There’s no doubt about it, 2020 has been a year that will go down in history. Whether this year has been good or bad for you personally, it’s fair to say that 2020 has been one of the most momentous years experienced. In our digital world, which is filled with technology that is continuously evolving, we are constantly plugged in and connected to the larger world. It can be extremely difficult - but necessary - to draw inwards and reflect on our own experiences this year, separate from those of everyone else.

Why is Reflection Important?

As the Habit Journal states, “Hindsight is 20/20....but what if foresight could be too?”

The most useful reflection is one that involves mindful consideration and analysis of past thoughts and actions. Reflection gives our brain an opportunity to pause amidst the chaos, to really sort through and think about our observations and experiences, and interpret our past to give new meaning for the future. Simply put: we will not grow from our experiences if we don't understand them. 

Reflecting on this hectic previous year is a good way to help you to review your skills and develop them to have more efficiency. It’s an important aspect of intentional and mindful living - questioning yourself in a positive way, in order to create a system that will serve you better for the future. 

How can the Habit Journal Help?

In the Habit Journal, the first step to creating habits to track is by setting vision across eight core aspects of your life: 

• Adventure - travel and experiences
• Service - community service and contribution
• Health - physical and mental health, spiritual and self care
• Finance - financial stability and personal economics 
• Career - work, side hustles, and your professional network 
• Self - personal development, skills, brand, style, and appearance 
• Relationships - family, friends, and romance 
• Environment and Lifestyle - home and the way you live 

At year end, these eight areas can serve as a helpful framework. By considering your experiences in these categories, you will be able to take a holistic and comprehensive view of your life. 

How do I start my reflection?

So, how should we begin to reflect? Everyone has their own style, but here are some questions to get you started on the journey to self-realization. 

• Which areas of my life did I focus the most energy on? 
• What were some of the experiences that brought me the most joy? 
• What were my biggest struggles? What did I learn from them? 
• What is something I want to leave behind? 
• What can I appreciate from the past year? 

By asking yourself these questions and more, you will be able to form a stronger picture of what has been serving you well and the things you should continue to do, and what has been slowing you down and what you need to release. 

Moving forward with Intention

Reflection can be a tiring process: it’s not always easy to confront yourself and your actions - but self-awareness and growth is essential to living a meaningful life. By understanding yourself on a deeper level, you will be more in tune with your goals and aspirations, which will bring you closer to living your dream life. 

“Japanese cleaning consultant Marie Kondo takes tidying to a whole new level, promising that if you properly simplify and organize your home once, you’ll never have to do it again. Most methods advocate a room-by-room or little-by-little approach, which doom you to pick away at your piles of stuff forever. The KonMari Method, with its revolutionary category-by-category system, leads to lasting results. In fact, none of Kondo’s clients have lapsed (and she still has a three-month waiting list).” 

2. Atomic Habits - James Clear

“No matter your goals, Atomic Habits offers a proven framework for improving--every day. James Clear, one of the world's leading experts on habit formation, reveals practical strategies that will teach you exactly how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results.”

3. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck - Mark Manson

“In this generation-defining self-help guide, a superstar blogger cuts through the crap to show us how to stop trying to be "positive" all the time so that we can truly become better, happier people.”

4. The Success Principles: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be - Jack Canfield,  Janet Switzer

“Jack Canfield, co-creator of the phenomenal bestselling Chicken Soup for the Soul® series, turns to the principles he's studied, taught, and lived for more than 30 years in this practical and inspiring guide that will help any aspiring person get from where they are to where they want to be.”

5. You Are a Badass - Jen Sincero

“In this refreshingly entertaining how-to guide, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author and world-travelling success coach, Jen Sincero, serves up 27 bite-sized chapters full of hilariously inspiring stories, sage advice, easy exercises, and the occasional swear word. If you're ready to make some serious changes around here, You Are a Badass will help you: Identify and change the self-sabotaging beliefs and behaviors that stop you from getting what you want, blast past your fears so you can take big exciting risks, figure out how to make some damn money already, learn to love yourself and others, set big goals and reach them - it will basically show you how to create a life you totally love, and how to create it now.”

6. The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom - Miguel Ruiz

“In The Four Agreements, don Miguel Ruiz reveals the source of self-limiting beliefs that rob us of joy and create needless suffering. Based on ancient Toltec wisdom, the Four Agreements offer a powerful code of conduct that can rapidly transform our lives to a new experience of freedom, true happiness, and love. The Four Agreements are: Be Impeccable With Your Word, Don't Take Anything Personally, Don't Make Assumptions, Always Do Your Best.”

7. The Mastery of Love: A Practical Guide to the Art of Relationship - Miguel Ruiz

“In the tradition of Carlos Castaneda, the author distills essential Toltec wisdom on human relationships as well as techniques for integrating this awareness into daily life.”

