Supercharging Your Year with Bullet Journals and Power-Packed Routines

Eager to turn over a new leaf but find New Year's resolutions daunting? I am right there with you and ready to unfold the secrets of habit formation any time of the year. In the latest "Have a Cup of Johanny" episode, we take you on a personal journey through the art of shameless learning and the joy of discovery that comes with embracing both our triumphs and fumbles. I'll walk you through the intimate details of my bullet journal tradition, the heart of my productivity, and share how this simple tool helps me fine-tune my practices to supercharge the year ahead.

As we venture further into the realm of creating lasting change, I peel back the layers of the disciplined approach to achieving my dream of publishing The Devil that Haunts Me by the fall of 2024. From dissecting my manuscript to establishing a daily writing rhythm, I lay bare the strategies that keep my characters vibrant and my timelines taut. Drawing inspiration from "The Power of Habit," I'll show you how to swap out those pesky, unproductive behaviors with power-packed routines that can significantly elevate your lifestyle. Whether it's swapping snacks or screen time for more enriching activities, this episode will arm you with the tools to make incremental yet impactful changes toward your ambitions.

Enter a world of fear, resilience, and generational trauma in "The Devil That Haunts Me". Follow Isabella and Julitza as they confront their demons in a tale of suspense, mystery, and the supernatural.

Explore the first seven chapters here

Chapters

• 0:03 Building Lasting Habits With Joani
• 10:58 Analyzing Goals and Creating Habits
• 19:53 Building Productive Habits for Success

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:03

Welcome to this new season of have a Cup of Joani podcast. In this season, we are embarking on an exciting journey, one of shameless learning. We're tossing out the fear of judgment and embracing curiosity with open arms, whether it's exploring new ideas, tackling challenging topics or learning from our missteps. We're doing it all without shame or inhibition. Can't wait for y'all to listen to this. Hello everyone, I've been meaning to get into the recording booth, which is really just a room in my garage, for quite a long time, but I got a little busy, got a bit of a cold and cough that one that's been going on that just lingers on people for quite a while. So I had to take a break. But here we are now and we are continuing our conversation for the month of January about habits and about goal settings and all these really productivity hacks that seem to be in theme during the new years. And it's also something that I have delving throughout the year, because if you listen to my previous episode, you know that I don't necessarily hold the new years as the set date for me to start a new habit or to create new goals. This is not the time for me. I have become very flexible to where I know that really any time throughout the year it's a good time to start new. I just think that the new year is just kind of like a rebirth per se, but it's not even the Gregorian calendar's new years, right. So it's like you can read a little bit more about that and you'll see how it differs as well from what various cultures have deemed the new years to be throughout history. Nevertheless, here we are, starting this conversation and I wanted to give you some feedback.

Speaker 1: 2:25

I did say that I was going to do a review, going to do my new bullet journal for 2024. That is something that I do on the new years or leading up to the new years, and that's exactly what I did, and I've been having a lot of fun writing in my journal and my finger really screams at me all the time telling me I've been writing too much. I have been writing more on the computer, but whenever I get to my journal it reminds me of kind of like back in the day when I was a student I used to just solely write by pencil, and it brings back good memories of those days when I used to write quite a lot. So that little muscle in my finger is like hurting right now from all the writing that I've been doing, but just to let you know some of the things and this may be something that you do or maybe something that you would want to do Some of the things that I do when I review my previous year's journal is what worked for me then. So I look through all the entries that I did, the formats mostly that's what I do and ask myself that this format really worked for me, because once I get into the thick of it in the new years when, as the year progresses, I really don't have time to do much changing of the format and change the pages I'm more of a person that is like this is what I created here, this is what I'm going to work with until I do have a long enough time to research and to recreate something new, which most likely doesn't happen until the holiday break, when I have a longer time frame to really do these things. I am so happy that I got all that time because I was able to do that. I was able to look at these previous pages of 2023 and really take out those things that I wasn't really using. That's one to maintain what I was using. And, three, research those things that I thought I could have formatted better, make it more streamlined for me.

