3 Things I’m Adopting For A More Productive Year + A Free Habit Tracker Checklist.

One thing I like about the New Year is the sense of newness that comes with it. That feeling of having a blank slate to rewrite my story and fix what needs fixing.

Last year, I basically went with the flow. Of course, I had a couple of things I wanted to do but for the most part, I was winging things.

This year, I’ve decided to try a different and more intentional approach to life. I’m usually not into “words for the year” but for some reason, the word that has been ringing in my head regarding 2019 is “Intentional”.

So these are the top 3 changes I’m making in setting goals, mapping out my time, and generally leading a more intentional/productive life.

Here’s How I’m Prepping for a more productive and intentional life this year! And How You Can Too! Click To Tweet

1. Creating an effective morning routine.

As a creative entrepreneur working for myself with no one to report to at a set time every morning, it can be easy to just let myself wake up “whenever I wake up”.

But I was discussing with a friend who mentioned that he has an alarm set for every other hour of his day and maintains a very tight schedule starting from when he wakes up by 5 am till when he goes to bed by 10 pm.

I was pretty fascinated but also inspired to create a routine for my morning /day to better utilize my 24hrs more productively. So I made a list of all the things I had to get done early in the day, my typical workflow and habits I’ll like to start like exercising/journaling and allocated time for different activities throughout the day.

My current morning routine allocates time for different activities in the morning – like praying, journaling, exercising, replying my emails and scheduling social media posts for the day. I’m still getting the hang of it but one thing that has helped me so far is my routine/habit tracker which I put together for myself to help me stay on course.

I wanted to create a tracker where I could mark off tasks after I completed it, easily visualize my progress and be accountable. I use mine not just for my morning routine but to track my day as a whole.

I’m sharing this habit tracker in this post. So you can download, print out and paste to your wall or have handy for your use.

You can download it right here or by clicking the image below.

It takes 21days to form a habit, this free downloadable routine/habit tracker template will keep you accountable and help you stay consistent with your goals this year! Click To Tweet

2. Being Smart With My Goals – Creating Big Goals With Small Actions.

It’s one thing to list down the things you want to achieve for the year (goals and resolutions) and it’s another thing to actually create a pathway to achieve them.

With goal setting, I’m taking an extra step this year by not only listing my goals for the year but also breaking them down into goals for each month, timelines and going further to map out actionable steps for each.

Thankfully, my 2019 planner  comes with goal brain storming/actionable steps pages and also a calendar to break your goals down into months. You can get the planner HERE.

So instead of just writing out my goals in general. Now I’m breaking it down, putting a time frame to it and also including the reason why I’m doing it.

Here’s an example

• A personal Goal is to successfully create and follow through with a morning routine by the end of February.
• I’ll do this by using a routine tracker, setting alarms, choosing a friend to keep me accountable everyday and being disciplined
• I want to do this because I want to properly utilize my time and be more productive.

Want To Smash Your Goals This Year? Create SMART BIG Goals But With Small Actions. Here’s How! Click To Tweet

3. Journaling + Keeping A Gratitude List.

Asides from goals and all of the serious business and life plans, this year I intend to practice and make space for more gratitude and introspection in my life.

It’s so easy to lose sight of the little things and ways you’re growing or changing for the better if you don’t make a conscious effort to note it.

Recently someone asked me what the best thing I’ve achieved so far was and I came up blank because I didn’t think I’ve done anything so worthy of being shouted off the roof tops.

I was discrediting all of the admirable  things I’ve achieved like creating the Cassie Daves blog planner smh.

I cohosted a gratitude Jar and goal setting workshop the past weekend and I left with a gratitude Jar that I’m already putting to good use.

How To Be Hella Productive + Get More Done Everyday!! Click To Tweet

My notepads and planner are also coming in handy for both journaling and taking note of day to day wins/lessons as there’s a space in the Cassie Daves blog planner to list affirmations, things I’m grateful for and lessons learned every week.

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This year, I’m focusing more on simplifying my life and any process that will make it easier to be more productive is what I’m after.

The things I shared above might not look like anything “ghen ghen” but as long as it helps me achieve what I want to achieve, I’m good to go .

Do you currently have a morning routine? Are there any things you’re planning to do differently or adopt this year? Please share below and if you find this post/ my routine tracker helpful, feel free to use any of the click to tweets buttons above .