractions.
You may have wondered, how can setting goals help you in the long term? I use goal-setting methods for my own life in every setting. It allows me to have my goals in front of me throughout the year, so I can see what steps I need to take next, and provides an outline to follow if I change my goals.
Goal setting also allows me to reexamine what I am doing and make changes if something isn’t working. The year is long enough to get a lot of things done, so let’s look at some ways you can use goal setting throughout the year and beyond!
Clarifying what you want brings clarity to your life
How can setting goals help you in the long term when it comes to gaining clarity?
This is the first step in setting goals. It is a process of defining, refining and prioritizing what you want. This clarification process can be done alone or with a friend or coach. It is important that you are honest and objective with yourself during this process, as it will help you achieve the results that you desire.
The second step is setting specific, measurable, achievable and timely goals. These goals should be tied to your vision statement and be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic (and) Time-bound.
The third step is creating an action plan that includes steps to achieve each goal with dates/time frames for completion. For example: “By March 1st I will have successfully completed my first fitness test at boot camp (specific).”
Goals help you to find purpose and meaning in your work and life
How can setting goals help you in the long term when it comes to finding purpose and meaning?
When people talk about goals, they often think of them in terms of productivity and achievement. But there’s another way to think about them: as a way to find direction and purpose in life. This is especially true for people who feel that their work is meaningless or unfulfilling.
Goals can help you find purpose and meaning in your work and life because they make it easier for you to understand what success means to you. Once you know what success looks like, then it becomes easier to make decisions about how you spend your time and effort.
This doesn’t mean that everyone should set goals — sometimes it’s better not to have any particular destination in mind when doing something. But if it works for you, then setting goals can be an important tool for finding fulfillment in your work
You’ll challenge yourself to grow as you pursue goals
How can setting goals help you in the long term and help you grow?
Setting goals is one of the most powerful tools we have to shape our lives and make them more meaningful. They can help us reach our full potential, achieve greater success, and feel more fulfilled in our lives.
When you set goals, you’re telling yourself that “this is what I want.” And by doing so, you’re giving yourself permission to move towards it. You’re giving yourself permission to take action on what matters most to you in life.
But if you don’t know where you’re going, how will anyone else?
Setting goals leads to more success
Have you ever wondered why some people seem to accomplish more than others? It’s not because they’re smarter, have more money or are better at hiding their flaws.
The answer lies in their approach to life. They have a habit of setting goals and achieving them.
Setting goals is one of the most important habits you can develop if you want to succeed in any area of life, whether it’s career, health or finances.
Having a specific goal helps you focus on what matters most, instead of getting overwhelmed by all the things that you could be doing.
How can setting goals help you in the long term when it comes to motivation?
Setting goals is a great way to stay motivated. Progressing towards a goal provides a sense of accomplishment, and it shows you what areas of your life need improvement. If you set a goal that is too big and hard to reach, it can actually be counterproductive because it will just cause you to feel overwhelmed. It’s important to set realistic goals that you can achieve with time and effort. You should also set short-term goals so that you have something to work towards in the short run as well as long-term ones for the future.
So, how can setting goals help you in the long term?
If you want to achieve something in life, setting goals and working towards them is the first step. If you really want something bad enough, go after it. Don’t give up easily. Be hard-working and diligent, but most of all, do the research and don’t be afraid to ask for help. And maintain this mindset because your goals will change over time.
Setting reasonable goals and working towards them can help you stay motivated and see your long-term vision in a clearer, more structured light. Setting goals forces you to be organized, systematic, and analytical in a way that isn’t always natural—but it’s also worth the effort.
Setting realistic goals: When most people think about goals, they think about vision boards and long-term objectives. It’s not a bad idea to have those things, but you also want to be realistic and set goals which are measurable. And often times, this means breaking it down into smaller goals and shorter timelines.
Focus on how you can connect with goals that are meaningful to you
The best way to set goals is to focus on the process of reaching them, not just the end result.
Most people set goals like this: “I want to lose weight.” But that’s a goal that may only ever be partially achieved. You’ll lose some weight, but it may not be all you want it to be. And once you’re at your desired weight, what will you do then?
