6 Habits to Make 2025 Your Best Year Yet

Introduction (0s)

• This video discusses six key productivity habits that can help make 2025 the best year yet if incorporated into one's life, ideally multiple habits at once (5s).
• The video is hosted by Ali, a doctor-turned-entrepreneur and author of The New York Times bestseller "Feelgood Productivity", which focuses on being more productive in a way that feels good (13s).
• Ali has been documenting their journey on the channel for the last 7 years, from being a broke medical student to working full-time as a doctor and now running a seven-figure business (19s).
• Ali's goal on the channel is to share everything they've learned and are continuing to learn along their journey of personal growth and development (28s).
• The aim is to help viewers find value and work towards achieving the "five Fs" of fun, fulfillment, flexibility, freedom, and finance (38s).

Habit: 1 - Ignoring The Concept of Annual Goals (45s)

• Ignoring the concept of annual goals can be beneficial, as it allows for a more focused approach to goal setting, with an alternative method being quarterly quests, which involves setting goals for the next 90 days rather than the entire year (47s).
• Quarterly quests are a concept discussed in books such as "The 12 Week Year" and "Get Scalable" by Ryan Deiss, and "Traction" by Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares, which emphasize the importance of 90-day cycles in goal setting (1m25s).
• The idea behind quarterly quests is to focus on three or four big things to accomplish in the next 90 days, making it easier to visualize and achieve goals compared to annual goals (2m16s).
• Quarterly quests can be separated into categories, such as work and life, to help prioritize and organize goals (2m53s).
• Projects that take longer than 90 days to complete can be broken down into 90-day chunks, making it more manageable and increasing the chances of success (3m3s).
• Setting quarterly quests can be done individually or with the help of resources such as alignment workshops, which can provide guidance and support in achieving goals (2m28s).
• It's essential to be mindful of the potential pitfall of forgetting quarterly quests, just like New Year's resolutions, and to establish habits to ensure progress and accountability (3m47s).

Habit: 2 - The Weekly Review (3m56s)

• The Weekly Review is a productivity habit popularized by David Allen in his 2001 book "Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity" that involves spending 20 minutes reviewing the previous week and setting priorities for the next week (4m11s).
• This habit can be done in as little as 10-20 minutes and helps make meaningful progress towards important goals by asking oneself what their key priorities are for the week ahead (4m37s).
• As part of the Weekly Review, it's good practice to look at the calendar for the previous week, celebrate wins, and give oneself a pat on the back for accomplishments (4m57s).
• The Weekly Review should also include a weekly checkpoint to remind oneself of their quarterly quests and assess progress towards those goals (5m11s).
• Quarterly quests are goals set for a specific quarter, and the Weekly Review helps ensure that one stays on track to achieve those goals by referring to them regularly (5m56s).
• Based on the progress of quarterly quests and other life events, one should define their top one, two, and three priorities for the week ahead (6m5s).
• Incorporating the Weekly Review habit into one's life can significantly improve productivity and help make the next year the best year of one's life (6m12s).

Habit: 3 - The Morning Manifesto (7m29s)

• Habit number three for productivity is the "Morning Manifesto", a 2-minute journaling prompt done first thing in the morning that asks a few basic questions, including what the top three priorities for the week are and how they're going (7m30s).
• The Morning Manifesto serves as a daily reminder and checkpoint to ensure alignment with quarterly goals and priorities, and can help define top priorities for the week if a weekly reset hasn't been done (7m47s).
• A common mistake in productivity is focusing on efficiency rather than the choice of what to work on, which is where the most progress is made (8m41s).
• The choice of what direction to go in, rather than how fast to get there, is what moves the needle in productivity and achieving meaningful progress towards goals (8m49s).
• Focusing solely on being efficient or productive in a day job can hinder progress towards long-term goals, such as building a business or achieving financial freedom (9m17s).
• It's essential to regularly think about priorities and what to work towards, as being competent and good at getting things done isn't enough if the wrong things are being worked on (9m28s).
• Goal selection, rather than just goal achievement, is crucial for making progress towards what truly matters, and habits like the Morning Manifesto can help with this (10m1s).
• A free 2-day productivity workshop called "Productivity Spark" is being hosted on January 4th and 5th, 2025, to help attendees reflect on 2024, figure out where their work and life are heading, and set active goals and quarterly quests for 2025 (10m17s).
• A key habit to make 2025 the best year yet is to do the things you say you're going to do, and setting an intention every day can transform your life in a year (11m1s).
• The "morning Manifesto" is a habit that involves setting an intention for the day by asking yourself what your weekly priorities are and how they're going, and what the most important thing you want to get done today is (10m45s).
• The morning Manifesto should be quick and simple, with a bare minimum of prompts, to make it more likely that you'll do it every day (11m55s).
• Phrasing your work as an "adventure" can make it feel more enjoyable and sincere, and help you approach it with a spirit of play rather than being too serious (12m12s).
• Asking yourself "what is today's adventure going to be?" every morning for 365 days can help you make progress towards what really matters to you and make you unrecognizable in a year (12m37s).
• Sticking your most important task in your calendar and doing it some of the time can still lead to significant transformation in a year (12m48s).

