How Would You Have Done 2006 Differently?

Written by Dave Navarro on December 15, 2006

Can you change the past?
Unfortunately, you can’t (well, at least as far as I know). All the mistakes you made in 2006 regarding how you handled your time, what kinds of things dominated your schedule … they’re all said and done. You don’t get a do-over, no matter how nice that would be. Then you might be able to wash any aftertastes of regret out of your mouth.

Can you change the future?
Now that question has a more appealing answer. As we roll towards the edge of 2006, it can be a powerful exercise to ask yourself what you wish you would have done differently in managing your time, your focus and your motivation if you had the chance. If you take a few moments to focus on those answers, you can leverage the emotion behind them to help make a shift in your behaivior in 2007 by using a technique called “the do-over.”

How to Get a Do-Over (Kind Of)

1. Grab a piece of paper and close your eyes. Imagine it’s January 1, 2006. Remember where you were and what you were doing. Remember the hope you had for all of the things you were going to do differently.
2. Carefully roll through the year in your mind and think about the behaviors that held you back (related to how you handled your time, your focus and your motivation). As they come to you write them down.
3. Focus on all of the opportunities that you missed out on because of those behaviors. Feel the pain associated with them. Write these down, too. Bring youself all the way u to the present day and look at all the things you missed out on.
4. Now, before you get all down about it, imagine that you are back January 1, except this time you have beaten all of those behaviors. Think of how awesome you feel having those limiting behaviors kicked to the curb. Awesome, I say.
5. Now, roll through 2006, except this time get a taste for all the oportunities you would have taken advantage of, had you nailed your time management/focus/motivation skills beforehand. Count the money you would have made. Consider the additional projects you would have finished. Write down this stuff to, because it’s good. Hang out here as long as you’d like.

Now, It’s “Time In.”
Ok, enough dreaming. Consider this - This is what 2007 could look like for you if you start taking care of your time management issues now. If you don’t take action, you’ll end up leaving these opportunities on the table for another year. Don’t let that happen - don’t blow it. Start getting some traction right now. Read How to Get Serious About Time Management In One Hour to get started.

So do it now. In about a year, you’ll be thhanking yourself like crazy for it.