Instead, it’s better to focus on how you can connect with your goal. For example, here are two different ways of thinking about losing weight:
“I want to feel more energetic and healthy.” This is a goal that can be achieved by eating well and exercising regularly — no matter what size or shape you are. It’s something that will sustain itself over time because it’s not dependent on a certain number on the scale or an outfit fitting better in the closet (which are both external factors).
In order to go about setting realistic goals that matter and are achievable, it’s important to focus on what you can realistically achieve in the next three to six months. Here are some examples:
Ask for a raise at work
Improve your health by exercising more and eating better
End with a plan for how you’ll get from where you are now to where you want to be
The process of goal-setting looks easy, but it’s not always easy to know how to develop a plan for setting realistic goals and achieving them. Here are some tips for developing your plan:
Break down each step into smaller tasks. For example, if one of your goals is to run a marathon by the end of 2022, what steps do you need to take? You might break this down into weekly training sessions and then monthly long runs so that there are milestones along the way.
Figure out how much time you need for each task on the path toward achieving your goal. If it takes two hours per week (and let’s say we’re talking about studying) then twelve weeks before test day equals twenty-four hours total—that’s enough time!
It may seem like a lot at first glance but once you’ve broken down everything else into smaller chunks and scheduled them out throughout the year (or even just over three months), suddenly committing twenty-four hours isn’t so daunting anymore! In fact it may actually be easier than breaking open a new book now would feel like because those twenty four hours are already accounted for in advance thanks to our earlier planning efforts.
Now that you know how to set goals, let’s take a look at some of the many ways that goal setting can help you achieve your dreams.
It helps us to remember our goals and find ways to achieve them.
It helps us visualize our goals.
It helps us set priorities for achieving each goal.
It measures our progress toward achieving each goal using tangible measurements like numbers or percentages instead of just feelings alone!
Look at your situation honestly, not naively or selectively
Every year I set goals for myself. I am pretty good at it too, but what I learned is that if you don’t set the right goals, or if you set a goal that’s not in line with your values and the things that mean most to you in life, then there is no real motivation to do anything about them.
I tend to make lists of things I would like to achieve during the year and then break them down into smaller steps so they are more manageable. And then when I look at these steps, they should all be aligned with my values and what matters most to me.
For example, if one of my main values is family time and spending quality time together as a family unit, then any goal that supports this would be considered a higher priority than something else (like booking flights for holidays).
The same goes for other areas of life such as health or finances – if there’s something on your list that doesn’t support your health or financial goals then it’s probably not worth doing anyway!
Setting realistic goals allows you to consider the realities of your life while still dreaming big
For example, going back to running a marathon, it’s realistic to also set goals around training and diet. You may decide to run five miles every day for three months, or eat healthier foods at every meal.
You can also be realistic about the amount of time it will take for your goal to be realized. If you plan on running a marathon in three months, it’s more realistic to set intermediate goals along the way—for example, running two miles per day for one week—and then celebrate even small successes along the way!
Setting realistic goals allows you to see how far away your dream feels when compared with where you are now and how much work needs to be done before it becomes reality.
Setting realistic goals for yourself
At the end of the day, regardless of whether your goal is big or small, it’s important to remain realistic in your expectations and to ensure that you are meeting that goal. Reaching your ultimate goal can be a tough challenge, which is why you should always set smaller goals along the way. Smaller goals may not always seem as impressive as some larger goals, but they help you with achieving the big-picture vision.
I’ve thought about this fundamental question for a long time: how many email accounts should I have? For years, I used alternate email accounts to meet my business or personal needs. If you’re trying to decide if this tactic suits you, I will share some things to consider.
You can have as many email addresses as you like. But, if you’re not careful, it might be a lot harder than it sounds to manage them all.
It’s worth having at least one personal account and one business account. It’s also possible to have more than that but keep in mind that managing multiple accounts is a challenge. So, a sound organizational system is vital.
One email account is likely necessary, but there are benefits to having more than one
Multiple accounts make it easier to organize the chaos of our lives by separating work and personal tasks. Suppose something comes up at work that needs immediate attention. In that case, you may only be able to deal with it later in the evening. It’s easy enough to flag it as unread so that it doesn’t interfere with your free time — or vice versa.
