No need to come up with plans and action items.
No need to monitor them and come up with milestones.
No need for support systems and accountability buddies.

It may be a sport you want to try, a hobby you want to start or, simply, a new skill you want to learn.

If they happen, 2019 will be more awesome. If not, it’s still all good.

For 2018, it was taking up a new sport for me. Luckily, my brother and some friends wanted the same thing so we ended up learning golf together.

For 2019, I want to get back into basketball coaching. This time though, I really want to be part of a coaching staff for a college or high school basketball team. I want to be part of a group that instills a system as well as mentor the youth both on and off the court.

There you have it. Universe, do your thing!

For the rest, I will use the Ever Better Challenge.

How about you? What do you want to throw out to the universe?

Originally published at Coach Rye.

Throw It Out There was originally published in Coach Rye on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

If you do not have Evernote yet, please use my referral link to register for a free account: http://bit.ly/e-Note

No, I won’t get paid for a free registration but it does raise my *status* as an Evernote Certified Consultant so thank you in advance. :)

Happy holidays! I hope you’re enjoying some well-earned rest after a busy 2018.

The end of the year is a great time to reflect on the past 12 months and set your goals for next year. But 4 out of 5 people who make New Year’s resolutions fail to reach them. Why is that?

Too often, we bite off more than we can chew and expect instant results. But change is gradual. If you change one small habit today and stick with it, before long you’ve changed your life.

To help you reach your goals in 2019, Evernote has created a program we call the Ever Better Challenge. In just 30 days, you’ll see how you can break the habits that have been holding you back, build new routines, and finish what you start. The Ever Better Challenge features templates to track your progress, wisdom to guide your journey, and encouraging content to keep you focused on your goals.

I’ll be taking part in the challenge, and I invite you to join too. Please also share the news with your social media networks using the hashtag #EverBetterChallenge. With everyone’s help, we can all finish what we start.

Check out the challenge page for more information on the Ever Better Challenge, and join our dedicated Facebook group for additional motivation and support.

Here’s to a successful 2019!

Originally published at Coach Rye.

The Ever Better Challenge was originally published in Coach Rye on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

“Most people overestimate what they can do in a day, and underestimate what they can do in a month. We overestimate what we can do in a year, and underestimate what we can accomplish in a decade.”

Anonymous

I don’t know about the rest of you but this is usually pretty accurate for me.

So here’s what I typically do:

• I come up with a huge goal that will take me 5–10 years to achieve
• I then come up with smaller goals that can be achieved in a year
• I then identify milestones (sometimes monthly but, more often, quarterly) to help me monitor my progress
• Lastly I identify weekly (sometimes monthly) action items that help me slowly get to those milestones

Diversity

It’s hard to get into details here since it will vary depending on what your goal is. What’s key here is to have set diverse goals.

After listing down those 5–10 year goals, take a step back and review them. Do they cover different areas of your life? Ideally, it should cover work-related goals, personal (me) goals, relationship (family & friends) goals and financial goals. If you area a spiritual person, you might have a goal for that too.

Did I miss an area? Please let me know.

Tomorrow, I will share a template from one of my performance productivity tools that might help you with this annual planning.

In the meantime, please check out this giveaway:
I do most of my planning and scheduling on my phone. However, I know some of you still use manual planners. If you are one of these and is interested in getting a Starbucks Planner (I have meetings there so I might as well collect the stickers), just share one of my articles with the hashtag #ProductivityGeekGiveaway and then share the URL with me.

Originally published at Coach Rye.

Time to look forward was originally published in Coach Rye on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

So, men are said to be really bad with remembering dates and that’s OK. If someone asked about an important date, it’s fine if you get it wrong. What’s not fine is to use that as an excuse when you forget to greet them.

That’s what is technology for. That’s the best use of your calendar. That’s the best use of those (multiple) reminders.

So, let me take this time to give a quick shoutout to my one and only.

Happy Anniversary to my lovely wife! It has been a crazy, roller-coaster nine years. We’ve definitely had some awesome moments, spiced by some… errr, let’s just call them, learning moments.

Thank you for all the love and patience. Thank you for all the support. Thank you for being you.

I love you and I always will.

Originally published at Coach Rye.

