January is known for being a month when people make fresh starts. However, it’s also true that 80% of those who make New Year’s resolutions fail to stick to them beyond January.
If you’re planning to start a new routine or become more disciplined this year, the New Year is the perfect time for new beginnings. Significant dates such as birthdays, the New Year, or the start of a new quarter can generate greater commitment and importance for a person’s decision.
But realistically, what are you going to do differently this time to ensure that you stick to your resolutions and achieve your goals?
Not only January and the new year but also affirmations can help you here to be more disciplined.
The Essence of Time Management Affirmations:
Affirmations can be a powerful tool for improving productivity and achieving success, especially when tailored to the context of time management. By using positive statements, we can change our perception of time and develop discipline, focus, and efficiency in our daily routines. As we start the new year, integrating time management affirmations into our workdays can be a transformative tool for optimizing productivity.
As you step into January 2024, equip yourself with 31 affirmations to master the art of balancing your professional life.
31 Time Management Affirmations to Kick Off January 2024:
- Follow the 80-20 rule: 20% of your day should be dedicated to the 80% more important tasks of your day, your “big rocks”.
- Define up to three main goals to accomplish every day
- Break down larger tasks into smaller, manageable subtasks, no longer than one hour, that you can work without interruption.
- Visualize and plan all the tasks that need to be done during a period of time by timeboxing in your calendar.
- Plan to do only what realistically fits into your calendar.
- Work on the activity during the timeboxed period and stop working on it once the time is up.
- Implement the “Two-Minute Rule”. If a task takes less than two minutes, complete it immediately instead of adding it to your list.
- Integrate self-care activities and personal goals into your to-do list. Dedicate time for exercise, breaks, social connections, and hobbies.
- Say NO more often. Prioritize what matters to you, and focus all-in; less is more in time management.
- Prioritize your task by doing what is urgent, scheduling what is important and delegating or eliminating what is not urgent or important.
- Be realistic. Isn’t this too much? Bump some tasks to the following day.
- Start working on one task at a time. Don’t multitask! Just follow the order you planned on your calendar.
- Plan how to overcome any barriers that may distract you from your flow, such as worries, distractions and anxiety.
- Monotask by manipulating your environment. Eliminate what you don’t need to accomplish your tasks that could capture your attention. Avoid distractions by eliminating paperwork around you, alarms, reminders and pop-ups.
- Set a timer when you start your flow for each task and stop it when you finish it.
- Write down the thoughts, reminders, or tasks distracting your current activity. Keep it handy as a distraction journal.
- Speak up if you need anything special. Be comfortable asking for what you want from your boss or your family.
- Follow your routine as if you were in a flow of excitement, without judgment, without overthinking.
- Define the north star (your greater goal) to keep you motivated throughout the task.
- Focus: Keep concentrating on what you are doing.
- Develop the skills necessary. Your best motivator is the feeling that you are getting better at something.
- If the activity becomes boring, find ways to make it more complex.
- Whatever task you are doing, finish it before moving to the next one. E.g., If you write an email, send it
- Don’t wait until it is perfect. The reason why sometimes we don’t send that email is because of perfectionism. Perfectionism is the friend of procrastination and the enemy of action
- Respect the time box in your calendar, and don’t spend more time on each task than needed! Accept what you accomplished. Could you let it go as is?
- Compare your plan versus the actual, in terms of results and time spent. Use apps to help you organize, track and time your tasks to be able to measure them quickly.
- Evaluate results at the end of the day or the end of the week. Refrain from over-evaluating yourself every 3 minutes.
- Discipline yourself to learn from your mistakes or delays, plan again and, follow your next routine once again. Practice makes perfect.
- Celebrate progress, not results.
- Find three things to celebrate or be proud of at the end of your day.
- As you step into 2024, embrace a proactive and strategic approach to time management.
Start the new year off right with affirmations that can help you develop the discipline you need to achieve your goals. Don’t let lack of motivation hold you back any longer. Take action now and see the results you’ve been dreaming of. If you are more of a visual person, turn these affirmations into visual posts to make them easier to remember.
By incorporating these affirmations into your daily routine, you’re shaping your mindset and cultivating habits that contribute to a more efficient and fulfilling professional life. May these affirmations be the guiding principles in your journey toward mastering the art of time management in 2024.
For more guidance on how to implement these affirmations, let’s schedule a coaching session!
