Reset your life: restart and refocus

When your phone starts to hang, your computer gives errors beyond your comprehension, or your iPad stops working — what do you do? Do you not reset them? Imagine if you could also reset your life. Elongated periods of stress, moments of grief, showers of uncertainties — what if you could tackle all this by flicking a button and bringing it back to normalcy? Wishful thinking or reality?

Each day brings myriad possibilities, including new possibilities of a better you — a focused, energised, and enthusiastic version of you is what every day deserves from you. To make the most of every possibility that comes your way, there are a few simple things that I have listed for you. All you have to do is hit the reset button. You can make it a lifestyle and follow it forever, and it is very doable.

But where is this button hiding? The skill to reset your life is a technique which involves basic coping skills that you need to have in your toolbox for the inevitable things that happen every day that cause you stress. Cumulative stress is something you do not take into account ever, but it is a major cause of procrastination, inefficiency at work and home, laziness, anger, and even health ailments in some cases. To avoid all these, all you need is a new way of life or a few tiny changes that impact your life far more than you can imagine. These habits and coping skills will help you bring your life back on track on days when everything seems too overwhelming.

Starting with the most difficult task — getting off your phone. I know very well that your phone is almost like an extended body part for you, but believe me, it is a heavenly feeling to be without it for a few minutes every day, promise, just a few minutes only. In these few minutes, you can pick up the long-lost pen and start writing. Write about your feelings, how you want your day to go or how your day went, and jot down those thoughts to get some clarity in life — now this is something your phone can never help you with.

While we speak about clarity, are you also struggling with pointing out exactly what you want? Clear goals also act as reinforcing reset buttons. When you have numerous things on your mind, going back to your goals gives you direction and makes you feel in control. To figure out your goals, start by writing three to five of the most important things you wish to achieve. In fact, you can write about 25 of the goals that you intend to achieve. Out of these 25 goals, mark the top five to make it easier for you. The remaining 20 goals are merely distractions (as per Warren Buffet), so avoid them. Your entire focus must be on the five goals that you mark for yourself.

Now, to achieve these five big goals, you will have to define daily activities or tasks or small daily to-dos. As outdated as it may sound, on a chaotic day, nothing is better to reset your life than a well-defined to-do list. When your mind is cluttered with 50 things, a to-do list gives you clarity about what to prioritise.

For example, if you want to start reading more, set a goal of reading 10 pages daily. If you intend to become fitter, set a goal of working out or walking at least five days a week. That is an easy way of achieving bigger goals through small daily habits. When you convert tasks into your every day routine, you win for life.

To ensure you create these daily habits and include all small tasks, start planning your days. From the time you wake up to when you fall asleep, you need to have a well-chalked-out schedule. What would your routine look like if it was built to hit each one of your needle-moving habits? Jot it down and be as specific as possible. Go back to how we operated in school, where even prayer timings and lunch hours were defined.

Don’t forget to keep track of your daily accomplishments. Write down what your day looks like. Compare your actual day to your ideal day and find out what is working and what is not working. For example, if you have written that you will wake up at 6am every day but you wake up at 8am, then you are losing two hours’ worth of goals. You can track this and either change the tasks according to waking up at 8am, or you can wake up at the decided time. Create a daily habit tracker to make it easier. You may write about the reasons for missing out on certain tasks separately in your journal. A tracker is the only reality check you need, after all, you can not lie to yourself.

Another tool to reset your life is decluttering. A couple of weeks into practice, take time out to declutter. Declutter your schedule — avoid things and habits that aren’t serving you right. Envision your goals. Clean up your physical space as it helps create a positive environment and mental space.

Decluttering relieves you of stress and anxiety, it calms your mind and helps you sleep better. A better sleep means a more focused, energetic you the next morning.

We are all facing life and its intricacies on a daily basis. It’s only natural to lose motivation on certain days. Just like small things accumulate over time to give us stress and anxiety, it is the accumulation of such small habits that makes us capable of remaining calm in constant chaos. By adopting simple, little habits that deal with planning, organisation, and reflecting, you can easily regain your focus, energy, and motivation. This is what will help you to focus on achieving your goals.

Also, fortnightly or monthly, fix up a day to celebrate your small daily wins. Celebration is essential in life as it creates a joyous attitude which further pumps you. You’ll feel more encouraged to do even better as nothing motivates humans more than rewards.

Habits are formed in 21 days, provided you are consistent. Once you get these daily habits into your routine, you will slowly turn them into a lifestyle. And, voila, you will have reset your life. To sum it up, daily tasks become habits, habits become a lifestyle, and lifestyle change creates a new you. That is exactly what you need — a changed mindset, a fresh vision, a new you! After all, change is the only constant. And what better than an intentional change that brings out your best version?