I have a personal email account for connecting with friends and family and professional connections. Then, I have another email account I use for my blogging and content marketing ideas. It keeps everything separate, so I don’t have to filter into one account.
It is useful to have a personal email account and a separate professional account
Having a personal email account and a separate professional account is useful. This is particularly true if you’re in the media or journalism, where it can be beneficial to have an anonymous account that doesn’t reveal your identity.
It’s also important to consider how many people will access your emails. If you’re in charge of a team, it might make sense for each person on that team to have their own email address. It makes communication easier if they all have their address book. Having multiple accounts can feel like overkill if you’re working remotely and are the only one on the team.
Having a separate account for personal use can help keep your work life from spilling over into your home life, which is good for both productivity and sanity.
There’s no correct answer here — think about what makes sense for your situation and go with it!
You may also want a backup email account
A good backup account isn’t associated with any of your personal information. You may wish to have one though that does help you with personal information if you get locked out. This is something to think about when you are asking the question, how many email accounts should I have?
If you don’t have a backup email account, there are some things to consider. First, getting back into your main account is easier if you lose your password and need to know the answers to your security questions. You should keep a backup email account in case this happens.
The second reason is that you might want to reset your password or change your password settings to be more secure than before. If you have a secondary email address, you can use this as a temporary solution until you can change the settings on your main account.
If you have multiple accounts, it’s also essential that these are different from each other. That way, if someone gets access to one account, they don’t have access to all of them.
If you use different accounts for different purposes, you can keep your life in order
Another thought how many email accounts should I have? One for each major project or hobby. If you’ve got several different projects at once — or if you’re just really into gardening or photography — then having one email address that includes everything can quickly get messy.
Having separate accounts for each project helps keep things organized and allows you to filter out irrelevant messages without completely ignoring them (or losing track of them).
So how many email account should I have?
Having two or three email accounts for different purposes can help you stay organized in your digital life.
Ultimately, it comes down to the types of emails you want to receive. Some people, like those in marketing and advertising, may want more than one account. Other people might only need one. Ultimately, how many email accounts you have depends on what type of information you want and how much you’re willing to wade through each day. If a mass amounts of different accounts are your thing, then go for it, but if not, a single one will suffice.
Finding deep work time can be a struggle for many of us.
On one of my favorite podcasts, Hidden Brain, a recent episode discussed how we are constantly distracted. And these constant distractions negatively impact our ability to engage in deep work.
I actually wrote another blog post inspired by an earlier interview from a different podcast (The Next Big Idea) with Cal Newport. In that interview, they specifically focused on the distractions of email and its importance on deep work.
According to computer scientist, Cal Newport, “Deep Work” is a skill worth cultivating because very few people are doing it anymore. Deep work is what allows us to engage with our creative side and truly immerse ourselves in a project or activity. When we are constantly checking phones, responding to emails, or social media notifications, we cannot focus on tasks that take more brainpower.
I think this is why sites like focusmate have become popular.
So what are some things we can do to engage in more deep work?
Cal Newport says that deep work is a skill that will become more and more valuable by the day. This is especially true for those in the creative industry where ideas are your currency.
To achieve deep work you need to have a long stretch of time that’s free of distractions and obligations. The first step to reclaiming this time is to schedule it into your calendar just like any other meeting or appointment. Make sure you schedule this time at least a few days in advance so it doesn’t get bumped.
Once you’ve scheduled your deep work time, you’ll need to make sure you protect it by setting ground rules with yourself and others. These rules should be simple and actionable and help you avoid distractions during this time.
Some good rules might include not checking email or social media during your deep work session. Or, not responding to texts or calls unless they’re from an emergency contact. Whatever works best for you!
Let people know you’re unavailable during those hours
To reclaim deep work time, you need to let people know that you’ll be unavailable. This can be difficult for some people, especially if you’re a natural people-pleaser. You might worry about what it will look like if you turn down an invite to lunch or don’t immediately reply to emails. But the fact of the matter is that your work is more important than any of those things.
