10 small ways I'm improving my 2024

1. Staying hydrated - drinking more water

When I was in Singapore recently, a big thing stuck out to me -- I got dehydrated easily and it severely affected my focus, mood and willingness to do anything. My sister (who was there experiencing the same conditions as me) fared way better. While she also was affected by the heat and humidity, she was able to keep her composure and stay focused throughout our trip.

I, on the other hand, became extremely agitated, and was on the brink of collapse multiple times (mentally and physically). This made me think -- I'm not a big 'drinking water' gal, I maybe drink 4 glasses a day (half of what's recommended), and I haven't been able to focus well in the past few years. Could dehydration be the cause of it? Probably yes.

While I hate having to go to the bathroom every half hour because I'm drinking too much water, I definitely want to become a bit more healthy in 2024.

2. Switch over to completely timed tasks (via my Google Calendar and Tasks)

For the past several years, my central to-do system has been a simple Google Doc with a bulleted list of things to do. But lately, I've realised this system has made my life incredibly stressful.

Why? Because as I've grown older, I've become busier than ever, and I now have a list of never ending tasks that always recur. I often have to plan for the future too, since long term tasks always pop up a few months in advance. These tasks usually can't be completed until a certain time, but I need to include them in my to-do list otherwise I'll forget. This means my to-do list never clears up, and every time I see it there's a long list of looming tasks I still have to do.

Because of this, I am always thinking about the future, waiting for things to end -- and this is a bad mindset to be in. Also I feel helpless knowing that I have tasks I can’t do right now, but I’m still using my brain space to think and worry about them.

So instead of having the big to do list in Google Docs, I’ve now switched to adding tasks in my Google Calendar (it also links to my Google Tasks app). This way, the only things I focus on are the tasks that show up on the day (and maybe the ones on the next day). I don't have to think that far ahead anymore. And when I want to write things down, I use my timeblock planner to plan my day on paper. I started implementing it a few weeks ago and I've noticed my stress levels go down and I'm way more focused.

3. Reading one book a month, only reading things I enjoy

So 2023 was probably one of the worst years for my reading -- I bought and started so many books, and maybe finished 2-3. I think this was because I had such a good 2022 book reading year, that I thought I'd read more books that were outside of my genre of current interests. I usually love reading non-fiction: self-help, productivity, business or memoirs -- but this year I tried to jump into fiction and failed quite a bit. I don't think fiction is out of the question, but if I get stuck on a book I can't finish, I need to leave it and quickly move onto something else that will be more enjoyable.

A small goal of mine is to read 1 book a month (if I don't it's not a big deal). But it's a good way to remember that I could be reading something at all times. Because my goal is very small and achievable, I’ve already finished 2 books this month (and it’s only halfway through Jan!).

4. Dump things that don't make me happy, or find ways to make it more enjoyable

Kinda related to the last point, I need to dump habits or hobbies faster if they aren't serving me. When I was young, I was told everything worth doing would be hard work (and I don't dispute that). But if something becomes so un-enjoyable that it increases my overall stress and anxiety, I need to reevaluate whether it’s something I should still be doing. I’d have to either stop doing it completely, pivot my system, or change my mindset towards it. This year, it’s all about trusting my gut, and not feeling obligated towards things that decrease my quality of life.

5. Set an aim AND a limit on every goal I have

When I set a goal, I tend to just go a bit crazy once I start doing it. For example, a small aim of mine is to write a blog every month in 2024, but when I happen to accomplish something quickly (for example, I wrote *this* blog post in a few hours, on my phone, on my flight back from Singapore), my mind immediately thinks I can write 1 blog a week now.

I can do things quickly when I'm focused (this is why I procrastinate so much and leave things until the last minute), and when I get reminded of how quickly I finish tasks or how dedicated I can be, I tend to think, 'Awesome, let's do that... But even more!'. This often leads to disappointment and failure, because the goal often isn’t balanced with all the other things I need to do in my life.

So I've decided I must put a limit on my goals, so they can be sustainable in my life. Am I capable of writing 4 blogs a month? Maybe! But I'm allowing myself to only do 2 blog posts max if I'm on a writing frenzy. This will apply to other tasks too, like drawing, reading books, and finishing shows.

6. Journaling in two ways - daily reflection and making my 'crow book'

Every year I buy a new diary, and every year I fail to maintain it. But this year will be different (I hope)!! I bought the Hobonichi Techo Cousin, which is an incredibly popular diary amongst planner enthusiasts. I’ve been using it for 2 weeks now and LOVING it. I like how the Hobonichi is purely for my technical and planning side – it’s just my handwriting and it doesn’t have to look pretty.

I also have started a separate 'crow journal' which is a small thin journal (I use a Moleskine Cahier) where I glue in random pieces of ephemera, ticket stubs, stickers that I've collected over the months. I'm a bit of a hoarder and I like collecting random artifacts, especially when they have cool designs. I love flicking through it.

7. Creating a vision board, surrounding myself with visual cues to stay inspired

I am a visual person (I am a designer after all). But surprisingly I have never made a vision board of any kind (maybe because I believe I don't need it BECAUSE I'm a visual person?). Last year I realised that I feel inspired to draw when I see amazing work (movies and books), or when I think about people who do incredible work (like Hayao Miyazaki). Now that I want to be more focused with my creative goals, it's time for me to make my first vision board in 2024! (I also saw on TikTok that making a 2024 bingo card with your goals is quite effective as well!)

8. Taking on 1 big focus project at a time, and do the bare minimum for creative tasks

I tend to juggle heaps of projects at the same time, which often means I don't end finishing any at all. I also over inflate the task, i.e. instead of doing a simple blog or image, I have to plan an accompanying social post, process video, or make it into a 'series'. In 2024, I need to do less, and do things one at a time. I predict by trying to do less per task, I'll do more in the long run.

9. Chip away at things in a small way, as things will compound

Piggybacking on the point above, in the last few weeks I've been chipping away at things in smaller ways, rather than tackling them in a big way. A good example is tidying up my apartment. Usually I let the mess accumulate because I tend to do a big tidy at the end of the week anyway – which unfortunately leads to a longer cleaning time on the weekend. Now instead, I tidy for 5-10 minutes a day (even if it's putting only 1 thing away), because I know that doing a small thing now will be one less thing I have to do at the end of the week. This has improved my life a lot, and I can always find 5 minutes here and there to do something to make Future-Deb's life a bit easier.

10. Taking the ‘weight’ out of everything I do

The worst thing about my anxiety is that I put a great deal of weight into every action I make. In the past few years, something as simple as reading a book would send me down a spiral; I’m reading this book right now, but am I wasting my time? Could I be reading a better book? Could I be doing something else to improve my life? What could I be doing better?

Or something like writing: I’m writing this blog, but could I be doing something else that makes me feel more creative? Something that will make me happy and my audience happy? Is anyone going to read this? If no one sees it, is there a point? If it doesn’t lead to anything should I be doing it?

This mindset applied to everything I did – including doing my skincare, cleaning my apartment, drawing, journaling… and it was exhausting questioning whether the things I was doing every day were valuable or ‘worth doing’. I’d be worried about time running out, whether or not I was spending time wisely… and I ended up micromanaging every second of my life.

Now, I’ve accepted that I do the things I do at the time I’m supposed to. I don’t give any of my actions weight or meaning, if I feel like doing it, I will do it and that is how I will live my life.