Reference: www.goodreads.com

Looking at your schedule for the day, what is your immediate feeling? Dread? Stress? Anxiety? Panic attack? Now, what if I told you, you’re not alone. 

We often feel overwhelmed by all of our looming responsibilities, most days our calendars are booked down to the minute. Meeting after meeting, unfinished projects and unread emails, not to mention packing our free time with errands and household duties. Do you notice personal projects and activities that have been on your list forever keep getting bumped down in priority for more productive activities? This can actually be detrimental to our mental health, people can often feel the weight of all their emerging tasks and jam-packed schedules and feel like there’s simply not enough time in the day. This feeling can build a really toxic amount of stress and anxiety. There’s a misconceived idea that happiness is derived from things like success or money and that the only way to attain those things is to maximize productivity. While there is nothing wrong with leading a productive life, everybody needs a break.

Now that we’ve identified the problem, what’s the solution and how do we deal with all the stress? Easy: take a page out of Tom Hodgkinson’s book (or at least one of them). Stop being a slave to the clock. Hodgkinson points out that our workday is centred around checking our clocks from the moment we wake up to the dreaded sound of our alarm clock. He deems this need for productivity a negative habit of our society and questions the morals behind working too hard. He also points out that this behaviour can be hard on our personal lives, family life and relationships. Surprisingly, it can be very difficult to break free from this productivity loop and “be idle” as suggested by Hodgkinson since many people feel that they’re wasting time when they sit down and watch a tv show or a movie instead of tending to their inbox or doing household chores.

So how exactly can we learn to “be idle”? Luckily, there’s no wrong answer. This simply means that you need to make time for yourself that doesn’t involve checking the clock or worrying about work or other responsibilities. Setting aside time for those activities that have been deprioritized time and time again or adding items to your to-do list that you’re actually looking forward to. It can even be as simple as taking a nap, there are millions of ways you can take a step back and create moments for yourself. If you find yourself on this productivity chasing cycle make it a goal to set aside a little time every day to “be idle”, destress, and relieve yourself from your duties. Making time for yourself and your loved ones is never wasted time and you shouldn’t feel guilty about taking a break.

Resource Recommendations: 

1: How to Be Idle, Tom Hodgkinson

2: Do Pause: You are not a To Do list, by Robert Poynton

3: How to Sit, by Thich Nhat Hanh

Reference: For Whom the Alarm Clock Tolls, The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos

What exactly is it that successful people do to become successful? The secret lies in their habits, which we've listed the top 5 most important ones.

What is it that successful people and entrepreneurs do? What traits do they possess that has led them to success? And most importantly, how can you learn from them and become more efficient and successful yourself. Well, it seems that highly successful individuals share a few commonalities within their habits. We’ll breakdown the habits and tips that make up the foundation of successful people, with the help of Tom Corley’s findings when he surveyed self-made millionaires in order to investigate the true habits of success.

1. They get up early

Ever wonder about the morning routine of highly successful people? Almost 50% of the millionaires studied by Corley said they start their day at least 3 hours before the workday begins. This may be what separates successful people and unsuccessful people. The daily head start allows for time dedicated to personal projects and growth, as well as ensuring completed tasks before the workday even begins, meaning every day is a productive day. To quote Corley, “getting up at five in the morning to tackle the top three things you want to accomplish in your day allows you to regain control of your life”.

2. They Exercise

Turns out that successful people also devote time to improve themselves and not just to run their empires. Corley’s study showed that 76% of the participants exercise for at least 30 minutes per day. Of these respondents, they all focused almost exclusively on cardio. "Cardio is not only good for the body, but it's good for the brain," he wrote, "it grows the neurons in the brain”.

3. They Read... A Lot

A total of 88% of the millionaire respondents said they read for around 30 minutes per day. And I’m not talking about indulging in the Harry Potter series or a breezy romance novel. According to Corley, "The rich read to acquire or maintain knowledge". His findings showed that the most common types of books the participants read were: biographies, history, and self-help books. This habit is also seen in CEO and business magnate, Warren Buffet, who apparently spends approximately 80% of his day reading. Bill Gates reportedly reads on average 50 books per year, though during his infamous “Think Week” he spends up to 18 hours a day reading newspapers.

4. They Surround Themselves with Success

There’s something to be said about the people you surround yourself with. There's a reason your mom didn’t want you to hang out with “that group” in high school. Corley found this to be true amongst the wealthy and successful as well, stating “you are only as successful as those you frequently associate with”. In short, the people that the respondents chose to surround themselves with were also highly successful and motivating. "The rich are always on the lookout for individuals who are goal-oriented, optimistic, enthusiastic, and who have an overall positive mental outlook”, says Corley. Just the same as surrounding themselves with success and positivity, they avoid “time-wasters”, which makes sense, when you have an action-packed day like these individuals, time is of the essence. 

