Alright, so 2024 kicked off, and you know how it is. Everyone’s buzzing about resolutions, grand plans, and all that jazz. Me? I’ve been down that road too many times. I’d make a list as long as my arm, feel super motivated for about a week, and then… well, life happens, right? By February, those resolutions are usually gathering dust somewhere in the back of my mind.
So this year, I thought, “Let’s try something different.” Instead of a whole bunch of things to change or achieve, I decided I just needed a simple phrase. A kind of guidepost, a motto to carry through the year. Something to just nudge me in the right direction when things get a bit hectic or when I start to drift.
My process for finding this motto? It wasn’t very scientific, I tell ya. First, I just sat down. Yep, revolutionary, I know. Grabbed a coffee, I think. Or maybe it was tea. Anyway, I just let my mind wander. What did I want this year to feel like? What was important? I remembered how last year felt a bit… scattered. I was jumping from one thing to another, starting loads of stuff, but not really seeing much through to the end. It was tiring, honestly, and didn’t feel very productive.
So, I started jotting down words. Just random words that came to mind. Things like ‘focus’, ‘finish’, ‘simple’, ‘steady’, ‘do’. My notepad looked like a proper mess, a real jumble of ideas. It wasn’t pretty, but it was a start.
Then I tried stringing some of these words together. ‘Focus and finish’? A bit too blunt, maybe. ‘Keep it steady’? Nice, but not quite punchy enough for what I was after. I wanted something that would remind me to cut through the noise and also to actually complete things, not just start them.
I must have played around with different combinations for a good hour or so. Some sounded too corporate, others too wishy-washy. I wanted something that felt personal, something that resonated with that feeling of wanting to avoid last year’s scattered energy.
Eventually, after a bit more mulling and scribbling, I landed on one. It’s not some profound philosophical statement or anything. It’s actually pretty straightforward. My motto for 2024 is: “Clear the Decks, Then Do the Thing.”
Why that? Well, “Clear the Decks” for me is about simplifying, getting rid of distractions, mental clutter, even actual physical clutter sometimes. It’s about creating space before I jump into something. And “Then Do the Thing” is the action part. It’s a reminder to actually execute, to complete the task at hand once I’ve made that space. Not overthink it, just get it done.
It sounds almost silly saying it out loud, but it really clicked for me. It’s a two-step reminder: prepare, then act. Simple as that. It’s not about doing a million things, but doing the important things properly, one at a time, after I’ve made sure I’m ready for them.
How am I making sure I stick to it? Well, I haven’t carved it in stone or anything. But I did write it down on a piece of card and stuck it on the side of my computer monitor. It’s just there, a little visual cue. When I feel myself getting pulled in too many directions, or when I’m procrastinating on something important, I glance at it. It’s a small thing, but hopefully, it’ll help keep me on a more focused path this year. We’ll see how it goes, but for now, it feels like a good, solid reminder for myself.
