New Year, Improved Me

In the beginning of this year I didn't have a list or any idea of what kind of goals I wanted to have for the upcoming year. I am happy with myself and my accomplishments in 2020 regardless of its circumstances. As we fell into the first week of January I came to a recognition. I'm perfectly fine with myself and have gained an excellent sense of self esteem and confidence, however, I could always improve little habits of mine to help build myself even higher and make the most out of the years to come. I started to think of some small changes I wanted in my daily life such as exercise and reading. Remembering to floss my teeth every night cause lets be honest, almost no one does that without lying. I started reading a book called "Atomic Habits" by James Clear and it is by far the best book I've ever read. Its a habit guide to steer you towards realistic and modifiable ways to break bad habits and create lasting good ones. I've started implementing its behavior strategies into my daily life to replace bad habits such as procrastination and overall laziness. I would use cues to help reduce my use of my phone and time watching television. For example I would read the book "Atomic Habits" during every break at work instead of aimlessly scrolling through social media or watching Netflix. Reading this book soon became a craving. I would be excited when my break came around even though only ten minutes long, I would use that time to gain more knowledge on how to better myself. My colleagues became aware of my actions and have even called me a self-fixer and wanted a copy of the book. At home I would use temptation bundling by right after I had a smoothie, I would work out and it wasn't intel I finished working out could I take a shower and then either read or write such as this contest or a school assignment.

I have also learned a bit about how to break bad habits such as making them unattractive and reducing its exposure. I would do this by changing my environments and acknowledging what my bad habits are and why I desire them. I moved my nightstand closer to my bedside and instead of my TV remote and video game controllers there is a lamp and books to read. This would reduce my exposure to those temptations to go on my TV and play games. I move from working on assignments on my bed to my desk because even though less comfy, I'm more likely to stay on task.

Not only am I increasing my productivity and decreasing my procrastination but I'm creating more of a routine. Every Saturday I deep clean my room and bathroom as well as do my laundry so I have my scrubs for the upcoming week. Then on Sundays I revise my calendar to see my schedule for the upcoming week. With that knowledge I start my meal prep for the week so I can eat healthier and not keep forgetting my lunch and eating fast-food. This was me acknowledging my bad habits of not eating healthy, running late, and not having proper clothes for work. Through acknowledging my bad habits and using a realistic plan, I have been successfully having the rest of my week run as plan apart from everyday shenanigans.

Now after only a month into 2021 and half the book read, I read and exercise everyday along with reading my emails and looking for more job opportunities since I have one 9-5 job and no way to provide for myself on my own and still attend school. I have never felt so productive in my life. I see my future looking brighter with more hope. I cant do it all on my own but I need to try my best and not let bad habits be my downfall. With hard work and ambition I can see myself getting the life I want in the near future.