When someone asks me to do something during my deep work hours and I have to turn them down, I explain why I’m doing so. I say something like this: “I’m unavailable from 8 a.m. – noon on Friday mornings because those are my deep work hours. If the request can wait until the afternoon on Friday, I’d love to help out. Otherwise, would another day/time be better?” This way they understand what’s happening and they know they can reach out again later or at another time if they need me.
The key is to never apologize for your deep work time with phrases like “Sorry I didn’t respond earlier” or “Sorry I couldn’t make it.” These phrases make it sound like you’re apologizing for being unavailable. In reality, you’re apologizing for not answering their request right away—a totally different thing!
Put boundaries on your work environment
Many people have trouble staying focused on the task at hand. They get distracted by emails, phone calls, and other notifications.
The problem is that our brains are hardwired to seek out new information and experiences. This is especially true when we’re bored. This tendency is strong enough that it can even lead to anxiety if you don’t give your brain something to do.
But how can you focus on your work when so many distractions are trying to pull you away?
Put boundaries on your work environment. If you work from home or in an open-office plan, you may find it difficult to concentrate on your tasks because of interruptions from colleagues or neighbors. To block out distractions, close off parts of your home or office with a “do not disturb” sign. You can even use curtains or headphones while at home. You can also try using an app like Freedom or Self Control that blocks websites for a set amount of time (for example, 30 minutes).
Create an environment that promotes deep thinking. In order to get into a state of flow where deep thinking happens naturally, it’s important to create a physical space conducive to getting lost in thought.
Turn off all electronics and distractions
A few years ago, I was at my desk working on a particularly difficult problem. But, in the background, I had my email browser up and a notification popped through.
I realized that this was not the first time this had happened. Once I answered one email another would inevitably come through that needed my attention. So, to truly engage in deep work, email cannot be easily accessible.
The solution is simple: Turn off all electronics and distractions when you need to focus on deep work. This means turning off your phone (or switching it to airplane mode), putting away your laptop, and closing your browser tabs — everything except what you need to do your work uninterruptedly for the amount of time you’ve scheduled.
Takeaway: Show yourself you value your deep work time by creating strategies to maximize your focus!
You’ve just started a blog and are wondering how to optimize your blog for search engines. You’re in luck because this post covers some of the most important strategies you can use to optimize your blog for search engines.
Optimize your blog for search engines using these simple steps
1. Keyword Research
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of making your website more visible and accessible to search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo. Search engine optimization techniques are ways to improve your website’s ranking in search results so that more people can find your site. Keyword research is a part of SEO and allows you to identify what people search for on Google, Yahoo, etc.
You can then use this information to help optimize your web pages to rank higher in searches. Keyword research is important because it gives you insight into what people are looking for and how you can make your content more relevant to their interests.
Keyword research starts with analyzing the keyword landscape that surrounds your industry. For example, if you are a blogger who writes about business and marketing topics, you would want to see what words and phrases other popular blogs in the same space use in their titles and URLs.
You would then want to see if it makes sense for your blog’s title or URL to be different from the norm or if it makes sense for you to include something that is commonly used by your competitors. Once you have completed this step, it is time to actually conduct some keyword research.
Searching for a good tool to do keyword research? Check out Google Ads keyword planner or Answer the Public.
2. Ask Readers for Feedback
One of the best ways to improve your blog is to ask readers for feedback. You can do this in a variety of ways. The most common method is to ask them directly at the end of each post. Simply write something like “Do you have any comments or questions?” and ask people to leave their thoughts in the comments section. (So yeah, go for it here!)
You should also consider setting up a form on your website where readers can contact you directly. This could be as simple as a contact page with an email address, or something more complex like a comprehensive contact form that lets users select different categories based on why they’re contacting you.
Consider creating a survey for readers to fill out as well. This is particularly useful if you want to know whether or not your blog is meeting people’s needs, or if there are certain topics that people would like to see covered.
It’s important to avoid duplicate content, not only because you’re breaking search engine rules and could face sanctions from Google, but also because duplicate content isn’t as useful to your readers as unique content. However, if you are posting on different sites, make sure to note the original source in your settings. For example, I also post my content on Medium.