Speaker 1: 4:52

In my 2024 journal, I went through Pinterest and I put in their bullet journal and then I look at all the various formats and pages for the different things that one can track. And I have to warn you and I've said this before my creativity is relegated to writing for the most part and decorating, but not necessarily in drawing. So I don't have that full-fledged talent where, like people have these cute drawings and cute fonts on their journals. Mine is pretty plain, what you would consider when you go to Pinterest minimalist. So that's how my journal looks. I have implemented the colors in this New Year's journal just because I, like I said, like my creativity also spills into decoration and aesthetics. So I love to look at something colorful and pretty in my eyes when I open a book, and I know that that will bring me joy whenever I open my 2024 journal to see the colors that I implemented in there and there are pastel colors. It's very cutesy, but yeah, so that's something that I did in my 2024 bullet journal. It is ready to go Now.

Speaker 1: 6:19

I think I'm going to tweak my weekly log and then just make my daily logs more robust. I have like this nagging feeling. I don't know if I'm gonna use it in this manner, but we'll see. I'm gonna give it a spin for this first week and if it doesn't really work for me, if I see myself using more of the daily log, then what I'm gonna do is I'm just gonna add to the daily log the times, so that way I can add events to each day. That way, my instinct is telling me that I will be using just the monthly log and the daily log on a daily basis. So, but we will see, I'm gonna try it out. Nevertheless, that's what I worked on before I came here to the booth and I feel accomplished. I feel like I am ready to tackle this week coming up and here is what we're gonna talk about today. So that way, you're one sale. Whenever you listen to this podcast episode, you are gonna feel empowered, you are gonna feel like you learned something new and you can do something with this learning. So on today's episode, we are brewing some discussion on building lasting habits. Are you ready? Let's get into the rhythm of success. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, yeah. Okay, that's fine, all right.

Speaker 1: 8:05

So I read two books that I can. Yeah, no, yes. So let's talk about these two books. First, the Power of Habit that was like the very first one that I read by Charles Duhigg I wanna say yeah. And then the one that I read after that was the James Clear book that a lot of people know. Let me read it Real quick Atomic Habits. I don't know why I had to research it, but I guess I did Atomic Habits. And then I listened to the 5 am club and just recently I wrote it on my reading log. I read let me tell you I'm ready, mom. Where are you? Okay? Here it is. I read the Miracle Morning by Hal Arod.

Speaker 1: 9:13

So all these books in essence talk about habits, and I'm a big believer in habits. I will say more so than you Habits. I will say more so than goals because I think, like I said on the previous episode, habits are what makes your goals happen. So I think as long as we have a clear, defined habit that is smart, right, specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-based, then we're good. But I don't really spend too much time in microanalyzing that goal. What I do do is that I assess my goals and I ask myself what habits do I need to have in place in order to make this goal happen? So if my habit, for me, my goals, are centered on writing, on producing stories, producing books, so for me, the habits that pay off dividends when it comes to that is a writing habit, and it is doing that butt to chair time, that focus time, where I have a good technique that can help me to get into the flow quick enough so that way I can go ahead and get into writing or editing, whatever it is that I'm doing.

Speaker 1: 10:58

So something that I also did while I was analyzing my bullet journal of last year and starting the one for this year, 2024, was I dug into the goal that I have, which is to publish the devil that haunts me in fall of 2024. So what I did was I went to my manuscript. I saw how many chapters were there, I saw what was the current state of the chapters and what was my process from draft to finish of a book. So those were the things that I thought about, because I wanted to make sure that my goal when it comes to this book was was relevant, that it made sense and that it was in general. So I used those things that are part of the smart goal to make sure that the goal was set. And then I went back to Taylor my habits and I did my habit tracker to make sure that those things are there for me. So when I look and analyze where I was at, where I was at in the production of the double that haunts me, I noted that I was in the second draft and I was starting the third draft, and usually the third draft that's when I'm kind of done with the drafting portion of the story.

Speaker 1: 12:35

Then I go into really honing in on specific elements in the story, which I call self edits and these specific elements. Like I said before, I look at characters, just specifically characters, and how I'm presenting them in the story and if that presentation is coherent throughout the story and if their actions and the progression of that character arc makes sense and if what they're saying and what they do makes sense for that character. Because what I don't want is, for example, an introverted character to become extroverted in the middle of the story without no reasoning behind it. So those are some things that I look at. I want that character progression to be natural, to fit the story.

