Struggling To Kick Off The New Year Productively? Here’s 8 Steps To Get Back On Track
There’s no time like Capricorn season to finally get your shit together. After all, Capricorns are all about ambition and order. Not to mention… it’s the start of a new year!
They have enormous dreams and nothing will stop them from reaching those visions. However, to live a big life means a fair amount of planning must be accounted for. Luckily, Capricorn is also all about organization, too.
That said, you don’t have to be a Capricorn in order to embody the energy of the mountain goat. As such, here is how to use Capricorn season and the new year energy to (finally) get your life together.
Step 1: List The Top Three Things That Aren’t Working
If you want to get your life figured out, you first need to name what isn’t working so you can start making the moves to fix it. While this can be an overwhelming task, simply start by listing the top three things in your life that aren’t going the way you need them to. For example, your finances, a lack of work-life balance, a rocky love life, fair-weather friendships, a messy living space, etc. Once you have your three areas defined…
Step 2: Figure Out Your S.M.A.R.T. Goals
Assign one S.M.A.R.T. goal to those three areas of your life you want to sort out. S.M.A.R.T. stands for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. Using the S.M.A.R.T. methodology helps you reach your goals because it makes planning and execution seamless.
Step 3: Set Firm Boundaries
With others and yourself. Boundaries will be essential while you tidy up your life. You’re going to need to say no sometimes and this might mean disappointing others. But the right people will always understand (even if they don’t necessarily get it at first).
Step 4: Use Some Sort Of Planning System
Whether you prefer a digital or a pen-and-paper calendar (or both), make sure you’re using some sort of planning system to keep track of everything you have going on such as your deadlines, work meetings, coffee dates, doctor’s appointments, etc.
Step 5: Check Off Those Nagging To-Do List Items
Those things you’ve been putting off since 2021 that will literally take like five minutes each? Yep. Now is the time. Get to it.
Step 6: Declutter, Declutter, Declutter
Because Capricorn season coincides with the start of the new year, now is an excellent time to declutter. Out with the old, more space for the new. If you’re not sure where to start, simply commit to decluttering one item per day until the end of Capricorn season.
Step 7: Automate Where You Can
Automating anything will make you feel like you have a personal assistant. So, if you can put any bills on auto-pay, do. If you can automatically have a certain percentage of your paycheck deposited into your savings, do. If you can have your emails automatically filed, do.
Step 8: Make Room For Your Humanity
And finally, make room for your humanity during this Capricorn season. It can be so easy to get caught up in the never-ending quest for self-improvement but this often can lead to striving for perfection, which you will never reach. And why? Because you’re human. Allow yourself to be so.