2020: Thrive and Execute

[#1]

Hard to believe it is already mid January of a new decade. I wrote a couple of articles back in December called "New Year's Resolutions, Annual Reviews, Past Year Reviews...or None of the Above?" and "Crafting a Vision Board with Trello". Since "My 30-Day Digital Detox" from mid-December to mid-January I had a lot of time to work on my goals and fully map out my plans for the new year.

I completed Susannah Conway's "Unravel your Year 2020" workbook where one of the steps is looking ahead to 2020, and choosing a word(s) that will guide you intentionally. My two words for 2020 are Thrive and Execute. "Thrive" to put my health and well-being first and to always do my best in other aspects of my life, and "Execute" to get things done. As Mel Robbins says in her book "The 5 Second Rule", when something you need to get done pops in your mind you say to yourself, "5-4-3-2-1" and then immediately take action before your brain tries to make excuses to not do it. If you would like to choose your own word(s) to describe 2020, head on over to One Word 365 for a list of words for inspiration and to help you decide.

Instead of choosing large goals for 2020, I decided to focus on smaller daily habits that add up to big things over time. My lists in my "Thrive and Execute" Trello Vision Board are:
Morning (routine), Throughout the day, Evening (routine), Weekly Routine, Exercise, Healthy Eating, "Goals: Personal", "Goals: Work", Social, and "Stop Doing".

Each morning I visit this vision board for about 15-20 minutes to review all the actions and make notes on my progress. Keeping my goals top of mind each day so that they are etched in my brain and I am more intentional in taking action. So far the last 2 weeks have been going fantastic, it takes 21 days to create a habit (so I have 17 days in so far), and 90 days to make it part of your lifestyle. 

Wishing you all the best in your 2020 goals! Would love to hear how your month is going and how you stay on track with your goals ♡

[Jimmy Seddon]

@Jodi LeBlanc this was a fantastic read!  You've given me a lot to think about, I love the concept of having one to two as a guiding principal for the year.  I will report back once I have figured out what I'm going to go with.  There has been a lot of turmoil as work for me recently, and I think this might help me level set and figure out how I want to adapt and evolve with the recent changes!

[Ivan Lima]

@Jodi LeBlanc , I'm glad you shared this because it is very much similar to what I am looking for beginning 2020. At the end of each year, like everybody else, I try doing a retrospective of the year. Well, it is not a surprise that I end up forgetting a lot of things. However, this new year, I went ahead and created a board "Achievements 2020" with the following lists: "Backlog" - where I throw all my goals for 2020 -, and others from "Jan 2020" to "Dec 2020". At least twice a week, I check my backlog to allocate my goals to the appropriate list/month and I've been using labels to categorize them, i.e., promoting a goal to an achievement. I hope it will help me to stay on track with my goals!

[Jodi LeBlanc]

Thank you so much @Jimmy Seddon , Iam glad you found this helpful! I look forward to hearing what your 2020 word(s) will be when you decide :)

[Jodi LeBlanc]

Wonderful to hear @Ivan Lima , thank you for sharing your board and list structure. Wishing you all the best with your 2020 goals and achievements :)

[Tim Keyes]

Thank you for the post!

The 21/ 90 day rule is an interesting concept that I haven't heard/ thought of for a while.  It has been really challenging for me to take things one day at a time instead of being overwhelmed by thinking about a whole 21 or 90 day periods.  I am currently working on being more physically active! Holding myself accountable with notes or logs seems like a decent idea.

[Jodi LeBlanc]

Thanks @Tim Keyes , I take things one day at a time, but after 21 times your brain starts to see it as part of your regular routine. However it also only takes 3 days of not doing something to break a habit.

You may find this card system in Trello I use to keep active, easy to use but adds an accountability factor and once you see the checklist numbers climb it makes you want to keep it up :)

https://community.atlassian.com/t5/Trello-articles/Keeping-Active-with-Trello/ba-p/1101578

[Jimmy Seddon]

I said I would be back after I came up with one word. 

So I clicked on the link above and I read through the list of words they have to give you ideas.  I should step back and re-iterate that I really like this concept as a "New Year's Resolution" replacement.  Instead of trying to commit to something very specific, you are taking a single word as the theme and general attitude that you apply to all of your goals for the coming year.

There were some many good words, but I managed to find a single word that I feel embodies a number of the other words and describes where I am today and what I'm going to do to get where I want to be by the end of 2020!

That word is "Unstoppable"! 

I have done a great job in the later half of 2019 proving that the work I do at my company is critical and that we need to start building a team around it if we want to be able to grow and scale.  As 2020 begins, I want to continue that momentum.  As long as I keep reminding myself that the only roadblocks I will encounter are the excuses I put in front of myself nothing will stop me from achieving great things in 2020.

Thanks again for the wonderful post @Jodi LeBlanc! 

[Jodi LeBlanc]

Hey @Jimmy Seddon so happy that you enjoyed the process of selecting your 2020 word and that it may replace your NY Resolutions in the future :) I love how you described it, and that word choice for you is perfect! In my opinion, you are already unstoppable, but glad to hear that no matter what roadblocks you encounter this year, you won't let them stop you! 

[Shawn Kessler]

@Jodi LeBlanc I am really impressed with your posts, the more I read your content. You are an excellent Community Leader and give us lots to think about. Keep up the excellent work!

[Jodi LeBlanc]

Thanks for your kind words @Shawn Kessler - you brightened my day!  I love this community so much ♡