1-1-1: the secret to achievement

read my criteria for the perfect list of goals, the misago challenge, and some updates on time blocking.

Nov 26, 2024

november, 2024

edition 56.

so the sun officially sets before 4pm in london (help) and my seasonal depression/lack of motivation is really setting in. I’ll talk more about discipline + realistic goal setting in the advice section of the newsletter this week but my goodness does it hit me like a truck every year!

being in london with a full-time job has definitely made it worse. I’m trying to go out for lunchtime runs (especially on sunny days!) which has helped the mood but I now deal with a 3pm crash… I’m still figuring out my internal body schedule and trying to adapt to this full-time working thing, I forget I only started a 40-hour work week schedule 3 months ago!

the time-blocking updates from when I tried to do it forever ago:

I am someone who loves a schedule *to an extent* so what I’ve found works best is a mix of using my calendar (important meetings, ‘all day’ events aka reminders, any events, etc) to keep track of my life and a ever-changing digital to-do list on my notes app! no frills here — the simplicity of the system combined with always having a goal helps me so so much in terms of identifying what would make me most productive but not over-managing my time.

if you have any other time blocking tips or experiences, please drop em in the comments and let’s keep this conversation going !!

you can expect one email from me every week containing:

one quote that has been inspiring me
one journal prompt
one piece of advice*

* = if you want to submit a question for my upcoming emails, you can find the form here.

podcast

there are tons of guest episodes on the podcast from 2024 that are worth checking out — listen to them here <3

one quote

“how we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.”

—annie dillard

one journal prompt

what is one area of your life that feels out of sync with the person you aspire to become?

one piece of advice

“How do you set realistic goals?”

I’ve talked about SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound) goals in this newsletter before so I’m going to steer clear of that response (!generic!) and say this:

I watched a tiktok video a few weeks ago about a japanese practice called misogi — a practice that involves cleansing the body, mind, and spirit. the word means ‘water cleansing’ and has associated rituals of bathing or cleansing with cold water to purify and renew yourself. in samurai tradition, misogi helped warriors build mental clarity and push them to their limits.

to translate this to modern times, the ‘misogi challenge’ is about doing something tough once a year, every year, which shapes how you live the rest of the year.

the tiktok (posted by jesse itzler) phrases it as doing “one year defining thing every year” so you can say “in x year, I did y.”

I love this approach to goal setting (and to living life) because it helps give purposeful meaning to the years. I’d love to be 80 years old, sitting in my rocking chair, saying “oh, year 24? yeah, I ran my first half marathon. year 25 was when I…”

but if a one-year long goal isn’t your cup of tea, here are the criteria I would give for any other realistic goals in my life:

a goal list that has goals with all different timelines
each goal is actionable and specific (i.e. SMART)
goals span different parts of my life
the goal has some sort of accountability built in

if I don’t give myself the appropriate amount of time to work towards a goal, I’m going to fall short of my expectations and feel frustrated about it.

if I don’t choose multiple goals with different timelines, I won’t have anything to mark progress in the short-run and I’ll run out of motivation.

if my goals are only about one part of my life, I’ll give that part too much attention and feel out of balance.

if I don’t have any accountability (e.g. some sort of deadline), I won’t feel motivated to chip away at it every day.

ultimately, goal setting is personal and something you should come back to time and time again. the best goals are the ones you’re aware of and actively working towards :) **with this, it’s also okay to realise that something you’re working towards may not be something you’re excited about/want anymore — allow yourself to reappraise goals when this happens**

reading updates

currently reading: building a second brain by tiago forte, dance of thieves by mary e. pearson

finished this week:

reading challenge: 44/50, 1 book behind

if you want to keep up with my reading throughout the week, this is my goodreads :)

discount codes

these links are affiliate which means I'll earn commission if you purchase through them. thank you for the support!

FreeSoul: my protein + electrolytes — katieeu for 15% off
D.Louise: my daily jewelry — katieeu for 15% off
Healf: a one stop shop for health products — katieeu for 10% off
Runna: personalised running training plans — katieeu for 2 weeks free
lululemon: my current list of favourite things

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