The new year is upon us. Resolutions have been made, and some have already been broken. If you’re looking to make 2015 your best year ever in terms of personal and professional progress, you have to look at things differently. It is not too late….yet.The problem with yearly goals is that they are too vague, and the reward mechanism in our minds is activated too late. You can only say you have completed a resolution after you’ve stuck to it for a full year. Instead of giving yourself an unreasonable target like a yearly goal, think about what you need to do every single day. Small changes and daily routines bring about incredible change when compounded over time. Let’s look at a few great daily habits to adopt in 2015.1. Wake up early.I recently read a book for Robin Sharma, an influential motivational speaker and writer of our time. He repeatedly emphasizes the importance of waking up early. By waking up earlier than most people, you are essentially giving yourself a couple of hours of extra time during the day. If you take an hour to finish your morning routine before you get to work, waking up early gives you the buffer time you need. This way, you’ll begin work at or before the time you used to wake up in the past.2. Read a little every single day.Most of us are already aware of the benefits of reading, but in 2015, resolve to read a little bit daily. If you read even 10 pages every day, that amounts to 3650 pages in a year. This means that you will have read around 10 full-sized books. Reading stimulates your mind in a way that no other activity can. You can enrich your life with the experiences of people from all over the world by making time to read. Ok, here it comes: “No, it is not considered reading”. I mean by that reading gossip blogs or twitter feeds.3. Indulge in some form of exercise.If you’re already cringing at the thought of having to exercise every day, you need to pick up this habit more than anyone else. Exercising doesn’t mean driving to the gym and lifting something heavy. If you’re not fond of resistance training, you can indulge in some light yoga, aerobics or bodyweight exercises. Whatever you choose, make sure you put aside 30 minutes each day for exercising.4. Maintain a gratitude journal.Practicing gratitude is a tremendously beneficial activity & works very well for me. If you’re swamped with work and you feel life is passing you by, practicing gratitude will help you a lot. In the midst of all the chaos, when you sit down at the end of each day and list the things that you are thankful for, you will gain perspective. You will find yourself happier, more relaxed and open to new relationships when maintaining a gratitude journal.5. Organize your day with a list.Oh, but lists are boring! Maybe, but they work. Planning your day in advance is one of the most powerful tools you can give yourself to reclaim your time. Without a schedule for your day, you might find yourself reacting to external stimuli all day without achieving anything productive. Make a list of the things you need to get done before you begin your day, and refer to it constantly while you’re awake.6. Get the important stuff out of the way first.You have a finite amount of willpower and decision-making ability. If you put off important or uncomfortable tasks until late in the day, you will find that you are more likely to skip them altogether. Think of your important tasks as levels in a game. When you begin the game, you have all your lives and hit points available to you. It’s better to complete the tougher levels when you have more resources available to you. It might seem like a trivial idea, but it is tremendously effective when you put it into practice.7. Push yourself a little further each day.If you want to achieve extraordinary results, you’re going to have to do things differently this year. This always works for me on a personal and business level. This could mean running the extra mile, staying up late or waking up early. By pushing yourself a little more each day, you will dramatically improve your productivity and your results will energize you to keep going.8. Learn something new.Your brain is like a muscle. You need to stimulate it constantly if you want to ensure growth. This year, make a list of things you want to learn and work on them daily. You might want to learn a new language, learn how to play the guitar or explore a new subject. Pick something that you haven’t done before and take small steps towards learning it every day.–When you put these habits into practice, you will transform into an unstoppable juggernaut of success in 2015. It is not easy but remember, it’s all about the little things. Get to work.
