Top 12 Things to Do Differently – Especially in the New Year | Video

What are you going to do differently next year? At the start of the year, it is customary to look forward and think about what you want to change. Many people will advise you to think about your goals for the year and to set yourself objectives for what you want to achieve. It’s good advice.

I want to focus on something different: what can give you a better, happier, more successful life in 2022? Here are 12 changes you can make. When you do things differently, you will get different results. Have a go.

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Here are my 12 Things to do Differently in 2022

1. The Felicity Factor

There’s a mass of research that shows happy people to be healthier, less prone to illness, live longer and have… happier lives. So be happy and cheerful. Practice smiling more, make opportunities for laughter and see the bright side of life.

As an added bonus, people warm to you when you are happy, meaning they are more likely to believe you, to do you favors, and to offer you help.

2. Be Generous 

Generosity nearly always repays the giver and, as a policy, it is hard to beat for return on investment. Start with being generous with the credit you offer to your project team, for the things that go well. You may know you had the greater hand in the success, but credit your team’s contribution first.

3. Follow your Passion 

Tick, tick, tick… Another year gone. Make this the year you decide to take a determined step in the direction of your true passion. Being stuck in a cul-de-sac, doing a job you hate, or working with people whose values turn your dials to danger is just a waste of your life. There are plenty of alternatives and some of them can bring you joy instead.

4. Say “NO” more Often

Not a gratuitous or petulant “no” but a strategic “Noble Objection” to things that serve neither you nor the people or institutions you care for. 

5. Delegate Outcomes rather than tasks 

Getting more done this year means delegating more. For maximum benefit, trust your team members more: delegate by specifying what you want them to achieve, rather than telling them what to do and how to do it.

6. Make more Time for Relaxing 

We’ve had a couple of tough years – and we may have another one to come. I hope you have recharged your batteries in the last couple of weeks. Now keep them in peak condition by making time to relax and trickle charge them back to peak capacity.

7. Read more Widely 

Much research into wisdom shows that depth and breadth of knowledge and experience are equally important. Identify two or three areas that you’ve not learned about in the last few years and include them in your 2022 learning list.

As a bonus tip, reading intelligent fiction has been shown to increase levels of empathy, leading to stronger relationships, better communication, and greater ability to influence. 

8. Remember Names 

Nothing says “I value you” less than forgetting a name. Yet so many people do claim to be “bad at names” that it is almost our default position. Be different. Remembering names is not too tricky and it starts with wanting to.

9. Listen more Carefully

How often do you mentally switch off or turn to your own inner dialogue when someone is speaking? When you really listen, people really notice it. It will transform your relationships, prevent costly misunderstandings, increase your influence and win more compliance from stakeholders.

10. Improve your Diet

Michael Pollan sums up every scrap of reliable evidence about what makes a good diet, in 7 words: Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.

Avoid fads and think about quality – a high veg diet, with good quality meat, occasionally is good for your health, your stress levels, and your happiness. If you’re a meat lover, then think about the pleasure of anticipating that special meal.

11. Be Optimistic

There is a lot we could be fearful of in the news, but fear will not help you tackle the troubles that may come. Rational optimism is not a blind “glass half-full” faith, but a determination to seek opportunities in each situation, and confidence in your abilities based on around assessment of your resources, and a plan to increase them. 

Pessimists may be right more often, but optimists prosper more and live longer. Being wrong occasionally seems a small price to pay.

12. Be Grateful

If things go wrong, it’s easy to dwell on “if only…” When someone has more than you, it’s easy to feel deprived. But you will be happier and when you focus on what you do have. Be grateful for the people in your life, the successes you’ve achieved, the pleasures you can take, and for all that you have. 

To start to feel really good, almost immediately, go somewhere quiet for 20 minutes, with a pen and paper, and make a list of everything – big or small – that you can be grateful for.

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What Kit does a Project Manager Need?

I asked Project Managers in a couple of forums what material things you need to have, to do your job as a Project Manager. They responded magnificently. I compiled their answers into a Kit list. I added my own. 

Check out the Kit a Project Manager needs

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