Habit: 4 - Focus Logs (12m59s)

• Habit number four is to maintain a 'Focus Log', which involves tracking the amount of time spent on focused work to increase productivity and achieve important goals (12m59s).
• The idea of a Focus Log originated from a personal experience of struggling to make progress on writing a book due to lack of focus and time management (13m2s).
• Initially, time was blocked out on the calendar for working on the book, but distractions and procrastination prevented actual progress (13m33s).
• To overcome this, a Google sheet was created to track the number of minutes spent working on the book in fully focused time each day (14m10s).
• Writing down the daily focused work time in the spreadsheet provided insight into unproductivity and helped increase the amount of time spent on focused work (14m20s).
• The Focus Log is a key habit that has been transformational in achieving goals and is now taught to students in productivity courses (14m42s).
• Creating a Focus Log is a simple yet effective hack for improving focus, and it can be done using various methods such as manual time tracking, automatic time tracking, Google Sheets, or pen and paper (14m59s).
• The Focus Log provides visibility on the amount of time spent on focused work, which can profoundly impact productivity and goal achievement (15m15s).

Habit: 5 - Standing Order Social Events (15m24s)

• Habit number five is related to work and focuses on the social relationship side of things, specifically standing order social events, which are regular social events that occur at the same time and place every week or every other week, such as a Sunday brunch or a Tuesday evening board game night, to stay in touch with people, make friends, and retain friendships without the hassle of coordinating calendars (15m32s).
• Standing order social events can be an effective way to maintain strong relationships and friendships, as seen in the example of having two date nights a week with a partner, which can ensure quality time together despite busy schedules (16m46s).
• Incorporating regular social events into one's life, such as weekly or bi-weekly dinner gatherings, can drive relationship satisfaction and health in important relationships and friendships (17m14s).
• Habit number six is multimodality, or multitasking, which involves finding ways to balance a day job with building a business or side hustle outside of work hours, taking into account time constraints and life maintenance (17m36s).
• Multimodality is a common challenge faced by people with 9-to-5 jobs who want to pursue other projects or businesses, and finding ways to manage time effectively is crucial to achieving this goal (17m47s).
• Many people struggle to pursue their dreams due to limited time, especially those with family responsibilities, and feel stuck in their day jobs, but finding time is key to making progress on one's dreams (18m6s).
• Everyone has the same 168 hours in a week, but a significant portion is taken up by work, family, and other responsibilities, leaving limited time for personal pursuits (18m43s).
• Multimodality multitasking, or doing two things at once, can help create more time, such as listening to an audiobook while doing laundry or listening to a podcast during a commute (18m58s).
• This type of multitasking is different from trying to focus on two things at once, which can be ineffective due to "attention residue" (19m12s).
• Multimodality multitasking can be beneficial for acquiring knowledge related to one's dream, such as listening to business books or podcasts while doing other tasks (19m36s).
• However, it's essential to be present and focused when spending time with family or working, and not try to multitask during these times (19m48s).
• Using tools like the Voice Pal app, which is a "ghost writer in your pocket," can also help with multitasking, such as recording ideas while walking or doing other tasks (20m17s).
• This app allows users to speak their thoughts and ideas out loud, which can be helpful for planning and brainstorming, such as planning videos or other creative projects (20m24s).
• Using an app to convert spoken words into a first draft can be an efficient way to create content, as it allows for multitasking and can turn spoken ideas into a rough outline, an example of multimodality and multitasking (21m0s).
• Most people have some form of writing to do, and using an app or software to convert spoken words into a transcript can be helpful, especially when time is limited (21m17s).
• The process of creating content can be streamlined by using AI tools, such as converting spoken words into a transcript, editing it with software like ChatGPT, and then refining it with editing software like Notion or Google Docs (21m31s).
• The idea is to use dead time, such as during a trip to the grocery store, to be productive and make progress on tasks, rather than wasting time or just listening to music (22m8s).
• The key is to use time efficiently and make progress on tasks, even when doing other activities, without compromising time spent with family or other important activities (22m0s).
• The video is part of a playlist that includes other videos on how to focus better, which may be helpful for viewers who struggle with staying focused (22m18s).