Looking to start 2024 on a positive note — with a new journal!

I don’t know about you, but I can’t believe we’re just a few days away from 2024. 😱

What to do with the remaining time?

One thing that’s natural to do is to take stock of the year and think about how we fared:

Did the year go as planned, or were there unforeseen events?

How did we deal with the changes?

What went well versus not that well?

Which goal was reached? And which one fell through the cracks?

What are we most proud of?

Where is there more room for improvement?

What do we want to do next? Why is this important to us?

I try to give myself a bit of time in the last few days of December to go over these and similar questions. The answers I come up with don’t have to be detailed; sometimes it’s just a few words in a short sentence. But this is a necessary step before moving on to any big plans for the new year.

If you’ve been reading my articles, you know that I’m a huge fan of the daily practice of self-discipline. It has become a lifestyle for me and I like to approach each goal from this perspective. To make goal-setting as well as everyday work more approachable, I keep a journal so everything is in one place.

I just created another journal for 2024, which is essentially an e-book I print out and use every day. The journal includes:

• Entries for one full week (Monday-Sunday) 
• Each daily entry consists of five sections:
  • a SITREP (situation report)
  • The Discomfort Zone section (ways to build my “discomfort muscle”)
  • The Work (this is my daily schedule)
  • Push it Further section (a prompt on how I can increase my efforts by 5–10%)
  • a Performance Review section (where I give myself a performance score) 
• Templates to take advantage of each day
  • A morning journal template to take advantage of peak performance hours 
  • Pomodoro session templates to complete short sprints of work based on the Pomodoro method

Using this format in the past year has made quite a difference. It’s straightforward, easy to follow, and frankly, it’s fun! Now all I do is print out the entire journal and use it daily to keep me on track, without having to come up with new prompts, questions, and answers each day. So it actually saves me some time too which is pure BLISS.

If you’d like to try on your own, you can download the journal here. 

Wishing you all the best as we close the year and welcome in the new one! 🎉🎉

2023 is around the corner— how do you max out the time left?

Photo by lil artsy on Pexels.com

Hello friends!

It’s already November and we’re all busy with school, work, and the usual rush of getting things done on time before the holidays. If you’re feeling overwhelmed with the amount of things you need to do — getting ready for university exams, reaching a project milestone at work, honing a skill that will be useful to you in the future — you’re not alone.

We’re all feeling the grind.

If you’ve been following my blog, you know that my approach to getting things done is to rely not on motivation (because it’s fleeting and unreliable) but on self-discipline: the habit of being consistent, day after day, in doing the work.

It takes the guesswork and any dilemma out of the equation.

No more, Should I leave this for tomorrow?

No more, I don’t feel like it right now.

No more, If only I had more time to devote to this.

Instead:

Go to bed a bit earlier so you can get up earlier.

Plan your day.

Know your priorities.

Ignore (even better – eliminate) distractions.

Hold yourself accountable, instead of blaming circumstances or other people.

If you’re on board with this approach but would benefit from getting that extra push in the right direction, I created a free self-discipline journal template to keep you focused. It’s a small way to say thank you for following my blog ❤️.

I recommend writing in the journal early in the day. It won’t take more than a few minutes but I promise — it will make a world of difference in the way you approach every waking hour.

The journal includes 5 short sections:

1. Create a SITREP

Short for “situation report,” this is a summary of what’s happening in your world and what you want to focus on.

2. Get into the discomfort zone

You’ll identify one thing you don’t want to do but that is necessary to complete a goal.

3. Do the work

This is the main part of your journal entry, where you’ll add activities you’ll be doing in the morning, afternoon, and evening.

4. Push it further

Ask yourself, what is the ideal scenario, or what does success look like to you? Find quick ways to increase your effort to outperform.

5. Give yourself a performance review

At the end of the day, summarize what went well, what didn’t, and how you can remove any obstacles that are standing in your way.

And that’s it!

Get your free sample of the self-discipline journal here. And drop a comment to let me know how it works out for you!

