I wonder what would happen if I did a better job managing my own life. What if I stayed disciplined throughout the year and did the things I knew would make me a better person? How much more satisfied would I be knowing that I prioritized the important things in my life?
This introduction was inspired by an article that Chukwuka shared with me this week. It really put into perspective some of the reflections I’ve had this January. What if I just tried harder? I started this year with so much enthusiasm, determined to put my best foot forward in all the things that matter to me. 2025 is the year I’m going to do better at the things I’m already doing!
Going Public With My Writing
This is the year I’m going public (beyond close friends and family) with my newsletter. I’ve enjoyed writing this past year. In the beginning, I was afraid my writing wouldn’t be good enough to share widely. But this year, I don’t care about that. As long as I’m trying my very hardest to show up as a writer each day, it doesn’t matter whether it’s perfect or not. Progress over perfection, always.
Diving Deeper Into Learning
This is also the year I want to know more deeply about the things I’m already interested in. Recently, my younger brother, Les, came to visit, and he spent hours talking and debating with Chizom. These two went on and on, mentioning names, events, and places I’d never heard of. How do they retain so much information? And what’s worse is that I grew up in the same house as Les. How has he now become so much smarter than me? Arghhh!
I’m going hard with learning this year! I might not know all the things they know, but within my areas of expertise, I will be as badass as possible! Citing papers and authors, books and quotes—oh, just watch and see!
Levelling Up My Systems
This year, I’m levelling up my systems. Goals will always change based on the season and phase of my life, but my systems will remain consistent and get better over time. I’ve spent a good portion of my adult life following productivity experts. I feel like I’ve learned enough to say I know every trick in the book. All I need now is disciplined implementation.
Which really just goes back to my initial question: What if I did a better job this year following my systems through? Not obsessing too much about the goals, because they will change—sometimes in an instant—but focusing on the systems. Systems are the foundation for this better self I’m trying to achieve.
How I Plan for My Year
I sit down and write out everything I could possibly imagine wanting to do that year—all the things I want to get better at—and visualize how they all build into adventures and side quests.
Then I categorize them into different aspects of my life: faith, work, relationships, finances, health, and recreation. I recently learned about the PARA method from Tiago Forte and modified it so I could organize everything into projects, work (replaced areas with this), resources, and archives. (I’ve especially enjoyed archiving all the stuff I just don’t see myself going back to but find too difficult to delete, from files to emails to messages and projects.)
But if I’m being honest, this is all fanfare. If I were advising someone on planning, I’d just say, “Write it down.” I do the rest because I enjoy it—it makes me feel good.
Routines: The Backbone of My System
Once the writing down is complete, this is the main part that will make everything work: routines. I love routines.
My morning routine, my evening routine, my weekend routine—all the routines are part of the system. They’re the most important part because they provide structure.
For example, I want to maintain my weight and build muscle (that’s a goal). I use FitOn and Strong apps to do home workouts and track my exercises at the gym (tools). But to achieve the goal, I have to actually exercise. So, I wake up at 5:30 a.m. to get to the gym at 6:00 a.m. and work out for 45 minutes every workday—that’s a routine. This is now part of my fitness system.
I’ve built systems around remote working that ensure work-life balance. For instance, I treat my remote job as a 9-to-5 routine with clear start and end points. I use tools like TickTick to track my workload and prioritize tasks. Setting specific work goals has helped me stand out as a hardworking staff member without ever overworking myself.
One of my most solid routines is my morning routine—a blend of small tasks geared towards learning and staying healthy. From listening to podcasts in the shower to drinking herbal tea, journaling, and reading scripture, these habits anchor my day.
The Struggle With Traveling
My biggest struggle has been maintaining routines while travelling. To combat this, I’ve created a “bare minimum” routine that keeps things from becoming overwhelming. This way, I stay grounded even when I’m out of my comfort zone.
Why Goals and Routines Go Hand in Hand
Queen and I were talking about goal-setting and how a good marker of someone who knows what they’re doing with their life is that they have goals. We agreed that there are people who go year in and year out without goal-setting and do just fine. They have good, stable jobs, friends, and a community. If they keep doing what they’re doing for the next 50 years, they’ll be okay.
But then there are people who need goals because if they keep going the way they are, they’ll end up resenting their choices and feeling miserable. We also agreed that if you have goals, you must have routines. There has to be something that shows you’re waking up every day trying to accomplish those goals. I enjoyed that conversation.
If my systems failed, what would I have learnt?
Instead of asking, “What if my systems fail?” I reframe it as an opportunity to learn and restructure. I think I picked this up from Modern Wisdom in an episode with Tony Robbins. Instead of imagining the worst possible outcome, consider the alternative perspective: it’s actually good that this happened now so I can do it better.
For example, I’ve been trying to establish a consistent evening routine for three years and have failed every time. The main reason? I haven’t accounted for my energy levels at the end of the day. My body just wants to relax, and here I am trying to get things done. So this year, instead of adding too many things, I’ll build a routine around what I naturally want to do. Once it’s solidified, I’ll start swapping out the things I don’t want to do for the things I should want to do. (Instead of doom-scrolling on Instagram, I should want to read a book.)
Resolutions for the Fun of It
I have made resolutions in the past. Resolutions are just words—decisions we make at the beginning of the year and then forget about because we never tie them to any action. But when you have systems, you can have resolutions.
This year:
I’ll do a better job of keeping in touch.
I’ll stop apologizing for things I can’t control.
I’ll refuse to be stressed.
The thing is, saying these resolutions isn’t enough. It’s still fun to say them, though! But this year, I’ve decided to tie them to systems. For example, I have a zero-inbox rule for WhatsApp, which should technically mean I’ll be better at messaging people. I also have a Wednesday Waffle group, which should technically mean I’ll keep in touch more. But…
I know resolutions have no set metric for success. So, if I keep a zero inbox on WhatsApp but never initiate any conversations, would I honestly feel like I’ve done a better job of keeping in touch? Probably not. But like I said, resolutions make New Year planning a bit more whimsical.
Remember when Nigerians resolved not to “gree for anybody” last year? Surprisingly, they’ve “greed” to almost every government policy and economic shift that seems to perpetually impoverish the nation. I guess their resolution wasn’t as strong as they thought.
If you enjoyed reading this article, please share it with a friend! I’d love to hear your thoughts about becoming a better person in 2025.
This is fire. I don't even know how to get started on the little chunks of faulty routines. I got big chunks of time that I used in a way that burnt me out, I need to work differently. Thanks for being our very own 'krista ginger'
There's a football manager named Thomas Frank and got like 4 seconds I thought he was the one you were referencing in that image. My hopes and dreams have been dashed.