Happy New Year! I won’t ask if you made any resolutions. On December 31, I’ll just ask if you kept your resolutions. That seems to be the hard part for everyone!
Personally, I don’t make resolutions. I try to evaluate throughout the year and adjust as needed. However, I’m all in favor of celebrating a new year — Here are a few items I’ve come across recently that may help you in 2010:
Tracking Your Progress
You can track just about anything with Daytum.com. Diet, exercise, creating a new habit, etc. I’ve been tracking a few items since mid-December. Click here to check out my data. While I’ll be making some changes to this list, I wanted to show you a few ways to use the display tools.
The first five or six displays are free. After that, there’s a small monthly charge to add more.
Healthy Digestion
About 70 percent of your immune system lives in your gut, so keeping your digestive tract on-track is key in staying healthy. Here’s a simple tip: Don’t eat a protein with a starch.
Proteins use acidic enzymes (pepsin) for digestion, while starches use alkaline enzymes. When you eat a protein and starch together, the enzymes neutralize each other and don’t allow you to fully digest your food.
The result is digestive stress such as gas, heartburn, cramps, bloating, constipation and more. Allergies have even been attributed to improper food combining.
Online you can find plenty of information on food combining, or trophology. Here’s a chart to give you a quick overview of different foods.
Managing Your Priorities and Your Time
I love Julie Morgenstern’s book, Time Management from the Inside Out. I try to read it at least once a year to help me regroup. This book takes even the most time-challenged of us from basic tasks to defining priorities to designing the life you want.
For 2010, I’m moving two important things in my life — Creativity and Learning — to mornings. Mornings are my “peak times,” and I like getting an early start on the day.
Previously, I tried being creative and learning new things in the early evening, which was frustrating because I’m generally tired and ready to relax by then. This one change has given me a surprising amount of energy and focus for the day!
Can you make one small change in your schedule to get an energy boost when you need it most?
The Pareto Principle (or the 80/20 Rule)
I’m rereading Living the 80/20 Way by Richard Koch. You know how it works: 80% of your results come from 20% of your efforts. Topics include “Focus on Your Best 20 Percent,” Enjoy Work and Success,” and “Relationships the 80/20 Way.”
Productivity
The #1 rule of productivity is: Do every task only once. Do-overs are great on the playground, but not at work.
Do you have any tips or tools to help manage your time, keep you focused or give you energy? Share them! Click “leave a comment” at the top of this post.
Here’s to a successful 2010!
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