Quite Possibly The Only Plan You Need To Get Your Shit Together in 2024
Or at least how to become 11% better
Once upon a time, in a world not too different from ours, lived a man named Tom. Tom had dreams, ambitions, and a Netflix subscription that knew him better than any living soul.
Each day, as the sun set, Tom’s aspirations sank with it, buried under a mountain of ‘what ifs’ and ‘tomorrows’. But one day, Tom decided that enough was enough. He was going to get his shit together.
And so, he embarked on a journey that was less about finding himself and more about building the self he wished to be.
The Illusion of Motivation
“Motivation is a fickle friend,” Tom realized. It’s like that fun uncle who shows up unannounced with a box of fireworks, fills your day with excitement, and then disappears, leaving you in a silent, dark room with nothing but echoes of laughter.
Tom learned that building habits on motivation is like building a castle on sand. Instead, he turned to willpower, a more reliable but less flashy cousin of motivation.
Willpower is to motivation what a crockpot is to a microwave. It’s slower, less sexy, but it gets the job done, and the results often taste better.
Reading: Your Secret Weapon
Tom wasn’t much of a reader. He preferred his stories moving and talking on a screen. But one day, he picked up a non-fiction book, and it was like finding a new lens for his glasses. The world looked clearer, richer. He realized that books were like personal letters from the wisest people who ever lived.
“Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.” — Joseph Addison
Tom made reading a habit. With each page, he was not just consuming words; he was conversing with history, philosophy, and science.
Dopamine: The Double-Edged Sword
Tom, like many of us, was a dopamine junkie. His daily fix came from likes, tweets, and endless scrolls. But he learned that dopamine is not just about pleasure; it’s about desire, about the chase.
He understood that too much dopamine from easy sources is like drinking saltwater when thirsty. It feels good for a moment but leaves you more dehydrated.
Flow: The Goldilocks Zone of Activity
Then, Tom discovered the concept of ‘flow’ — a state where time, self, and space dissolve into the joy of doing. He realized that life’s best moments are not when he’s passively entertained but when he’s actively engaged.
Flow is like being a jazz musician, improvising, adapting, completely absorbed in the melody of the moment.
Journaling: The Art of Self-Reflection
Tom also started journaling, not the ‘Dear Diary’ kind, but a pragmatic, no-bullshit kind. He noted down his activities, colored them green for growth, red for regression.
It was like being his own coach, only cheaper and with more brutal honesty.
Sleep: The Unsung Hero
Tom’s relationship with sleep was complicated. He treated it like a Tinder match — only acknowledging it when he had nothing better to do. But then, he learned the art of a good sleep schedule. He realized that good sleep is like a good foundation. You don’t see it, but it holds everything up.
Embracing Individuality
Through all this, Tom learned that there’s no one-size-fits-all in self-improvement. What worked for him might not work for another. It’s like cooking; everyone has their own taste, their own spice.
The Epilogue That Isn’t One
As 2024 rolls in, let Tom’s journey be a beacon, not a blueprint. Your path to getting your shit together might be different. Maybe it’s less about grand gestures and more about quiet consistency. Or perhaps it’s about finding that one thing that makes you jump out of bed each morning.
So, as you stand on the threshold of another year, remember: getting your shit together is not a race, it’s a marathon. And the only person you’re competing against is who you were yesterday.
Remember, in the words of Mark Manson, “You can’t be an important and life-changing presence for some people without also being a joke and an embarrassment to others.”
Here’s to a 2024 where we get our shit together, one small, determined step at a time.