Adults keep journals, too. ❤️

Here are a few ideas on why you might want to pick up this valuable habit.

Photo by Brent Gorwin on Unsplash

Don’t believe people who say that keeping a journal is something only kids and teenagers do.

My experience has been the complete opposite.

There are many people, both at work and in my social circle, who keep the habit of writing in their journals. Of course, there are many who don’t do it but they keep track of their lives in different ways. They have sketchbooks in which they draw every day. They record music they play so they can learn and improve the skill of playing an instrument. They take pictures of the food they make and have thousands of photos on their iPhone showcasing their creations — and sometimes post them on Instagram for the world to see.

I’ve been the more traditional, journal-writing type of person over the years. And I do mean years. It’s a habit I first started when I was 7, as soon as I could form sentences and scrawl the words in my first journal. I still remember what the notebook looked like. It had pink and purple flowers on the cover, and the lines were wide spaced, just perfect for a 7-year-old to write in.

The topics have shifted over the years, as you would expect. That first notebook had a sentence that read, “Today I painted the toenails on my feet. AND ON MY FEET.” Apparently this was a big deal to me at the time. Then the notebooks started piling up. By the time I had reached my teens, there were all kinds of entries about friends and school and what I was thinking about the whole arduous process of growing up. In college, I started adding book lists to the mix because I was reading more and more. I also copied entire quotes and sections of the books that made a big impression on me. One of the books I was reading at the time was Lawrence Durrell’s Alexandria Quartet and there were so many good sections I had to write stuff down so I could go back to it later (which I often did).

The notebooks I’ve picked over time, I noticed, are all of different sizes. There are huge notebooks, there are tiny ones you can fit in your back pocket, then sketchbooks where I would write and doodle and draw stories in. Some beautiful, leather-bound notebooks by a printer who specialized in binding books in the style of the renaissance period. A few simple, no-fuss paperbacks with a black and white pattern. A hand-sewn notebook with a slim rope that ties the booklet together like a tiny parcel, a gift.

Which brings me to the biggest value of keeping a journal-writing habit — in my opinion, of course.

I see it as a series of small gifts I have created over the years. They served as a gift to the me-at-the-time, the gift of having space for self-reflection, curiosity about the world, a place where all of my questions could call home. And I had so many questions — and still do. Also, they have been a series of gifts I was making in advance for the future me. A blueprint for growing up, a living document of everything under the sun that still moves and changes shape and color. It’s a dialogue I have with myself. Look, this is who we were. Remember? This is how we tackled the world. This is how we fell in love, wildly and recklessly. This is how we grieved. This is how we enjoyed one blissful summer, riding bikes by the water and sitting on blankets eating sandwiches in the shadow of a tree. This is what moving from city to city, from one continent to the other, feels like. The friends we keep, the long letters we write each other in the middle of the night when everyone’s asleep but we’re still awake and dreaming.

This is how we created the version of me that’s writing these words now, in my home in California. The version of me that’s not that different from the previous, younger versions. Come to think of it, we are quite similar to each other. We all like to make sandwiches for lunch. Coffee rituals in the morning. Asking a lot of questions. Reading novels. Dancing by ourselves with the headphones on. Scribbling in notebooks every single day.

That’s probably why we’re all still friends. ❤️

How can I organize my mind, my thoughts and declutter everything?

Writing really helps.

And I am not talking about writing a short story or starting a novel. I mean writing down everything that is going through your mind. When you put thoughts on paper, they will look and feel different to you. Writing allows us to create a distance between us and our thoughts, and that is extremely valuable. So that is what I suggest. Get a notebook and a pen first.

What next?

Get it all out. At the top of the page, write today’s date. Then make a list. Write each thought in a separate line. One thought may be a short phrase, while another may take a few sentences. The length doesn’t matter, but keep everything in list format as you go down the page.

