So I took a pledge to really start achieving stuff in 2021, I posed the question to myself, how productive can I actually be?

What could I actually achieve if I fully realised every single day this year? how many skills could I develop? where would I end up?

So January has just closed it's doors and here's what I did.

  • Fixed my sleeping schedule, I started getting up at 6am and discovered I'm rediculously productive the earlier I get up, as the day goes on my focus drifts but from 6am to around 12pm I can get an unbelievable amount of stuff done. I now go to bed at 10pm and read for an hour until 11pm.
  • Started listening to audiobooks when I'm doing menial tasks, anything that can be autopiloted, cleaning, walking somewhere, running. I read 2 full audio books and have 3 that are almost finished, including Obama's monolithic 28 hour autobiography.
  • Started tracking my time, using Google Calander I journal my day using a traffic light system, green is good stuff, yellow is acceptable, red is stuff to avoid in future. I'm totally honest with this, no bs, if I watch youtube for a half hour, I include it and it's there in bright red for me to be ashamed of.
  • Started creating tasks for myself to do using sticky notes, I learned about qeues in programming and decided to implement them into my life. Take a pad of sticky notes, write from top down (without removing the notes from the pile) your tasks for the day, you deep focus on each individual task and remove it when done, stick it on a wall for you to look at later on.
  • Spent less than I earn, didn't eat a single pre-cooked meal, I cooked all of my food for myself in advance and kept the cost at a rediculously low amount. Turns out it's rediculously easy to cook on a budget, buy chicken, marinade it, stick it in the oven to roast. Make some rice with chicken stock and veg all that stuff costs at most £5 and lasts 3 days minimum. Use said chicken for sandwiches for lunch and breakfast. Credit cards are paid off and I have savings and investments now.
  • Started working through a Web Development bootcamp, I should be done by summer and with the things I've learned at University. I'll be able to do freelance work over summer easily and earn more than I would at a regular job.
  • Started running again, my goal is a half-marathon at the end of the year. I run 2.5 miles every day with a 3.5+ mile long run thrown in somewhere during the week. Sunday is my day off but I run in any and all weather, it's 1-3 celcius up north atm and I've been out running in the snow and rain, it really aint that big of a deal after 30 mins.
  • Set some long-term goals and planned my life around them. I want to get my own place, get my license and a car, earn bank while at uni, rotate a bunch of gorgeous women, run a half-marathon. I want this all done by the end of 2021 and I truly don't give a fuck what people think about it.

This has been the best month of my life, literally. I can't believe how much I have done and how great I feel. I'm carrying so much momentum into next month that I refuse to spend time with anyone who will sap that energy. It takes a lot to build this momentum but just one boozy lazy night to ruin it and that's not an option. I'm happy to peace out when my buddies are drinking and staying up late, I give zero fucks if they find it weird or say something, my life, my plan, my choices.

How was your January? and how is your february going to look?