Ninja Hacks You Can Steal to Crush Your Goals

Ninja Hacks You Can Steal to Crush Your Goals

It's Day 4 of the goal achieving series. Today we are going to talk about two ninja hacks you can use to crush your goals. What are these crazy tactics? 

Creating routines and habits. It might seem boring, but routines and habits are really are the secret ninja siblings of getting your dream life and crushing your goals.

When I look back on my journey, routines and habits were the two things missing in my life and why I was not able to be successful until recently. 

(Don't forget to download your free copy of the Goal Achieving Workbook. It is the perfect companion to this series and will help you rock your goals!)

Just a heads up, some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that (at no additional cost to you) I will receive a tiny commission if you make a purchase after clicking that link. Thank you for supporting me and this community!

Routines: Ninja #1 to Crush Your Goals

I never wanted to be on a schedule because it felt like it would stifle my creativity. The funny thing is, it’s totally the opposite. Routines, create structure and make sure all the little things you may not really want to do get done so that you can do the BIG awesome things you love.

For instance, I have gotten to travel the world with my family because I have routines in place that ensure I am productive on the road. No one gets out of work completely, but the work becomes more fulfilling when there is an awesome purpose attached.

Habits: Ninja #2 for Crushing Your Goals

Habits always seemed like things you had to stop doing, not things you wanted to add to your life. But, habits are what keep you going and make sure you take care of the multitude of tasks that need to be done on a regular basis.

How good are your habits? We often hear and talk about bad habits - smoking, eating junk food, procrastinating, but not all habits are bad. In fact, habits are just things you do regularly and without much thought. I bet you brush your teeth at least twice a day. That’s a good habit.

Good habits are what set successful people apart. When the journey toward your dream life gets tough, you need to be able to fall back on good habits so that you do not get off the path you are on.

Today I could have gotten totally derailed but my habits kept me in check. My daughter woke up with a slight tummy ache so she was late to kindergarten. That caused me to miss the gym class I wanted to take, but I still forced myself to go anyway. Then, I actually dropped my iPhone and cracked both sides - I actually filmed the video below on a phone that looks like a spiderweb. But, I made a commitment to myself, made these videos this week part of my routine, and fell back on my habit of going to the gym so that I have the energy to get it all done.

These little steps will help keep me successful in the long run and that’s what I want for you!

Tired of reading? You can watch today's video that discusses routines and habits below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTorcRbJPJE&feature=youtu.be

How Can Routines and Habits Work for You

Routines and Habits are the workhorses in life. How many routines do we establish for our children? The routine to get ready in the morning. The routine to get out the door. The routine to wash hands and put things away when we get home. The bedtime routine. The list goes on...

However, it seems like by the time we are adults we either rebel against the routines forced upon us or they became so ingrained that we forget the importance of these routines. 

The truth is that when you are starting something new, there is nothing better than a routine to build the habits you need to eventually do that new thing really well.  

The Most Important Routines

I would argue that the most important routines in your day are your morning and evening routines. Just like in yesterday's post, I am going to give you a new resource to check out. If you’ve haven’t figured it out yet, I REALLY love learning from others. I am a total DIY girl when it comes to implementation, but I LOVE reading about others’ experiences and learning from their expertise.

My morning routine was greatly shaped by the book, The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod. Hal studied successful people and distilled his research into a morning routine he found as a common thread among them. There are 6 components and he lists them as the S.A.V.E.R.S.

• S - Silence
• A - Affirmation
• V - Visualization
• E - Exercise
• R - Reading
• S - Scribing (or writing)

I have these listed on page 13 of the Goal Achieving Workbook and list a few examples and what I do each morning. I actually complete my morning routine in about 30 minutes and 10 - 15 minutes is spent in meditation so these can be done very quickly if you are short on time in the mornings.

I also have an evening routine that helps me prepare for the next day. This is helps me unwind and dump all the crazy thoughts running through my brain out and on paper. By doing this, I no longer shoot awake in the middle of the night thinking about something I need to do or forgot about.

Things I do as part of my evening routine..

• Create a to-do list for the next day with only 3 things on it.
• Prep for the morning - make sure bags are packed and by the front door along with coats, headphones, keys, transportation pass, and anything else we will need for an easier morning.
• Get ready for bed early - this includes washing my face, brushing my teeth, and getting into my jammies. I try to do this while getting my daughter ready for bed and before my husband and I watch any TV. I find that if I am not ready for bed, I procrastinate getting off the couch and actually doing it.
• Write down what went well that day and what I want to improve. I take a minute to close my eyes and envision how the best version of myself might have handled a situation differently.
• I end the day by reading and switch back and forth between fiction and non-fiction.

Habits to Help You Crush Your Goals

Okay so I’ve talked about routines, but what about habits. We discussed this a little bit yesterday when talking about coming up with your ONE thing for each of your 10 life categories.

The one habit that has really worked the best for me is to tackle the hardest thing in your day first.

I start my day writing every morning before my daughter wakes up. It’s not the hardest task, but as a habit, moves my progress forward the most. As a content creator, coming up with new ideas can get difficult if, but establishing the habit of just doing it every morning has worked wonders for me.

Then, once my daughter is at school for the day, I work on the most uncomfortable task I need to complete. This week it's these videos. Next week, I will be working on submissions for guest posting. Doing these uncomfortable things helps my business grow and it will work for you too. Just rip off the bandaid and get to it.

Alright, that’s it for today. Let me know what you thought about my secret ninja hacks of creating routines and habits in the comments below.

Don’t forget to download your free copy of the Goal Attaining Workbook and I’ll see you back here tomorrow for Day 5 where I will be discussing how to avoid the pitfalls you’re sure to encounter.

And if you found this information helpful, I'd be honored if you would save it on Pinterest.

Cheers!