Your Guide to Getting Your Sh!# Sorted
Michael Yi
Do you find that you’re just lost all the time? Not physically of course, but more like, your life isn’t on the right track? That your mind is a hot mess?
Well, not to worry! Here’s an action plan that will get you started on fixing the issues in all the areas of your life.
1. Take it one step at a time
I think the reason why we get so overwhelmed with all the things that we need to do is that we try to fix it all in one go. That’s not how you should do anything.
Breaking it down into smaller parts will make you more likely to stick to it and it will help you accomplish your goals. Let’s say that you really want to get your dream job. Think about what you’ll need to do to get there.
Do you need to go back to school? How are you going to leave your current job? Take these questions and break it down into mini how-to guides.
Don’t underestimate how much of an impact small things can have on your life.
2. Write a checklist
It’s one thing to think about changing your life, but chances are, if you just think about it, nothing will get done. One way of motivating yourself is to write down a checklist of all the shit you need to get in order.
Prioritise the things that you’re most worried about and work towards checking them off.
For Example: If you find that you’re spending too much money on the stuff that you can do without, then dedicate a section of your to-do list to your financial situation.
List your budget, write down your goal of how much you want in your bank account, along with other details that will help you keep track of your expenses.
3. Focus on your personal development
What do I mean by this? Well, for starters, everyone has personality flaws. Maybe you pass the blame to much on others or circumstances when you know deep down that you’re the one to blame, or that you value comfort over risk-taking.
Is this the kind of person you want to be for the rest of your life? When you ignore the opportunity to better yourself will only lead to self-sabotage.
You can, and should, work on progressing as a person. It may not be easy, and it may be time-consuming, but at the end of the day, you’ll become a much happier person because of it.
4. Change your mindset
This is a bit of an extension of the previous point. For a lot of people, knowing that their life is a mess is enough to send them spiralling out of control, while others will keep on striving towards their goal no matter the obstacles in their path.
If you’re part of the former, it may seem impossible to become the type of people who never gives up. But the amazing thing is that you don’t have to be stuck with the same mindset for the rest of your life.
Change the way you talk about yourself to develop a positive mindset.
Your mindset about pretty much anything is going to affect your overall mental health.
If something goes wrong in any area of your life, and you give yourself negative self-talk, then, of course, that’s going to make you feel down and out.
Before you know it, you’ve fallen into a vicious cycle. While working hard is important, remember that you should also focus on self-care. Speaking of…
5. Master your time management skills
Working for the whole day isn’t healthy, but doing no work is also not the way to go. It’s all about balance, but how do you maintain it when you have no time?
Ask yourself, are your time management skills up to scratch? If not, here are a few things that you can do to make the most out of your day:
- Plan your day the night before
- Do the biggest tasks first thing in the morning
- Remove all types of distractions when you’re working (e.g.: your phone, social media, netflix, etc)
- Whenever you find yourself getting distracted, pull yourself away and return to your work. The more you do this, the more you’ll become aware of your procrastination.
I know in the back of your mind, you might be thinking, So what? This is life. Life doesn’t always go according to plan, so why should I even try?
Yes, life isn’t always going to be great, and even when you take steps to make things better, you’ll probably still feel like you’re not getting anywhere.
But I can guarantee you, that doing nothing won’t achieve anything. The best thing you can do when you feel like things are getting out of hand is to start early and put a plan into action.
