Hey Everyone,
The end of the year is around the corner and while it’s a time of feasting it can also be a time to reflect on how we can make the following year a better one.
This is only natural, I guess, considering that we won’t feel like doing anything else after eating so much.
So in today’s post I’ll be putting up the lifestyle changes I’m going to make in 2023 also known as New Years’ Resolutions 2023!
(I’m just not calling it that because the word “Resolutions” seems too serious to be attainable).
Focus on showcasing my work
I’m planning to move to the US in the Spring of 2024 so while I still have 15 months to do so, I’m already going to show how I could add value to my potential employer or university (if I decide to get a placement).
I could do so by doubling down on updating my Resume/CV since I’ve never really gotten around that recently. There’s this thing about putting QR codes in your CV to direct your potential employers to your website to make it accessible for them to check out your portfolio and so I’m going to put myself ahead of the competition by doing just that.
Another benefit arising out of this is that I get to teach others how to navigate topics such as how to manage resources in order to save time, money and effort so we can all – you guessed it – thrive in life.
To achieve this, I’m going to spend 1 hour each weekday on development, research, blogging, conceptualising and creating videos. I plan to treat Friday nights as work nights and Saturdays a full work day at home. On Sunday, I’ll just be going to church, hit the gym, clean up and catch up with grandma.
I understand that this will be a tight squeeze but considering that my best work is still ahead of me, I’m willing to make sacrifices to get what I want.
No Consumption of Alcohol, Unless In Good Company
There are nights (I’m talking about Fridays) that I could just head home with a bottle of wine and Ben and Jerry’s to accompany me. This is bad because while I could be enjoying my Friday night, I totally become useless on Saturday mornings when I ought to be cleaning up my home, recording content, editing them and possibly changing peoples’ lives.
While there’s no harm in enjoying life, I kind of feel that my time on earth could be put to better use. Michael Jackson’s man in the mirror hits home:
“I’m starting with the man in the mirror (oh)
I’m asking him to change his ways (oh)
And no message could’ve been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself and then make that
Change“
I gotta be that change and so I should not step inside a supermarket on a Friday.
Pay Off My Sleep Debt
I recently downloaded this app called AutoSleep. The app calculates using advanced algorithms how much sleep debt I have which currently stands at 5.2% or 7H and 35M.
Since I got the app last week I’ve been feeling much better. Generally, I feel more awake, alert and responsive than I remember in the last three months. I’m not going to review the app (yet, perhaps in the future) but the app’s got some good metrics that come with wearing an apple watch such as whether you’re breathing right in the middle of the night.
You could still use the stock Apple Health app but having an app that’s dedicated to giving you insight on sleep alone and be able to suggest how to make it better is just much more rewarding even if I had to pay for it. Besides, there’s likely nothing else that can give me more satisfaction but a full night’s sleep.
Mute Notifications from All Social Media and News
I need time to spill out all the thoughts firing in my head. As such, getting distracted by notifications aren’t welcome when it comes to creative work. As such, I’m setting all Social Media and News App notifications to be delivered quietly so I can attend to them only when I have the time.
It’s crazy how when a notification pops up it makes you think that you’re doing work and that you’re busy. Nothing could be further than the truth. If these notifications are relevant and timely then it’s fine. However, if they hinder you from chasing after your priorities at that moment, they ought to be silenced. There’s a time for everything.
Reduce Netflix and Youtube to When I’m Folding and Ironing my Clothes
Have you ever opened up an app and have all the information just jump at you one after another and the next thing you know, you’re in it for 3 hours? That’s what happens to me and Channel News Asia, DW News, and Netflix Documentaries.
I could sit down for hours just to absorb all that information. Don’t we all, information junkies? While it’s good to be aware of what’s happening around the globe, it probably wouldn’t affect us that much unless if it’s a black swan event.
Much of that time I’m spending could be used for things that matter better like talking to grandma. Besides, too much information can cause a paralysis by analysis and just work me up.
This year, instead of consuming information, I intend to create the information instead.
Get Back To Fitness – Eat Mindfully and Train More
I’ve let loose in 2022. I’ve eaten and and became heavier and thereafter, become sadder and because of that I’ve eaten more. It’s a cycle that continuously repeated.
In the coming year, I plan to change that by hitting the gym at least four times a week. Two of four would focus on cardio and the other two on lifting weights and yoga. I would have hit 61 kilos (my ideal weight) on or before May 2023 just in time to show off a summer body lol.
Take A Break in Alaska
I’m planning to go for a vacation in Alaska this year. I’ve heard some people say there’s nothing much in there but who knows what I’ll find in July? Perhaps on my way there I’ll visit my cousin in Auckland, NZ.
We’ll see if I can handle summer and winter in the middle of the year, or if I can afford going from the Middle of the Earth to the South of The Earth and then North of the Earth in one trip. Now, that’s something lol.
Conclusion
Economists say we’re already in the middle of a recession and 2023 could be one of those difficult years in recent history but hey, we’ve survived two years of pandemic. The fact that we’re still living and kicking hard shows our resolute nature as a human beings.
Even if we did get into one in 2023, plan anyway so you could track your progress. Just be wise and never take on any commitments you can’t deliver.
By God’s grace and guidance and the wisdom He gifted us with, I hope the changes we plan in our lifestyle would work out for the best so we can execute our long term plans for ourselves and our family.
I wish you the best of blessings in the coming year.
Cheers, and a Happy 2023!
Gio Gomez 
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