When you publish the same article on multiple pages of your site, you’re wasting the time of anyone who clicks through—they’ve already read this information on one of the other pages. If the articles are about the same topic, it can be even more confusing for your visitors to be bounced around, especially if they don’t see a clear distinction between what’s in one article and what’s in another.
I usually recommend that people write a single article containing all the relevant information they want to share, but with different subheadings or tags to indicate when they’re moving onto a new subtopic. It doesn’t matter if there are some overlaps in the writing from one section to another—that’ll happen naturally when you’re just writing about one thing anyway.
The important thing is that your reader has an easy way to tell when you’re talking about something new, so they don’t have to go back and reread an entire paragraph just because it wasn’t clear which part was a continuation of where they left off. This is helpful when trying to optimize your blog for search engines.
4. Use Internal Links
Internal links are hyperlinks that connect one page on your site to another page on the same site. Since search engine algorithms favor websites with more internal links, you will increase the value of your blog by strategically including links from all relevant pages to each other.
The quality of your content will also be improved if you include more links within the content itself because they will help guide readers through the rest of the article. For example, if you’re writing a post about how to develop your cooking skills, you could include a brief overview of common cooking methods at the beginning and end of the article, linking back to full articles on those methods elsewhere on your blog.
5. Edit Your Permalinks
The first step to optimize your blog for search engines is to check its permalink structure. This refers to the way the permalinks are set up on your site — how they look and how they affect search engine optimization.
Most blogs run on a WordPress platform, which is why we’ll focus on how to edit your permalink structure in WordPress.
By default, your permalink structure might look something like this: http://mywebsite.com/p=123. The p=123 part of the URL means that the page you’re looking at is the 123rd post on the site.
This doesn’t help you in search engine optimization because it doesn’t offer any information about what your post actually is about or what keywords might be contained within it.
Instead, you can have a permalink structure like this: http://mywebsite.com/how-to-build-a-trellis-for-your-garden/ which would help with search engine optimization, as it shows that all content contained in that article is related to building a trellis for your garden.
Make sure to update your permalink structure to take out the date! I didn’t do that at first and had to add a bunch of redirects to my old pages.
Whenever you have a new blog post, make sure you get it out there and promote it. But don’t forget about your old posts. Search engines are always crawling the internet for content. If Google finds a related blog to yours, it will bring that blog onto your results page. So it’s important to update to continue to optimize your blog for search engines.
It’s important that you update your old content to keep it relevant and current. By doing so, every time Google crawls through your website, it will find something new to add to the search results page. This is also how you can show potential readers that they can trust the content on your blog because it’s current and up-to-date.
When updating your old content, make sure you don’t change the URL or permalink of the post. If you do change anything, Google will classify it as a duplicate page instead of an updated version of the same page. In order to avoid this problem, select all of your old posts and check them individually to see what needs updating. When updating these posts, be sure to:
Add new links (other blogs and websites)
Add new images with alt tags (that contain keywords)
Do a double-check for any typos or grammatical errors
7. Optimize Your Images
One of the best ways to optimize your blog for search engine rankings is with optimized images. Search engines have a hard time reading the images themselves, but they do read the data surrounding it. Here are some things you should do for image optimization:
Use keywords in the filename of your images, such as “Atlanta-dog-trainer.jpg” instead of “IMG_01234.jpg”
Always fill out the alt tag when adding an image to your blog post. This is important for accessibility for blind people and for image searches by defaulting to the alt tag text if it cannot find anything else that matches the image search query.
Takeaway: SEO is a great way for you to increase traffic to your blog so take some time to learn the basics!
It’s time to discover the hidden power of your mindset. Your mindset shapes your life. That’s the message of countless self-help books and motivational speakers. It’s a simple idea, but one that can be incredibly difficult to put into practice. The reason? The power of our thoughts is so strong that we often don’t realize how much our mindset affects our lives—and, even more subtly, how greatly it can shape our future.
