Journal
Finally, it’s the year we’ve all been waiting for… 2021! From the Joule family to your family, we wish you a very happy and healthy new year! The best is yet to come. How did you spend your final hours of the last day of 2020?
The Joule team usually goes to Nathan Phillips Square in downtown Toronto, where we live and work and created Joule, to watch the fireworks and celebrate the countdown with friends and family. This year was unfortunately a little different. Though there were no parties or big events, we were able to enjoy a delicious dinner and watch the live countdown safely from the warmth of our own home (safe from the freezing cold too!)
Now that the holiday season has come to an end, we have pressed the reset button on our outlook for the year. It’s time to turn over a new leaf and start anew. This got us thinking, what better way than to start the year with a blog that’s stuffed to the brim with all the clichés?
It’s time to make your own rules. Rules that inspire you. Let’s own this.
Read on for realistic 4 Ways to Start the New Year Off Right!
Ok. Let’s begin.
1. Sort your sh*t out
You know the drill. Get yourself a new notepad (if you’re old school) or get with the times and create a new account on one of the many applications that helps you store all your work in one place. Check out Evernote, Notion, Microsoft OneNote and Trello, to name a few. We prefer the latter to help organize your life as you can update on-the-go, wherever, whenever.
2. Look in the mirror
You need to have a starting point. Now’s the time to reflect on the year you’ve just had. Here are some questions you need to ask yourself:
What did I accomplish? What was I unable to achieve?
What were some unexpected things that made me happy?
What do I wish I had more time for?
What do I define as success?
Is there anything I stopped doing last year that affected me positively?
Based on your answers, you can begin to start setting some new intentions. We can only effectively improve ourselves when we understand what the hell is going on first. Don’t forget, though, to be nice to yourself. No one is perfect, but, we can always take steps to become better versions of ourselves.
3. Be SMART
With the current situation, we may expect to stay under lockdown for the foreseeable future. At this point, we have grown used to it, and we are sure you have learned by now what works and what doesn’t. But don’t get lazy.
Make sure you keep things S.M.A.R.T. – specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time managed. That way, you can work towards one (or more) specific goals instead of an overall aim. Hold yourself accountable. Another tip – try not to make too many resolutions. Let’s be real here, ya?.
4. Get creative
This is where the fun begins. Take advantage of WFH - when will you ever get the chance to spend this much time at home again? Now is the time to develop new skills. We have always had the excuse of having “no time” well, here we are.
How many languages can you speak? Maybe it’s time to learn a language. Our progress in French so far: j’ai un problème avec mon telephone, il manque ton numéro (translation: I have a problem with my phone, your number is missing). The wink afterwards comes naturally, of course.
Can you cook anything else other than banana bread or instant ramen? Become a self- trained chef (or if you haven’t learnt how to make a banana bread by now, what did you honestly do in 2020? This is cooking 101 folks!).
Do your walls need painting or your WFH station needs improving? Become an interior designer. Of course, we suggest that you consider upgrading to a beautiful power strip like Joule that fits in seamlessly in all your domestic environments.
The possibilities are endless! Nowadays we can learn almost anything with the power of the Internet. Just click onto YouTube and the world is your oyster.
At the end of the day, these are all just ideas for your inspiration. If we meet here again next year and you have a sweet, renovated pad and can cook a seven-course meal while speaking French fluently, we’ll be the ones left speechless! It is the ordinary that sparks the extraordinary.
Let us know what you end up doing! Tag us @hellojoule and #hellojoule. We are so excited for what’s in store.
Start small, Dream big. Grab life by the Joules.