Credits: Social Media
5 habits I’m building to make 2024 my most productive year
It only feels like yesterday when we were celebrating the holiday season of 2023, and bam, almost a month of 2024 is already over. Like most people, I have my resolutions set for this year which I have vowed would be my most glorious so far – the year of glow-up.
Like billions of others around the world, I am filled with that January motivation right now saying cringe affirmations like “This is my year,” “It’s the year of Disha,” “2024 is my year,” “This time, it will be different” and more. While the passion to change old habits and build a new life is burning wild in all of us this month, I vowed to not let it become lukewarm as the weeks pass. Only time will tell how successful I am in this colossal endeavor, but here are the five habits I am building to make 2024 the best year of my adult life.
7 habits to make 2024 my most productive adult year
Morning jogs
Despite the many studies done on the benefits of morning jogs, I have failed to make it a daily habit. Although I enjoy jogging and make plans to do it the night before, I always find myself snoozing the alarm in the morning when it’s time to drag myself out of bed to do it.
My goal with jogging isn’t just weight loss, it is also to keep my body active because work from home and sitting in front of a computer for hours on end isn’t doing my health any favors. Not only does running help in weight loss, it also builds stamina, improving our cardiorespiratory and heart health. What’s more, studies suggest that jogging�helps people live longer. A study published on PubMed states that runners have a 25 to 40 percent reduced risk of premature mortality.
Reading and becoming an eloquent speaker
Like jogging, reading has been a hobby I haven’t properly committed to in 26 years of my life, even though I greatly enjoy it. Since entering adulthood I have found myself making a deluge of excuses about why I am too busy or too tired to do it consistently.
Deeply intertwined with reading is our vocabulary and our ability as a speaker. I have always been someone who was able to express themselves better in writing than in speaking. However, my adult years have made me realize that being an articulate speaker is equally important.
The wake-up call came when I found myself in a slew of embarrassing family situations where the group was discussing a complicated topic. I presented my opinions but simply couldn’t find the right vocabulary or weave together coherent thoughts to express and defend my point of view.
Consuming only high-quality content online
I have been guilty of getting lost in the stream of Instagram reels and YouTube shorts. While the two platforms have helped many people create a new profession for themselves, they have also caused the mental health of some people (like me) and productivity to plummet.
Hence the online content consumption plan for 2024 is exploring new genres of content, watching loads of anime, and exploring new stories in the science fiction, fantasy, and action genres. There’s something about watching colorful animation intertwined with a good story that releases those beautiful serotonins in my brain. Both animes and TV shows/movies in the fantasy genre leave our minds more relaxed and creative.
Action movies, on the other hand, fill us with adrenaline. That’s why I feel boundless gratitude for all the work Tom Cruise has done (thinking of Top Gun: Maverick, all Mission Impossible movies while doing the Italian finger-pinching gesture.)
Less sugar and junk food
Sugar is so addictive because it releases opioids and dopamine in our brains. Hence sugar can easily become the shortcut to feeling happy for people like me. I spent all of 2023 convincing myself every other day that I needed a sugary pick-me-up like a brownie, a donut, a waffle, or a Starbucks drink because the day was too hard without it. If not something sugary, it would be a burger or a pizza I’d be drooling over.
I convinced myself that it wasn’t a big deal because I was only consuming it in smaller portions and, a few months down the road, I was 7-8 kilos heavier than before and none of my clothes fit me properly. The realization was two-fold.
Not only was I feeling underconfident in my body now, there’s also a history of diabetes in my family. If there is any chance of dodging that bullet, it is by building discipline when it comes to my sugar consumption. Right now I am at one sugary item per week, which should be reduced to one a month.
No killing time and being on top of things
As a serial procrastinator, I find myself procrastinating over everything. However, that has changed this year. It’s time to be on top of things when it comes to my professional and personal life as well as the day-to-day asks. This means no sitting at the table with an empty plate while looking eyes wide at my computer screen. If the plate is cleared, I need to get up from the table.
It also means not letting dishes pile up in the sink until it becomes a house party for flies (have only done it a couple of times tbh). It also means replying to emails and messages swiftly. It’s about not putting off things that can be done immediately.
Wish me luck!
