Hey Blog Fam,

Trust we are doing great and we are following hard after all that the Lord has placed in our hearts.

It's the beginning of another year, and I am sure we have all written down our goals, made our vision boards, all in a bid to ensure that 2022 is a much better year than 2021.

Drawing up plans is good, but those plans won't become accomplished only because you wrote them down, you need to still work on the plan. Want to know more, then continue reading...

I know how valuable time is, and if there is anything common to everyone, then it is the desire to make sure we are living our best lives every day.

There is also something I consider funny about time, time is structured in a way that either you are doing anything with it or not, it keeps moving and expects you to fill it up with things, you won't have anything to show for it once it has passed. 

Whether you decide to fill it up or not, it keeps moving, and it will only be in our best interest that we really fill up our time with productive things.

Let me share five ways I am using in making sure I live my best life every day that I believe if you implement it in your life, you'll certainly get results;  

 1. Write Down Your Daily Plans

This is synonymous with telling your hours where you want them to go.

There is something called a daily to-do list, they serve as guides in ensuring that you do the things you said that you will do.

Time really runs fast, and just before you know it, a day has passed, and before you can say another jack, a week has passed, and before you say another jack, a month has passed by, and that is how a year rolls by without doing anything substantial.

So as not to be caught living life just as it comes, have something(s) you are pursuing daily.

Get better every day. This is a good place to play Moses Bliss ‘Getting Bigger Everyday’. Just make sure you are getting better every day by itemizing the things you should do and then take it a step further and actually do them.

2. Do Something In The Direction Of Your Big Goal Daily

This point is a continuation of the first one.

As we go through life and living, we get to do a lot of things every day, but even if you keep recording success in those other things, there are only a few things that will truly bring you fulfillment when you do them.

It is in doing those specific things that we feel called to do, or cut out for, that is what really makes us feel fulfilled at the end of the day.

As much as possible, do something that makes it possible for you to achieve your Big goal every day.

Do the basic things you have to do, but don't lose sight of that big thing.

Don't just set the goal and go fold your hands, get to work. Daily work on your goal, doing this brings a level of satisfaction that makes you fulfilled every night that you are going in the direction of living your best life. 

It's not just achieving the big goal that counts, but the process that leads to the achievement. 

Remember that it's a little here today and a little there tomorrow that becomes what people term as success in the future.

3. Use Technology To Your Advantage

Yes, technology can be a blessing or a curse, I wrote an article sometimes back on how you can go on a social media break when it starts to get in the way of your productivity, you can read it here.

POINTERS THAT YOU NEED A SOCIAL MEDIA BREAK + HOW TO GET IT DONE

In making sure that your day is fully maximized, employ the gift of technology, but do not abuse it. 

Automate the things that can be automated, doing this frees up your mind space for the things your computer can't do for you.

Set alarms to serve as reminders for the things you want to do. On nights I want to wake up, I set multiple alarms on my two phones. I know I enjoy sleep, but it is almost impossible to sleep when multiple alarms are blazing in my ears. Those alarms serve as signals for me to wake up and do what I must do.

PRACTICAL TIPS TO HELP YOU STOP SLEEPING TOO MUCH

Set a data limit that you can't go past per day and be committed to it.

Uninstall Apps that you are always wasting time on.

There is so much work to get done, and the only way it can get done is by making sure everything is working in your favor, and anything that isn't aligning should be re-aligned.

4. Master The Act Of Self-Discipline

What would you do if no one is monitoring your activities daily?

Will you just binge-watch all your favorite films on Netflix, or would you work in the direction of your goals?

While watching films can be a reward for doing what you said you would do, it shouldn't take all of your time.

You won't always have people monitoring you all the time to make sure you follow through on the things you said you would do, but do you respect yourself that much to honor your words.

Acts of discipline or otherwise most times shows how much value we place on ourselves, this is due to the fact that if you place value on yourself, then you are likely to take yourself more seriously and this will translate in you following through on your plans even if no one will know if you didn't.

In being productive, the act of being disciplined is a card that makes you play to win.

5. Have An Accountability Partner

An acquaintance of mine once shared how she sends her daily goals to her accountability partner in the morning and then comes back to review the goals at the close of work every day.

For people who aren’t very disciplined on their own, you can go this route, get someone you can trust to hold you to your word and get the game rolling.

While having someone to report yourself to does not automatically lift the work off your shoulder, but it makes you want to push harder because you wouldn't want to feel the shame that comes from having to report back to someone that you failed.

The human body loves lazing around, and just chopping life, but there are things that must get done, and they wouldn’t do themselves, so it is you who must shun every bit of laziness and do what must be done.

Will you feel like doing the things you should do every day? 

Of course not, remember I told you that the human body likes lazing around. But even when you don’t want to do those things, still go ahead and do them. You can’t always wait to get in the mood, no one would accomplish much that way. 

When you feel like, get to work, when you don’t feel like, still get to work.

There will be a lot of time to rest when we get to heaven, but while we are here, work must be done!

And this is not me telling you not to rest, rest too, but just create a balance.

There is a thin line between resting and being lazy. Sometimes, I can be like this too, I'll be proclaiming I am resting whereas I am only trying to avoid doing the things I should do.

But, one thing I am continually doing is making sure my lazy days are declining, while my productive days are on the increase. This should be you too.

Having a great life doesn't come by chance, we have to be intentional about the kind of life we are building.

You know what you have been called to do, you know what makes your heart tickle, say bye to the unproductive life, and fully come on board on this productive living lane.

There is so much light***