Seven states for 2017

My next year isn’t so much about accomplishing things, or reaching goals. Because goals are apparently about creating habits. Do the right things and stuff gets done.

Well, I’m dialing it back slightly. Next year for me isn’t about goals. It isn’t even about doing. 2017 for me is about spending as much time as possible in the following states.

Monotasking
I get distracted easily, and so stuff takes longer than it ought to. My plan is to spend more time doing things singly and completely. And just be present. Focused. It’s amazing how much stuff gets done when there’s deep, uninterrupted focus at work.

Meditation
Basically monotasking for mental space and breathing. I’ve been meditating intermittently in 2016, and it’s great. It’s basically being bored for a bit, but in a relaxing and planned way. In an age of overstimulation, where every spare moment I click the button my phone just to see what stray impulse might get into my awareness, choosing to unplug is a small sanity-saving act of rebellion.

Presence
I’ve got a baby, and it brings my tendency to be scattered or check out mentally into full awareness. As she gets more and more switched on, I’ll need to match her. Plus, it’s pretty cool to have my baby just look into my eyes and smile. I need to be able to do the same.

Daydreaming
Having said I need to be present, I’m still on top of daydreaming. such a great and important thing to be doing. It’s the reason I keep a notebook in my pocket. For the drifts. Making space for ideas. With a job and a baby, it’s hard for me to find time to not do anything. But not doing anything is something important.

Sweaty
I’ve taken a few hot yoga classes this past month. It didn’t totally thrill me — it just seems like regular yoga with the temperature turned up — but I did appreciate that feeling of being sweaty. It also happens when I play football or go jogging. Being sweaty is something I want to do more of next year.

Challenged
I dabbled in some cool things this year. Acquiring new skills and doing things I’m not good at. Or just feel scary. I’ve still got a long way to go before I’ve got any level of competence in one of these areas.

magic
harmonica
singing
sailing

Completion
I’m blocking out my second solo storytelling show and am almost done editing my first book. Getting these finished, polished and out into the worlds are daunting challenges, for both personal and time management reasons. But I’m not backing down. Again: this isn’t about doing, this is about being in the state of getting shit done.

By Ryan Millar|2017-09-14T08:43:34+00:00December 29 2016|

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Ben, Tel Aviv

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Pedro, Lisbon

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Jeremy, Brussels

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Calum, Brighton

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Laura, Amsterdam

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Martin, Tampere

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Marton, Budapest

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Tracy, Dublin

Seven states for 2017

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Seven states for 2017

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