Speaker 1: 13:32

And then I look at descriptions, usually that is something that I'm not very. I wouldn't say good, I can describe a scene, but that's not something that I put too much effort into. I'm more of a dialogue writer. Okay, like, my dialogue is pretty good, I can kill a dialogue, but when it comes to the description I'm like, yeah, the room was there and it's like, and I just leave it at that. So it's very. My descriptions are very stripped down, but I understand from feedback that I've gotten in workshops while doing my MFA and with Beta Reads that I do tend to give the whole blank room kind of situation to readers. Like I have this character and no one knows where this character is right, but the character is doing things, the character is talking, you know, but it's like where's the character at? So I know that that's something that I need to focus on.

Speaker 1: 14:39

So that's another self edit that I do, and then the one that occurs after that is usually the timing of it, because sometimes the timing can be unclear and that is something that I want to make sure that I put a special focus, special emphasis on, because I don't want the reader to get lost in the story, like literally lost, like they don't know. Are we looking back, are we having a flashback, are we moving forward in the story, and things of that nature. I just want to make sure that the timeline it's clear and, believe it or not, there are certain keywords that you want to put in there. So that way you guide the reader along, to make sure that they understand, without beating them over the head with it, that this character has looked at a memory or this character now has moved on. It is now the next day or two weeks after and this character is now dealing with a new situation. So those are the focus led self edits that I do.

Speaker 1: 15:49

Then I do a proof read. After that and usually before that I have a good break from the manuscript, so that way I can look at it with a fresh eyes do a proof read and then I do a whole read, from chapter one to the last chapter, just to make sure that everything I implemented was correct. And from there there are certain rewrites or certain things I need to do I fix. And then that's when it goes to outside sources like developmental editor, a line editor, and then an outside proof reader that is not me. So that is the faces of the book process that I have. So I did need it to analyze that because I needed to know the steps that I need to make for this book, knowing that I am just on the second draft right now, actively going through the third draft. I needed to know that that's where I'm at, so that way I know where I'm headed.

Speaker 1: 16:55

So, when it comes to goals, that is really for me what I need to know what is the goal, make sure that it's smart and then analyzing where I'm at so that way I know what habits I need to put in place to get to the completion of that goal. So that's why I said that I tend to focus more on habits than the goal itself. So I create daily writing habits to make sure that I do accomplish and complete the goal. We go through my habit tracker here, so that way you all know. So I have a grateful journal habit that I track, which is every morning I write three things that I'm grateful for. I have a vitamins habit tracker. Every morning I get up, I take my vitamins.

Speaker 1: 17:52

Like I said, a fitness habit and eight cups of water habit, a meditate habit and a 10 minutes of growth habit, and that is when I give myself 10 minutes to read or listen to something, and currently I am reading optimal, the book optimal, and what I like to focus on, those 10 minutes of growth is whatever my focus is right. So if my focus is leadership, if I wanna learn more about leadership than usually, the 10 minutes of reading time that I implemented into my habit is a leadership book. If it has to do with a writing craft, then it's a writing craft book. You see, so I tailor my habits to my goal and, of course, the writing habit is there, and that is that I spend 20 minutes writing. Usually that becomes longer because usually I get into a state of flow or deep concentration when I'm there, but it's just these small and consistent steps that help me to achieve the goal. So you see, every single one of them helps me to either be mentally sane, physically well, be present and in the moment. All these things help me to write and help me to be productive in my writing journey. So they all played a part into this goal and I learned the power of habit from this book by Charles Duhigg, the power of habits, and it's basically a book that tells you that there's a habit loop.

Speaker 1: 19:53

You don't understand. When I read this book it was like mind blowing at the time because I knew I was a procrastinator. I knew that I struggled with putting things off and I knew that I had a perfectionistic streak which aided in that procrastination. But when I read this book, the Power of Habit, I felt like I had more control now to control my productivity and control what I was doing, when I was doing it and why I was doing it. So this book taught me that there's three elements to a habit okay A cue, a routine and a reward. It taught me this very important that habits are so ingrained that one cannot knowled out or take it out. One just has to change it to replace that habit with another habit. So when the cue comes, one has to be aware of the cue and perform a different action and thus get a different reward. And if you do that enough times then you are able to create a habit. So it's like in the book Charles Doohick.

Speaker 1: 23:36

He uses the Fabrice commercial, the Fabrice corporation, and how they became big by really understanding this habit loop, which was they did commercials that show how housewife will spray Fabrice on the furniture and that will tell her the room. The house is clean, I'm done, you see. So the cue will be the house is dirty. I don't like the way that it smells. The routine will be I'm gonna clean the house and then spray Fabrice, and then the reward will be job well done, you finish. The house is clean, it smells good.

