??Saving the year

Five simple emotional regulation techniques to overcome procrastination, fear of getting started, and feeling overwhelmed towards our goals

Happy Monday Friends,

We are approaching the end of February.?Statistically, most of us abandon our New Year goals by this time.

I have fallen off track more often than I would like to admit. Therefore, this year, I am closely observing all my off-track moments, journalling why they happen and seeking answers through tips from fellow creatives.

I discovered that, except for some serious time constraints and limitations, most of our recurring roadblocks are emotional. Including procrastination, trouble getting started, and feeling overwhelmed.?That is fantastic news because, with some emotional regulation and discipline, it is all solvable.

If you struggle like me and don't know how to power through these emotional bottlenecks, I got you.

Here are five methods that I have found useful lately.

1. Make action the goal. Not the result.

Make it a goal to take action every day on the most important project of the year.

And?by action, I mean taking steps, which amounts to?doing the thing.

Image courtesy: Stangest Loop

For example, I want to write every day this year because I have this newsletter, my PhD, and my research papers. However, I have observed that it gets overwhelming when I make the goal too ambitious, such as finishing a section.

So, I now follow a crossover of?Tim Ferris?and?Nathan Barry’s advice.?I keep expectations supremely low and write 500 crappy words per day. Whatever I write might not be a masterpiece, but I get it out first thing in the morning and start the day on a good note.

1. Make it Specific, Measurable and Actionable

Last week, I watched?Thomas Frank's video?about aligning with this year’s goals. One tip he mentioned was breaking the year into specific action units.

He gave an example of living in Denver, Colorado and hardly making time for skiing despite having “ski more” as a goal. This goal is as vague as “working out more”. There is no method to it, no plan. How many times a week or a month? what days? But, if he plans to ski every alternate weekend, all commitments suddenly shift to make time for fortnightly ski sessions.

Looking back at my MPhil calendar, I can see that on many days, my goal was to write thesis?or?work on the thesis. That was such a vague goal. My progress became consistent when I started specifying how many words I wanted to write and alternated between writing and making weeks.

If you have a goal that needs consistent progress, it might be helpful to ask: if I want to achieve x this year, how do I show up for it on a daily or weekly level??A weekly review?is a perfect time to figure it out.

Image courtesy: Janis Ozolins

1. Put money on the line

Sometimes, it hurts in the right spot to put our hard-earned cash on the line.

Take a pay cut to free up time to work on your goal, or hire a coach whose payment hurts.

I have experimented with the latter.

Every time I make my gym payments, I scream inside. The only way to justify that outrageous fee is to figure out the workouts I enjoy and do them 5-6 times a week. The payment took the procrastination out of the equation in the beginning. Now, I go for the transformation I have seen in my health and immune system.

1. Make it fun

Freshman year isn’t fun because of our college major. It is fun because of all the fun stuff we get to do with like-minded people. Similarly,?having a beginner’s mindset and getting started on a goal with fun people is a recipe for success.

Last year, I started tennis lessons with my bestie, Alex. It is a sport that will stick with me for some time because of the funny banter we took to the field.

1. Talk to your future self

Since an ideal version of ourselves always exists in the future, it is wise to have a chat with them once in a while.

Entrepreneur Alex Hormozi mentions having a?meeting with his 85-year-old self?every week. He discusses the result of all the decisions made by his younger self. A lot of things gain perspective when discussed from this angle.

Image courtesy: Janis Ozolins

I have not done this exercise, but I have practised similar versions of it

In 2016, my department chair asked me to write my CV 10 years in the future. It took me a week to write that CV. The only details I remember from that CV are that was for Dr Wajiha Pervez and had all these made-up travel research grants. I have been fortunate enough to make good progress in both areas. But that was not the best part about that CV. The best part was that I realised everything I did not want to work towards in the next decade of my life.

I still write my 3-5 year ahead future self every year and take steps towards being her.

It is worth remembering that for every expected or unexpected outcome in life, results only follow actions. While we might not possibly explore all our ideas, it is worthwhile to start some this year and grow with them.

Have a great week.

Love,

Wajiha

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What I enjoyed this week

Being Present:? I usually hear my podcasts and book while walking or doing mundane chores. This week, I caught up with old friends while cleaning and enjoyed nature while walking. No audiobooks and no podcasts.