When you are done with putting your thoughts on paper, it’s time to organize. Get a few different color markers or pens, then read through your list. Usually there are a few categories of thoughts: some are daily to-do’s (Today I have to…), others are awfulizing types of thoughts (I am scared that…), some can be in question format (How can I possibly…?), and then there are those bigger thoughts that are more about life in general (I want to achieve this goal… OR How can I change this behavior?). Using different colors, start grouping items on your list that belong in the same category.

After this exercise, rewrite your list to create a few shorter lists. Give each list a name, for example “Daily List” and “Big Life Goal List” and “What I’m Scared of List.” Now you have a differently organized set of thoughts to deal with.

Where to go from here?

The “Daily List” is great to put in a bullet journal. It’s a practical way to organize your day, week, and month. In a separate notebook, use two pages to create a grid with a ruler to assign boxes for every day of the month. Mark each box with the day of the week and month (f.ex., Monday July 5). In each box, add items from your “Daily List” according to when they are due. Now you have an organized plan for the month.

The “Big Life Goal List,” “Question List” and “What I’m Scared of List” are groups you’ll need to work through, and this may take some time. For these, you’ll need a journal in which you can write down in greater detail why these thoughts are important to you. If it is something you are scared of, then get to the source of it — when, how, why are you scared of something. If it is a big life goal you want to achieve, write down some ideas on how you can break down the goal into smaller mini-goals to work on every day, even for 15 minutes at a time.

Either way, whether you’re working on your bullet journal or regular journal, you are providing the time and space to talk to yourself and find out how your brain works. You also create a tangible method of organizing whatever is going through your mind, and in doing so you reduce your mental clutter which will bring you more peace of mind.

And that is priceless.

☕️A virtual cup of coffee + free PDF = to say thank you ♥️

👋🏽 Hello there!

Thanks for following my blog. It’s December and I’m working on my growth mindset e-book series to offer you more tips and ideas to help you on your self-improvement journey. I’m also organizing 30 and 45-minute coaching sessions for those of you who are ready to take the next step in accountability and self-discipline.

If you’d like to show your support of my writing, you can buy me a virtual cup of coffee ☕️. When you do, you’ll find some extras too — a free sample of My Self-Discipline Journal. And, I included links to several e-books on the same topic so you can browse and see if there’s anything you like and need.

New to the blog?

👋🏽 Hi, I’m Nela.
I’m a growth mindset hacker, published writer, self-discipline and accountability coach, and entrepreneur. You may have read my articles on the Q&A website Quora, on Nela’s Blog, Twitter, or elsewhere. I write on a variety of topics including building self-discipline, developing a growth mindset, strengthening motivation and willpower, goal setting, changing bad habits, overcoming procrastination and increasing focus, doing deep work, maximizing productivity, and more. 

As always, I appreciate you — and invite you to ask me a question — on Quora, my blog, or Twitter. 🤓✏️📖

If you want to buy me a virtual cup of coffee today, click here. ☕️

A more disciplined you in 2022: Are you ready?

I don’t know about you, but to me this past year has gone by so fast. It seems like just weeks ago I wrote in my bullet journal a list of things I wanted to focus on in the New Year — that was at the end of December 2020. The list wasn’t super long, but it included some items I didn’t have much time for when the pandemic started. I wanted to read more fiction. Write more answers on Quora. Spend more time developing my blog. Create a series of growth mindset e-books on topics like mindsets, goal-setting, changing bad habits, eliminating procrastination, and developing a self-disciplined lifestyle to make space for all those good things.

The growth mindset e-book series took the most time to create, but it was well worth it. Of all the topics I researched, self-discipline is by far my favorite one. It’s like taking on a challenge because I want to change the perception of this concept. How so? Well, for many people self-discipline sounds like a form of punishment and something that’s reserved only for people in the military or top-notch athletes. But that’s far from the truth! Self-discipline is not an abstract concept. It’s something tangible, real, and applicable to your life. Think of it as the ability to control, correct, or regulate yourself to work hard or behave in a particular way for the purpose of self-improvement. And even more important, knowing how to do this on your own without asking for direction, guidance, or permission from anyone else.