Remember Dates was originally published in Coach Rye on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

That’s great but, before we go there, let’s do something else this time. Instead of a jumping straight there, I suggest we do a complete personal annual review first.

The first step to this is a quick look in the rear-view mirror.

Review of Goals

Were we successful in reaching those goals and resolutions we set at the beginning of the year?

If no, what happened? What were the blockers and distractions? Do you still want to give it another go? Or would it be better to move them to you NOT TODO list instead?

If yes, what did you do well? Who, if any, helped you along the way? Do you need to take this a step farther? Maybe set higher expectations?

Be Grateful

Let’s not stop with a review.

Let’s be grateful for all the success and opportunities that we had this past year. Some (if not most) are not as lucky as we are.

Let’s be thankful for all the challenges and difficulties too. These teach us the most. These help bring out the best in us.

Evaluate relationships

I’ve mentioned this multiple times but I will keep repeating it.

Did you spend the right amount of time with the right people?
Or did you waste time on people who drain you?

How can you organize your life in order to nurture the relationships worth nurturing? How can you let them know they are important to you?

Write It Down

As you go through those steps, make sure you write them down somewhere. I’ve observed that putting things on paper helps us see clearer, it allows us to retain better too.

I hope you enjoy this quick look back into this year and that it allows you to prepare for the coming year better.

Cheers!

Originally published at Coach Rye.

It’s that Time of the Year was originally published in Coach Rye on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Most of us give in to social pressure and say YES to every invitation they receive. Trust me, I know. I have a hard time saying NO myself.

Here’s a few reminders:

• This is the season to be jolly. If you don’t really want to go, you will NOT be jolly. Simple as that. Honestly speaking, there will be family gatherings and school reunions filled with TOXIC people who will stress you out. Pain does not have to be your Christmas tradition.
• This is also the season to step-back and relax. If you will end up dead-tired jumping from one event to another, why do it? You might end up with the classic need for vacation from the vacation.
• You can use that time to be with other people instead. You can never spend too much time with those who really matter. Trust me, sitting quietly with someone you love is infinitely better than any other moment.

Say YES only to those that fill your heart. Say NO to the rest ‘coz that’s just smart.

P.S.
Yeah, I tried the rhyming thing and flopped.

P.S.S.
If you really can’t avoid it, you might want to try this strategy from Japan’s first lady. It’s not verified but it really sounds fun. Pretend to have a sore throat instead.

Originally published at Coach Rye.

Don’t go to every meet-up was originally published in Coach Rye on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Merry Christmas to you and your family!

Now get off the internet and enjoy the holidays with your loved ones.

Originally published at Coach Rye.

Merry Christmas! was originally published in Coach Rye on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The question is, how often do we block off time on our calendars for other personal time, for the real important moments.

Here’s the typical scenarios:

• Those with “flexible” working hours end up squeezing these personal time when they can
• Those with 8–5s find themselves getting into a boring routine and, often, taking this personal time for granted
• Worst, some of us have made excuses for not spending time with those that matter and telling ourselves that we are doing it for them

I’m not trying to make anyone feel guilty (well, maybe a bit) because I know how difficult this is. But, it must be done.

We block off our calendar for meetings and todos. It is only right to block them off for the ultimate reasons we go to these meetings and check off these todos in the first place.

Originally published at Coach Rye.

#ProductivityMonday Blocking Important Time was originally published in Coach Rye on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The week between Christmas and New Year… what a wonderful time, especially for us in the Philippines.

Most will take the time off and for those who have to go to work, the days are often slow and uneventful anyway.

After being on fifth gear for most of the year, let’s us this time to take it down a notch and relax.

Learn to say NO to some of the meet-ups and get-togethers.

Instead of succumbing to FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out), it’s best that we start loving the JOMO (Joy Of Missing Out).

Originally published at Coach Rye.

FOMO » JOMO was originally published in Coach Rye on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

What are you thankful for this year?
Who are you thankful for this year?

Let’s not limit ourselves to the positive things either.

What were the challenges that has made you stronger this year?
Who, if anyone, has caused you much pain?
What have you learned from all these challenges and pain?

Let’s not limit ourselves to this season though. Let’s start making this a monthly, weekly or, even better, a daily habit.

Originally published at Coach Rye.

A habit for everyone was originally published in Coach Rye on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.