10 Important Habits To Develop In The New Year

Almost all people on this planet think about the things they have accomplished throughout the past 12 months. Before you start being depressed about the goals you didn’t reach, you should take all experiences into your advantage and think of ways to improve your achievements in the 2014. If you don’t want your New Year’s resolutions to fade within few weeks, you have to do something different this time and stay focused on achieving the goals you set.

Is it possible to train yourself into a more focused person? It is if you start developing the right habits, which we will discuss below.

1. Rituals are important
You may think that rituals are monotonous and boring, but sticking to daily rituals is what makes people successful. All people with a high level of focus have one thing in common – they create their daily rituals and follow the routine. Set proper sleeping patterns, plan your diet and eat healthier, and make sure to devote some time to yourself every single day (you can meditate, exercise, run, walk, read… whatever makes you feel happy and accomplished).
2. Socialize with people with similar interests
If you know someone who has similar goals to yours, make sure to spend more time with them. When you socialize with such people, you will be constantly reminded about the aims you’ve set and you will get motivated with every new success they achieve. You can only benefit from healthy competition!
3. Don’t distract yourself
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and all other popular websites are fun, but terribly distracting. If you waste too much time on unproductive online activities, big achievements will continue slipping away from you. Make sure to finish all daily tasks before you allow yourself some personal time on social networks without feeling guilty.
4. Multitasking is not as effective as you think!
You may be proud of your ability to work on many things at the same time, but the truth is that you are not entirely focused on either task, which means that you are not giving your best. You have to work on the habit of tackling and completing one thing at a time. Multitasking doesn’t save you time – it is a distracting “skill” that prevents you from achieving perfect results.
5. Make a to-do list every day
This old-fashioned habit still does the trick. If you make a daily, monthly, and yearly to-do list, you will feel guilty when you don’t complete something, which will keep you motivated on becoming more productive. This simple habit will also help you practice prioritizing and distinguish the most important tasks from the ones that can be completed later with the same success.
6. Don’t leave things unfinished
Do you know what makes successful people different from mediocre achievers? They never leave things unfinished, unless they are certain they gave their best. Prolonging deadlines and giving up on tasks will weaken your mental strength and make you a quitter. You need to stay focused on every single task, no matter how unimportant it seems, and always give your best to complete it as well as you can.
7. Give yourself some time alone
Your work may be the highlight of the day, but that doesn’t mean you should allow it to consume you. Daily “alone time” is necessary if you want to stay focused on your goals longer. You should allow yourself some relaxing time every single day (sleeping doesn’t count). Do something that makes you happy and helps you recharge your batteries.
8. Have a vision board!
Creating a vision board may seem like an outdated ritual, but it’s a visual inspiration that will keep you focused on realizing your dreams and goals. Add articles, quotes, and images related to your yearly goals, and you will stay motivated to do something important every single day.
9. Set one or two great yearly goals
You surely have something big you want to achieve. Having a big yearly goal to run towards will keep you focused on life-long progress. Don’t set too many big goals, but make sure to include one or two in your New Year’s resolutions. Make sure to check on your progress every month and see what you have done towards the achievement of great things.
10. Focus on maintaining your focus!
The definition of focus is simple: controlling your mind, habits and behavior and keeping them towards a single goal at a time. Now try to achieve that and you will understand how difficult this simple concept is. However, it’s not impossible to control yourself and focus on realizing your goals if you stay motivated and make constant progress.
Conclusion – don’t get disappointed!
As you start the New Year with bigger goals and stronger focus, you have to realize that disappointments are part of the journey. There isn’t a successful person who hasn’t failed and stood up stronger than ever before. Don’t be distracted by the disturbances, stay in line with your routine and the success will come when it’s time arrives.