Speaker 1: 24:18

He used that as an example, but for me, a good example that I have is it comes to eating, because in my household we are big on eating, not necessarily because we are hungry, but eating because we are bored or eating as a form of a social action. So usually it's like we sit on the couch, turn on a movie and automatically we reach for for chips. So, and then that's the reward Now we are resting, now we are right, we are enjoying this movie. So what we have done because we know that we have that habit loop is that we replace chips with a more healthier alternative, and they're like these vegetables, straw looking things that we have replaced it with and kind of like we have reached for smaller bowl as well. So that way at least our portions are controlled. So you see how the habit is still there, but we have just modified the routine so that way we can make that habit a little bit better.

Speaker 1: 25:44

So, when it comes to me, I'm an early morning person, so I know I am gonna wake up early early morning, without an alarm. That's. That's a fact. It's very rare that I don't do that. I have to be like really tired or sick for me not to do that. But what I decided to do was what do I do with that time that I have before I go do PT and then my day starts and usually, being a phone addict, I reach for my phone.

Speaker 1: 26:21

Now, when I reach for my phone instead of doing social media, this is the thing that I change. I used to just scroll through social media and Then I read somewhere how that is like horrible to do because you shouldn't want to Consume. Right as soon as you open your eyes and you welcome the day, consume that kind of content that can be who knows what, whatever is is trending on social media. So instead I grab my phone and on my phone I have the clear fold journal app and that's where I input the three things I'm grateful for. So I still wake up early, I still reach for my phone. That's the first thing I do. But now, instead of going to social media, I go to the clear fold app and then I do my three things. I am grateful for that day, and then dad, and now. Now it's a little compounded, right, because now I have the phone in my hand. So now, with this phone, I also go into aura and listen to some meditation, and then I go into noon and listen to the lesson of the day. You see, so I am utilizing the phone that was really not paying dividends for me first thing in the morning before to do something productive for me. So now I am, I'm being grateful and I am consuming other things that center me, such as guided meditation, meditation or noon, the psychology of eating that book.

Speaker 1: 28:02

The power of habit has Help me to identify that, because once I was able to identify that, then I was able to Change and pivot. You see, so it's like once you know better, you do better. So, you see, when it came to grabbing the phone first thing in the morning, I implemented that small change, and then that small change Then trigger another change, which was now I wasn't just writing in my grateful journal, but now I was also listening to guided meditation, which is part of my habit, which is something that grounds me. So that way it helps me to write and it helps me to do everything else I need to do for the day. So, in essence, these small changes are leading to bigger results, but they're also there to act as a Contributing factor to the completion of goals. So there they are in support of goals.

Speaker 1: 29:10

So when you're crafting your goals for the week or for the day, think about that. What habits do I have that can contribute to this goal or that can support this goal? And if you don't have them, think about the habits you do have and then try to see how you can change it. Look at the queue and see what, after that queue, what behavior can you change and and and turn that into a new habit. So that way you can have something that is supporting your goals, because goals are great, but without the habits that supported and contribute to it, they are hanging out like stars, like dreams that we dream about, and they're not gonna get done.

Speaker 1: 30:06

All right, I hope you learned something today and remember building habits is a journey, it is not a race. Don't go too crazy. I started out with three habits and I went from there and for me that was very doable at the time. It is not a race, it is a journey. Take it as slow, as fast as you can. Start small, being consistent is the key. That's the key right there. So if you can only do one habit to be consistent, then do one habit. Don't shame yourself. Don't let no one else shame you for it. If that's all that you can do, do that, because it's better to stay consistent and to really ingrain that habit in you and make it automatic. And One last thing don't forget to celebrate small wins, like when you, when you do do that change and you do accomplish that habit do a little dance. Do a little dance, sing a little song, do whatever it is you know. Shake yourself, do something silly that brings you joy. Make that your reward to celebrate your small wins.

Speaker 1: 31:20

I can't wait to hear from you if you have implemented new habits. What is your journey? How are you doing this journey? I can't wait. I love these stories. I love the feedback that I get, because it is so relatable and Makes me feel connected, really. So, until our next cup together, keep shaping your life and I will see you next Wednesday. Bye, we can. We can fly. Thank you so much for listening. I want to hear from you. Leave me a comment, do a rating if you can on the podcast, share it with somebody you love, but, most importantly, come back. I see you next time. Bye.