It was a Saturday night. My phone vibrates…
Turnt up Saturday… or nah.
Even though I felt productive, this is what was actually happening.
- Nothing was getting done.
- I was spending A LOT of time feeling stressed and pressured to keep working around the clock.
- I wasn’t having fun anymore.
Have you ever felt like you were just always grinding and things still weren’t getting done?
THIS IS THE YEAR! I’M MOTIVATED!
Gym is bae. NO MORE FUCKING AROUND!
Du ma. I’m still fat.
Time to grind… or nah.
5. Repeat
I’m destined to be fat. I suck at life.
Things don’t go as planned. We fall back to our old habits and excuses like… I’m too tired today. I’ll start on it tomorrow.
And this happens…
What tomorrow REALLY looks like
Nothing is working no matter how hard I try… and I feel like shit.
Whether we realize it or not, productivity and getting things done is a skill… something that gets better with practice.
Here are 3 strategies I’ve been using to plan out my year and goals.
1. Block out your time
I couldn’t say no. My calendar had way too much shit on it and it wasn’t prioritized with what would be most productive.
After my 12 hour pharmacy shift, I didn’t want to do shit. Even though I was exhausted, I still tried grinding the next article or video for Refugee Hustle. When my friends asked me to go out, I felt guilty.
Solution?
I blocked out my time… everything from meal prepping, working out, shooting videos, and even time to turn up. 
Blocking my time helped me completely focus when I was working and have fun guilt-free. Deep down inside we all know what is realistic.
Just like with our friends, family, or clients/patients/customers, try not to make promises you can’t keep… especially to ourselves.
Be real to yourself. Respect your time. Respect yourself.
2. Plan for those FML moments
Ugh. Sometimes our motivation just shits the bed. It’s not because we’re lazy. It’s because we’re human. Everyone has those mornings.
Since these things happen, we can prepare ahead of time.
Maybe you can have your workout clothes next to your bed. You can make your coffee the night before (perfect for cold brews). Either way, we can think of solutions to obstacles ahead of time.
Ninja folding skills
Planning lets us plan for the worst when we’re at our best.
What are things that are stopping you from achieving your goals? What are some easy quick fixes for them?
3. Stop making shitty goals
We tell ourselves…
- I want to be rich.
- I want to be successful.
- I want to look good naked.
A lot of us make really shitty goals… especially me. Those things mean different things to different people.
Meek says it all
So let me help you get more specific with your goals.
- What does it look like?
- When do you want it by?
- What does failure look like?
#goals
Success: “I want 50,000 crisp singles so I can make it rain at Magic City by next year on my birthday”
Failure: “Not having $16,000 within 4 months.”
What does success and failure look like? Start here and then we can figure out how we want to hustle.
Finally it’s more than just productivity
A lot of the time, I think about why I want to be more productive. It sounds stupid, but hear me out.
For the last few years, I was making the same goals with no progress. I felt like shit.
Damn. I’m someone who busts their balls and still can’t get shit done.
Because I felt this way, I was stuck in hustle mode and felt guilty for having fun. But what I realized that the problem wasn’t me. It was my system. If shit wasn’t getting done, it was my system that needed tweaking.
This change in mindset not only made me more productive, but made me more self forgiving and guilt-free when having fun.
So guys let me ask you…
What are some of the goals that you’ve set for this year? How can you tweak them?
Leave your answers below.
Kevin Yee