I know that as we approach the end of the year, we’re all going to be thinking about how we can make the next 12 months better in some way. Maybe we’ll start writing our New Year’s resolutions to reach an important goal, practice a habit to be healthy and fit, or just create more time in our day to focus on one activity or skill we find valuable. Keeping a self-discipline journal is a great idea to stay on track and hold yourself accountable. And believe me, even the smallest of habits will add up to big results.

Try it for yourself! Subscribe with your email and get a free sample of My Self-Discipline Journal.  

How can you keep yourself productive in the most disastrous times?

I’ll be honest with you. Productivity has always been top of mind for me over the years, and I’ve spent many hours trying to figure out the best way to optimize my time, maximize the hours I have in the day, and get stuff done so my projects don’t pile up and become an unmanageable mess.

And then, 2020 happened. It happened to you, and to me, and to everyone around us. And just like with other times of crisis — wars, famines, earthquakes, hurricanes, the Great Depression — we find ourselves re-evaluating what’s truly important.

My top priority list has shifted a lot. Staying safe, practicing social distancing, having meaningful conversations with my inner circle of family and friends, being mindful of eating healthy, and being physically active all went to the top of the list.

Productivity as a concept also shifted for me. I still have work to do, projects to manage, meetings to attend. But I wanted to do more for myself, be kinder to myself, be more flexible when I think about how productive I can be.

And I figured out an easier way to manage this. I call it my tiny productivity practice.

It’s based on the book Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything by BJ Fogg.

Practicing tiny productivity has quite a few benefits. You don’t feel as overwhelmed as before. You don’t procrastinate as much. You remain proactive, you still get work done, but the day doesn’t appear endless any more.

So what’s it about?

Tiny productivity means:

• Identifying a task you want to complete (it can be work-related project, school homework, exam prep, or personal project)
• Breaking the task down into very small chunks (so they don’t take up a lot of time and don’t feel impossible to do)
• Completing one small chunk at a time (with the Pomodoro method, using a timer)
• Measuring progress by marking off each step at the end of the day (in a notebook, in a spreadsheet, in a journal)

I’ll give you an example.

Tiny productivity task: I want to start writing a journal to get into the habit of writing and also giving myself the time and space to sort out my thoughts.

• How do you make this task more manageable?
  • Set up your space: create an online document or take a notebook to write in
  • Connect your new habit of journal writing to something you already do: “After I shower in the morning, I’ll sit down and write in my journal.”
  • Set the timer to 15 minutes.
  • Make it a goal to write only one paragraph during this time. What’s a paragraph? Around 5 sentences. Sounds like a lot? Write short sentences.
• What should you write about?
  • There are no rules. It’s up to you.
  • Think of it as a conversation with yourself. What are you going through right now? Are you thinking about a conversation you had with someone yesterday? Is work bothering you? Do you feel isolated while studying or working from home? Write about this.
  • Try to explain your thoughts and emotions to yourself. When you write that you’re stressed, for example, use adjectives to describe it. Get into the details as much as you want to. Remember, nobody else will be reading it except you.
• How do you measure progress?
  • For each journal entry, mark the date.
  • Give yourself a goal of writing in your journal for one week.
  • At the end of the week, write down what the experience was like. Did you find it enjoyable? Was it yet another chore, and if so how could you make it less so (can you attach it to a pleasant activity like drinking a cup of coffee or sitting somewhere outside in the sunshine as you’re writing)? Was 15 minutes a sufficient amount of time, or if not could you add 5 more minutes to it?
  • Make adjustments to your task so the following week goes by more smoothly.
  • And finally, keep this in mind — keep writing. The goal is to make tiny progress every single day. You won’t feel the benefit on day 2 or day 15, but as you keep adding to your journal, you’ll find that you are improving the overall quality of your life.

And that, right there, is the direction in which you should be taking your productivity.