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Hey world,

Friends throughout college have been obsessed with productivity. We’re always throwing around ideas about how to stay productive and linking to our favorite blog posts about what to do to keep us going. I definitely enjoy reading them but I discovered after months of no real change in my motivation that the posts don’t help alone. We have to actually apply what we’re learning. How can you apply the many rules? With unavoidable reminders every day!

1) Keep a journal

I always keep a journal with me. I don’t always write, but the times I do have helped me to remember what it is I truly want. Just seeing my journal in my bag is enough to remind me of the goals I had set. It’s helped me to close my laptop and open up a book, to take an extra hour to finish homework, and to stop procrastinating and actually send out my resume. Writing down thoughts about that day or taking notes about what will bring you success are just some of the things I write about. As long as I’m focused on succeeding, it belongs in my journal.

2) Narrow down what you want to do

A lot of the time, we just don’t have a clear outline of what we want to do. This is okay, I promise. Start thinking about what makes you happy, what skills you want to learn, and how you want to grow. Continually write down your thoughts, in your journal perhaps, and eventually you will narrow down the things that really have meaning. Once you stick to those activities, your life will start falling into place and you can begin to learn what it will take to get what you want. I recently joined a life insurance firm as a sales agent and I love it! The atmosphere is wonderful and my mentor teaches me new skills each day. I’m being coachable and absorbing as much as I can. I’ve begun to mimic a lot of the successful people there in order to learn what they do. Find your direction and stick to it.

3) Leave reminders wherever you can

Merely telling yourself that you want success is not enough. It’s hard to stick to habits that are, at first, hard to keep up. Leaving a motivational poster on your wall can be what causes you to go to the gym instead of staying in bed. As long as you put value in the reminders you leave around you’ll be truly affected by them. I am just starting to do this. One of the best habits I’ve developed is to leave a slice of folded paper in my wallet with my daily goals and the words “Lives Remaining: 0” on it (in honor of Alexis Ohanian, Reddit co-founder, who did that in his journal). This has helped me to remember what it is I need to do every time I pull out my wallet. It has even helped me spend less as I see it sitting there before I can get to my money. Whatever works for you! Posters, notes around the house, self-help books on your book shelf, etc. will all push you to achieve greatness if you put value in them.

– Keep a journal. Discover what you want to do. Stay motivated with visual aids.

I still have a long way to go but I’ve been doing my best to consistently keep these three things going so that I can be happy with my results.  I want to know what you guys are doing to stick to your goals, or maybe just to find out what your goals are. Maybe something you do can benefit me! It’s all trial and error at this point and I expect a lot of error as I experiment with all of this.

Until next time!
~Nick