So, here we are. It’s already a few months into 2020, and if you’re like me (and many others), you might be realizing that yet again, the year is flying by and you haven’t made much progress on that list of New Year Resolutions you wrote back in January.
Well, let me tell you this: you’re not alone. There’s a reason that the gyms are crazy busy the first few weeks of January, then fizzle back down in numbers by February or March… it’s easy to lose that New Year momentum.
The start of a new year is so exciting, but the truth is, once you get settled back into your old routines, it’s easy to lose track of those hopes and goals you set at the beginning of the year. It’s easy to just go with the flow of life and almost feel as though you don’t have control over your life and your time anymore. If this is resonates at all with you… let me tell you, friend: NOT ALL HOPE IS LOST!
It all starts with one thing: mindfulness. If you want to take back control of your life, you need to start being present and mindful of your actions throughout the day. Let’s take that pin out of your New Year Resolutions and figure out how to make it happen! Keep reading- I’ll give you 5 key tips to help you be more mindful and take back control of your life in 2020.
liMit your screen time
How many times have you said or thought the term “mindlessly scrolling”? Because in my house, it’s been said so too many times to count. My husband or I will be on our phones not paying attention to what’s going on around us, and when the other says “Whatcha doing?” the response is “eh, just mindlessly scrolling.” We all do it. Open up Facebook or Instagram or your email, read one post, then two, then all of a sudden it’s as if you’re sucked into a time warp. By the time you snap out of it, an hour has passed and you’re baffled that you were yet again sucked into the black hole known as social media.
I know this is a hard one, but really start being mindful of your phone time. You can download an app like Moment to really shed light on how much time throughout your day you spend on your phone. If you haven’t done this already, I promise, it will be a bit shocking… BUT, it will help you be more mindful of how you spend your time. And when you’re being mindful of how often you spend on your phone, it pushes you to be more productive in other areas of your life. When the numbers are there telling you that you’ve spent 5 hours out of the day on social media, it’s definitely a wake-up call. STOP yourself the next time you get bored and grab your phone to scroll, and instead use that time to work towards one of those New Year Resolutions instead.
Write gratitude lists
I know this may sound silly to some… like something your teacher would make you do in 4th grade on Thanksgiving. But I promise you, finding things to be grateful for in everyday life will seriously shift your mindset. Too often, we find and complain about the things in our life that are less-than-ideal… but what about the things that are good? What about your friend that checks in on you, or that family member that always has your back? What about how your dog’s tail wags so hard when you walk back into your house from the grocery store, or when your toddler says “I love you” or comes and gives you a giant hug out of the blue? Even if it’s something as simple as the sun shining, or that you have a roof over your head, there is ALWAYS something to be grateful about. And when you focus on the good things in life, the good starts to multiply and those gratitude lists get longer.
Make time for your goals
It’s easy to label a paper “New Year Resolutions” and choose a list of things that you hope to learn or do by the end of the year. But, when it comes to completing those goals, what we need to learn is that there will never be that magical time when everything falls into place and it’s the “perfect time to start”. The perfect time is now! Time is precious and every minute you spend waiting around thinking about it is a minute you could be using to work towards your goals and the life you want.
There is always time. Even if that means putting your baby on the floor next to you on a blanket while you do your yoga video, or bundling you the kiddos and taking the whole family outside for a 10 minute walk before dinner, or putting on an audiobook while you cook dinner or drive. You can always make time. Yes there are only 24 hours in a day, but you get to dictate how those hours are used. (I’ll refer back to the screen time section now… if you think you don’t have enough time for something, check that screen-time tracker and I PROMISE, your mind will change about that real fast!)
Make a habit out of Sunday resets
Some days we fall off track. A weird couple of days can turn into a week of being in a funk, which then turns into weeks. Before you know it, you realize it’s been a month since you’ve had a solid workout or read a book or worked towards your goals. Sound familiar at all?
That’s where this Sunday reset comes into play. EVERY Sunday, sit down and review the past week. If you have a spouse, do this with them, or even include your kids and ask them questions about the week. How do you feel it went? Are you proud of what you accomplished? Is there anything you wish you did differently? Now, looking into the next week, is there anything you want to implement? What’s going on this week, and what are your hopes and short term goals for the week? If you make a habit out of doing a check-in like this weekly, it will help you catch if you’re falling back into old habits and losing control. It will help you address any issues or roadblocks head-on and allow you to take back the reins of your life.
(If you want to hear more about Sunday Resets, check out this podcast episode from one of my favorite content creators, Allie Casazza, about her Sunday Night Prep!)
Step out of your comfort zone and try things that seem hard or impossible
This is one that’s super obvious, but I needed a little kick to realize it so I thought it was worth a mention. There are a lot of things that your current mindset could be holding you back from… if you’ve thought “oh I CAN‘T do this, because [insert excuse here]”, then let me tell you something… YOU are being your own roadblock. I thought I would never be able to leave the house with both kids alone, so I literally did not try for 5 months. FIVE MONTHS of not leaving the house with my kids during the day unless my husband could come. All because I was scared, stuck in my limiting beliefs, and constantly told myself it was impossible. Then one day, we got invited out, and though I was a bit freaked out, I thought, “what if I just try…”. Let me tell you: we did it and survived. And it felt so damn good and empowering to finally just TRY.
Conclusion
GET BACK THAT NEW YEAR MOMENTUM. Limit the time you mindlessly scroll on your phone. List things that you’re grateful for regularly. Make time for your goals. Do a weekly reset. And last but not least… Step out of your comfort zone and TRY things, even if they seem difficult or impossible. I’m confident that if you do those 5 things, it will positively affect the way that 2020 is going for you. YOU GOT THIS!
(If this helped you out, send it to a friend that needs a little motivational boost and that you think may benefit from it!)