In a recent TED Talk, Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck said that she believes “the single most important factor in whether or not you will fulfill your potential is not what you have or who you are, but rather, your mindset.” Dweck’s research showed that people with a “growth mindset“—understanding that their abilities can grow through hard work—tend to achieve more than those with a “fixed mindset”—the belief that intelligence and abilities are innate and can’t be changed.
Though this seems like an intuitive idea, the implications are huge. Our beliefs about ourselves shape how we approach challenges—whether we think it’s possible to succeed at something or not—and ultimately determine the course of our lives. If we believe we have the power to change and grow, that belief gives us the courage to try new things, learn from our mistakes, and improve ourselves.
Your mindset can change over time
A lot of people think that your personality is set and fixed, that you’re born a certain way and you can’t change. But the truth is, our personalities and mindsets are always changing.
The best way to think about it is from a growth mindset perspective. If you have a growth mindset, you believe that your personality can grow and change over time. And if you have a fixed mindset, you believe that it’s set in stone.
Now, which mindset do you think leads to more success? It’s obvious. The growth mindset gives us more power over our lives because we can adapt to any situation. And I want to share with you exactly how this works in practice.
All of our habits and behaviors are just the result of practice. If we practice something enough times, it becomes part of who we are. For example, if we practice being happy enough times, then we’ll become happier people overall. Or if we practice taking action enough times, then we’ll become an action-oriented person who takes action all the time.
Your mindset will impact how you act on your goals
What you think about yourself will come true. It’s a relatively simple concept, but it’s more powerful than most people realize. How you behave will be unconsciously influenced by how you perceive yourself. This is the hidden power of your mindset.
Learning to truly believe in yourself is key to setting and achieving goals because it opens the door to seeing opportunities where others think there are none. If you don’t believe that you can achieve something, then you’ll never make it a reality. But if you realize that your potential is limitless, then the only thing left is making the choice to act on your goals. How can you accomplish anything if you don’t believe that it’s possible?
The great thing about building your self-confidence is that it will affect everything else in your life as well. You’ll be able to see opportunities for positive change where others don’t. You’ll also be able to see what areas of your life could use some improvement and take concrete steps toward change.
You may not always feel confident, but when you do, make sure to hold onto that feeling. When those negative thoughts creep in, force yourself to focus on the good things about yourself and the reasons why those things have made a positive impact on others and in your life so far.
You must be intentional about developing and maintaining a healthy mindset
Being intentional about developing and maintaining a healthy mindset is the first step in changing your perspective. It’s helpful to know where you are now so you can make improvements by shifting your thinking and creating new habits. Here are some ways to do this:
Examine your belief system: Take note of your thoughts, words, and actions. Do they align with what you believe? Are there any negative beliefs that need to be reframed? It’s common for us to have limiting beliefs of ourselves and others, which can hurt our productivity as well as our relationships with people we care about.
Analyze negative thoughts: The next time you find yourself thinking negatively, stop and analyze what’s going on. Is there something specific causing this? If so, try not to let it get to you too much because it will pass soon enough! This is the hidden power of your mindset.
Takeaway: A powerful, positive, and healthy mindset is one of the most important factors in achieving success in any area of life.
It’s time to learn about using the SMARTER goal method. Have you been struggling to reach your goals? Do you often feel like a hamster on a wheel? It might be time to sit down and write down what it is you actually want to achieve.
In fact, the simple act of just sitting down and writing it could help you get closer to making the goal a reality. According to psychology professor, Dr. Gail Matthews, if you write goals down on a daily basis, you are 42% more likely to achieve those goals. It’s a practice I put into place years ago that has helped me tremendously.
One strategy to write your goals down in an organized way is using the SMARTER goal method. Smart goals originated from George Duran in the 1980’s and were designed to help people in the workplace organize their goals.
So how exactly do you create a SMARTER goal? Where do you even start? I tell my students to focus on what they want to achieve in 3-6 months. That’s a tangible timeline that makes achieving something much more realistic and likely.
First, decide what it is you are trying to accomplish. Let’s take my 3-6 month goal for my online business. I want to continue building multiple income streams to help me on my debt-free journey. Now, if I stop there, I haven’t created a solid path to the finish line which is important.
