February Update 25 for 2025

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I've had such a good month, and I feel safe to say that I'm getting back on the accomplishment track.

My 25 for 2025 Plan is working. I think I've made realistic steps to get ahead when for the last few years, I've been way behind.

You'll find a recap below of the first 3 items on my 25 for 2025 List and a very brief summary of the tasks and the results so far.

Some of the items on my list pertain to my writing career, but the concept of what makes achievement possible is applicable to anyone who's trying to achieve something. With that thought in mind, I've also offered a little advice of how you can apply the core idea to any situation.

#4 for 2025

Find out whether you're using your time effectively.

This coincides with #2 for 2025. Most people roll their eyes when they hear this, or they protest that they really don't have any free time to monitor because they have such a busy life. The truth is we all waste time. We claim we're too busy, too tired, or too stressed which is why we can't get that Thing We Really Want. We say we need to relax so we watch a movie. We say we're too stressed so we avoid doing anything that requires physical or mental effort.

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There's an easy way to find out if you're using time effectively. Keep a time journal for a few days—a week is even better.

I did this from the time I awoke in the morning until I crawled in bed at night.

I found I spent way too much time in the morning  drinking coffee and watching YouTube videos about what's going on in the country, gardening videos, arts and crafts videos, world history, and other subjects that interest me.

I was spending the hours between waking and noon in pursuits that educated me about subjects not germane to my writing rather than taking action on my writing projects. I wasted valuable time that put me even further behind on things I said I wanted to achieve.

It was usually 2:00PM every day before I tackled writing. By then, I'd lost the motivation so I had to force myself to go to my office. That meant, I was NOT having fun or enjoying the journey—and that meant I was emotionally tired, overwhelmed, and angry at myself. After dinner, I was exhausted from the emotional battle so I looked for relaxation at places like Netflix or in a book.

The next day, the cycle repeated itself. After a few days, it was easy to see I had become  my own worst enemy by creating a habit that did not serve me and what I wanted out of my career or my life.

If, like me, you are your own boss, you need to be a demanding boss. I ended my vicious time-wasting cycle by using my cell phone. I set a Monday through Friday alarm for 9:00AM.

When the alarm goes, off, I get up and go to my office, close the door, put on music, and do what I wrote in my Day Planner as my number 1 priority for the day. I set alarms for lunch, for back to the office afterwards, and for end of day.

This helps one get into the habit of taking action when it's time to take action. Action is the missing link if you're not achieving what you say you want. There's magic in taking target action.

RECAP OF 25 FOR 2025

#1 for 2025 - January 1 Post

Be realistic in setting goals, planning work, or writing resolutions.

I can't believe how much more I look forward to going to my office because I've scaled down my daily expectations of what I can achieve. Seriously, if you find yourself constantly feeling overwhelmed, take a step back and look at your expectations. Are they realistic?

#2 for 2025 - January 2 Post

Use a day planner to be accountable and to stay on task.

Again, I'm amazed at how much going back to this daily habit has increased my productivity. This is a profound key to accomplishment.

#3 for 2025 - January 31 Post

Update the file format on all my previously published ebooks.

This item requires ongoing work because it's a big project. With big projects, consistency of action and persistence are required.

I'm hanging in there and working each day on this. If you have a huge project, the important thing is to take action every day to get it done.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

We all have the same 24 hours given to us each day. How you spend those hours determines how your life will turn out. If you want an amazing life, then that means you must master your time rather than fritter it away and make excuses.

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