Ditch the Resolutions, Re-claim Your Time: Make 2024 Your Year
Why do only 9% of us achieve these lofty goals?
It’s that time again — New Year’s Eve, champagne bubbles, and notebooks overflowing with ambitious resolutions. We aim to sculpt six-packs that would make Chris Hemsworth weep, and meditate like Buddhist monks with our eyes permanently glued shut.
But let’s be honest, the statistics are brutal: only 9% of us achieve these lofty goals. As Mark Twain aptly put it,
“The trouble with people is not that they don’t have ideas, it’s that they have too many.”
Why the dismal success rate?
It’s not your fault. You’re in a war for your time. Multi-billion dollar tech giants like Facebook and TikTok have declared an all-out battle for your attention, crafting meticulously designed apps that hook you like poor fish in a big big pond.
Every notification, every scroll, every like is meticulously planned to drain your focus and turn you into a captive audience.
As William James observed,
“Attention is the rarest and most precious commodity of the modern world.”
And with many people having short attention spans like goldfish 😝, time becomes even more valuable.
Reason 1
~50% of your day — almost half! — is spent with your mind wandering away from the things you want to do. How many times have you “checked your phone for a second” and fallen into an hour-long Instagram rabbit hole, your brain feeling like mush by the time you emerge?
As Einstein warned,
“I fear the day technology will surpass our human intelligence, then the world will be ruled by idiots with algorithms.”
The average person now spends over 4 hours a day glued to their screen. That’s a third of your waking life staring at memes and ads!
Is that really how you want to spend your precious time?
I bet not!
Reason 2
Another reason why you fail miserably is because you tend to bite more than you can chew. You think that you can make everything right by doing more. So, you go and make resolutions for all the aspects of your life. Health, Relationships, Money, Work, Travel. Because of that, you end up signing up for too much. Soon, you start to lag, and the guilt creeps in. You find yourself exactly where you started in just 15 days.
“Never give a clown too many balls to juggle.” — Will Leamon
Here’s what you need to do…
Instead of setting yourself up for another year of disappointment, let’s reclaim your time and attention. First, realise that your phone has the power to do both good and bad. So, please stop the doom scrolling and set a timer for the social media apps to 30 minutes a day.
With that out of the way! Here’s how to make 2024 your year.
Instead of setting typical, mundane goals like getting a gym membership that you might not use or going on a diet that doesn’t last, let’s aim for things that genuinely excite us. Imagine confronting your deepest fears and overcoming them, much like trying broccoli for the first time and discovering that it’s surprisingly delightful.
Embrace who you are fully, quirks and all. These unique traits define you and make you stand out in your beautiful way. Dive deep into discovering what genuinely ignites passion within you, much like a pirate embarking on a thrilling adventure in search of a treasured life.
It’s essential to connect on a deeper level with people around us. Whether it’s cherishing moments with your best friend or appreciating the small gestures from the barista who knows your coffee order by heart, let’s value these connections. Taking a moment to show gratitude for the little joys in life, be it a sunny day, a hilarious pet video, or belting out tunes at karaoke, can make all the difference.
The aim isn’t to burden ourselves with strict timelines or pressures. Instead, it’s about embracing personal growth, celebrating every small win, and learning from setbacks. By focusing on cultivating joy, meaning, and purpose in our lives, we can create a fulfilling journey.
So, as we embark on this journey, let’s raise a toast to courage, kindness, and authenticity. Let’s pursue our aspirations with unwavering determination, driven by a genuine desire to make the most of our lives.
Wrapping Up!
This year, let’s make 2024 not just about achievements, but about reclaiming our lives. Remember, it’s not merely about achieving goals; it’s about embarking on a heartfelt revolution that celebrates the best of humanity.
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