Using the SMARTER goal method – So, let’s take a look at George Duran’s method
SMARTER Goals have these main components:
S –Specific
Be clear about your intentions and the outcome you wish to achieve. Think about little details.
M –Measurable
It is SOOOO important to have a way to measure whether or not you reach your goals. So, this part requires deciding how you will know if you are getting closer to your goal.
A – Achievable or Attainable
For this element, making sure your goal is possible is essential. Anything is possible, but not everything is possible in the timeframe you hope to achieve. For example, if I wanted to go and be an astronaut now, I would have a LOT of training and learning.
R – Realistic
On that same level, being realistic is necessary. Yes, go for your dreams, but make sure that the goal matches your personality and other important things in your life.
T – Timebound
When do you want to reach your goal? I have many goals, and I like to create short- and long-term goals with deadlines.
E – Evaluate
Ultimately, it is crucial to know whether you have reached your goal. Once the timeline approaches, ensure you have measured your progress and know if you will reach it. Then…
R – Reward and/or Revise
After evaluating your progress, this is the time to give yourself a reward for reaching your goal or revise it and make it more realistic.
How can I take my goal of building my online business and becoming debt-free and make it SMARTER?
Here is my goal statement:
I will grow my personal brand and business by the end of 2023 to $10,000/month in income. I will achieve this by publishing 2-4 blog posts per month, 1-2 YouTube videos per month, and promoting my digital products on Tik Tok, Facebook, and Etsy. Furthermore, I will post my academic and goal setting consulting services in conjunction with at least one online time management course.
Now, it’s your turn! Start writing, believing, and achieving!
We live in an ever more connected global society. This means learning a new language is a huge asset. Learning a new skill is a great way to keep our minds sharp and utilize our time effectively.
I learned Spanish in school and then had the fortune to speak it regularly while I was in college. However, my skills have faded over the last several years and I really need to freshen up. Currently, I live in Norway and I’m learning Norwegian while I’m here.
Before I moved here, one resource a friend shared with me was Conversation Exchange. She has been using it for years to practice Italian while living in the United States. Her family is from Italy, and she dreams of living there someday.
Another resource I considered was Babbel. The really cool thing is that they have an app learning tool as well as live instruction. The prices for the app subscription are below. Ultimately, I did not want to pay this much, but they have amazing 5-star reviews. I’m really interested in the live instruction piece and might actually apply to be a freelance English teacher.
Another possible site to help you learn the language is italki. There are several ways to engage with this program. You can choose to have 1 on 1 lessons, participate in the free conversation community, prepare for exams, or help you grow your business skills.
If you’re interested in learning Spanish, then check out Spanish Synergy!
My Programs of Choice
I downloaded Duolingo to help me learn Norwegian faster at my own pace. The owl has become quite the TikTok sensation, so I decided to also keep practicing my Spanish.
Currently, I have the annual plan for Duolingo Plus. It works well for me because I don’t have to watch the ads. I can also fit learning in on the train or bus when I’m traveling. I am on an 80-day streak of learning right now! In that time, I’ve mastered about 40% of the Norwegian course.
Other ways to explore learning a language online are to seek out local language or literacy centers or to contact universities or schools for programs.
If you’re looking for more resources, why not check out your local library? Libraries are great places to find reading and audio materials to support your language learning journey. In fact, a homeschool group of students did their own research and shared this resource from Library Science with me that discusses all the ways Libraries can be used as Language Learning Centers. Check it out here!
There really is something with the power of 22. I am writing this on February 22, 2022 (02-22-2022). This is an especially powerful date because it is a mirror number. What you send out into the universe is sent back to you. I truly believe this is an opportunity to manifest, reflect, and create the life that you want.
How powerful is the number 22?
22 has always had a special meaning for me because it is my birthday. Whenever I see the number 22, I get a feeling that all is well. And I feel fortunate because this is one of the most powerful numbers.
This number is associated with achieving your greatest aspirations. So don’t shy away when you see it. Embrace it and use it.
I decided to write down 22 affirmations for the day. I encourage you to do the same.
Tracy Dee Tips 