Lessons from 2023

The day I am publishing this is the last day of 2023. I am much happier than I was at the beginning of this year.

That is something I hope to say again at the end of 2024. I was thinking of why I liked how this year went and collected some lessons I learned through the course of 2023 that helped me improve myself.

Image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

Too many unimportant resolutions

I had a lot of goals written down for this year. Many SMART goals that I failed. They were relatively easy, but procrastination led to me barely attempting them. I have thought about why this happened and reached a simple conclusion.

Nothing is pushing me towards those things. No one needs me to be able to do a set number of pushups by the end of the year. No one needs me to reach a set number of books by the end of the year. I didn’t do those things, because I didn't need to. There were a lot more things which if I didn’t do, I would be in trouble.

So I have decided, that in 2024, I will improve my skills and habits. Finishing my work on time, not leaving things to the last minute. This will not only keep fewer things on my plate but also improve the quality of my life.

Although taking care of my health is important, I will use the newer way in 2024. I will consistently focus on regular exercise and not a numerical goal that doesn’t define my fitness.

Write down a list of things you want to get done today — don’t float them around in your head

I have realized that when something isn’t due the next day, I won’t lift a finger to accomplish it. Something that has helped me overcome this is to write down a to-do list on a sticky note and stick it up eye-level on my desk.

I can see my green one right now, The first 2 things crossed off, this article being the third task, soon to be ticked off as well.

Don’t waste your time on books you don’t want to read

I have realized that a lot of popular books are either a hit or miss for me. If you don’t want to read something, don’t. Reading is supposed to be fun, don’t make it a chore.

Don’t obsess over what other people think — no one cares that much

I have improved a lot in regard to my confidence in the past few months, and the one lesson I had to keep in my mind was that no one is so minutely analyzing my behaviour as I am.

Think about what you want to say

This is sort of related to the last one. If you don’t want those doubts to be creeping up on you all of the time, think about what you want to say, and whether you should say it.

Keep your papers organized, it will make your life a 100 times easier

This, and the next few ones are academics-related.

I have had so many papers, handouts, booklets and books in my room this year, it has been a struggle to move them around and find something every day.

To evade this problem, figure out how much paperwork you will be getting during the year or semester(by asking people who have taken the class before you) and accordingly, make space for all of it.

Ask questions for every bit of confusion

One of the crucial secrets to performing well on any test or quiz is to ask questions for every tiny bit of confusion you have. You never know if the thing you dismissed as unlikely to come up in the test might be a question worth 5 marks.

If not your instructor, ask classmates and for the most part, avoid going online. You will find 10 different answers to one question and probably get even more confused.

Don’t expect studying to be fun all the time- sometimes you just need to do it

This. No hard work is always easy and fun. It is called ‘hard’ work for a reason. Get done with it to enjoy and reap the benefits later.

Drink a lot of water

I have two water bottles in my room and one of them always remains full. You must have heard about all the good water can do to you. It’s true. Go and have a sip right now.

Don’t sacrifice creative hobbies for more academic ones

I have learnt this the hard way this year. Focusing on only the academic courses is useful no doubt, but it is draining as well.

Choose a ‘fun and easy’ course aligned with your interests, or pick up an extracurricular you enjoy. Even if it is one thing, once a week, prioritize it because you enjoy doing it and that is the most important thing.

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I am introducing a new section to my posts to add a little extra insight. This will be something new I have learnt while reading a book, watching something, or through a life experience.

One useful thing I am learning from ‘How to Become a Straight A Student ‘by Cal Newport:

In the morning(or the night before, as I do), write down everything you hope to accomplish during the day. At the end of the day, if you did it all, write down all done. If not, write down exactly why you couldn’t get it done.

This will force you to acknowledge that most of the time, your reasons aren’t reasons, they are excuses.

Now I can check this article off my sticky note ; )

All the best!!!

31 December 2023