5. They Sleep

Sleep is as important as success to many entrepreneurs and business people, as a quality night’s sleep ensures increased productivity, energy, and wellbeing. In fact, 89% of respondents sleep for at least 7 hours per night, talk about good sleeping habits!. Corley wrote, "sleep is critical to success," then continued by saying "sleep accomplishes so many things behind the scenes,” referring to memory function and creative thinking, which is improved and aided by sleep. 

What Now?

I think we can agree that it definitely takes dedication to be highly successful. Our personal takeaway is that those that have achieved great success invest more time in themselves than you would think. We're all about making yourself the best you can be so that you can achieve more. That's why we highly recommend the Habit Journal, a highly effective tool to track your daily habits and goals. Like we said, It’s worth learning from these habits of highly successful people and get started on your own path to success by harnessing habits that allow you to increase knowledge, energy, and productivity.

Sticking to your New Year’s goals isn't that hard, you’re just doing it the wrong way.

Many of us view the new year as a new beginning and a time to work on improving ourselves. Low and behold the “new year, new me” phenomenon. Cue the New Year's resolutions flooding your mind (and social media feed). Unfortunately, most of these goals will not even last a month. What can we do to make sure that our goals for 2020 are not just dreamy, unattainable thoughts but are actions that actually stick? The secret of achieving any goal lies within the science of habits. The Habit Journal and this 5 step method below will reveal how you can reach your goals by first making your habits stick.

1. Think Big: Identify your Vision

Picture the ideal self you want to become - what does it look like? Visions, are a compilation goals and aren’t limited to the year, so think BIG. Brainstorm on a piece of paper the following:

Now that you’ve scribbled some of these thoughts on paper, try coming up with a vision that reflects all or most of what you’ve just put down. Do you envision yourself being financially free? Being healthy and physically fit? What about being highly successful in school or your career? Whatever your vision is, make sure it’s something that excites you and makes your heart beat a little faster.

2. Break it down: Come up with your Goals

The next step is to break your vision down into smaller and more manageable chunks. Goals should be specific, measurable, and actionable, think about what you want to accomplish this year, this month, or even this week. Maybe your goal is to lose a certain amount of weight or becoming more aware and informed on world issues. Whatever your goals are, pull out a piece of paper and jot them down. Did you know that you increase your chances of accomplishing a goal simply by writing it down? 40% - that means you’re already almost halfway there!

3. Act Small: Translate into Habits

We started big, now do the opposite - translate your goals into habits. Habits are regular behaviour patterns that are carved so deep into our brains that they become almost involuntary. Because they become almost second nature, habits are tremendously powerful in helping you achieve your goals. Hence, one seemingly small habit can greatly impact your quality of life and the way you do things. Expanding on the previous example of losing a certain amount of weight. Translating this goal into a habit could look something like this:

The magic number is 3 habits to focus on each month, and the Habit Journal does a very good job of walking you through the secret of realizing your goals through building habits. 

4. Be Intentional: Track and Reflect Daily

Just 5 minutes. With just 5 minutes a day spent on the Habit Journal in tracking and reflecting on your habits, you’ll be able to build the life you envision with intent and purpose. Daily reflection and tracking help you keep yourself accountable to your habits and live your life with intention going forward. The Habit Journal includes a monthly tracker and a section for daily self-reflection, intention setting, and gratitude - all essential tools to help you grow and improve, putting you on the path towards achieving your goals.

5. Bring it all back: Review your progress Monthly and Quarterly

On average, it takes 21 to 90 days to build a habit. That’s why a month is the perfect amount of time to practice your habits and alter them if needed. With the Habit Journal, the reviewing of habits is split into months while the reviewing of goals is done every 4 months. At the end of each month, you should ask yourself a few questions:

• Have I been consistent in carrying out your 3 habits?
• Is the action starting to feel like a habit?
• What can I do to improve the consistency of my habits?

Other than monthly reviews, it is also important to revisit your goals and habits quarterly to make sure you’re not losing sight of the big picture. Check that you’re habits still align with your goals and are indeed moving you closer to them. Take this time to also identify the goals that you’ll be committing to for the next 3 months.

The Bottom Line...

Although setting visions and goals sounds like a daunting task, it doesn’t need to be that way. Start small with habits and build towards your goals and visions. 

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.”

-Aristotle

View visions and goals as the destination while habits are the map. This is where the Habit Journal comes in, serving as an effective and comprehensive tool to track your habits and goals. It is a tool that breaks down the most difficult goals into simple, attainable habits so that you are empowered to control your life and make sure that those 2020 goals end up sticking.