Hi Lifetickers,

The correlation between journal keeping and success is universally well known. There is no shortage of statesmen and women who can attribute in part their ongoing motivation to succeed to the daily habit of maintaining a journal. Allowing time each day to collect one’s thoughts and put them into words not only serves as an effective check of one’s activities, progress, purpose and direction, it can also lead our minds to a deeper level of introspection of how we carried ourselves that day. Be they interactions with loved ones, colleagues or a random person on the street, when keeping a journal it is hard not to reflect on whether the world was a better place for having us in it today, which of course is a healthy thing to do.

But how do we make this happen? Journal keeping (like most things that require daily commitment) sounds good in practice, but can be a drag for most of us. Personally, I suffer from a severe case of inconsistency and therefore good intentions last a week at best. Nevertheless, there is always hope. I recently committed to a technique that I believe is already proving effective in getting my journal entries made on a more frequent basis. Quite simply, it is – Write one sentence per day.

When you think about it, one sentence a day is not hard at all. In fact, it is ridiculously easy. But is it useful? I would argue a heartfelt “yes”. Why? Because it is not the content that matters, but the act. We can’t all aspire to be Oscar Wilde, able to produce a worthy quote at will, but that doesn’t matter. Simply logging in and making the entry itself is the action that develops the necessary discipline and focus that can greatly benefit us. Furthermore, once you’ve logged it, it is almost impossible not to write more… and there of course is the complete benefit. But, if one begins with the very modest and honest objective of only writing one sentence, then it will ensure the goal remains achievable on a day-by-day basis and that is the key.

We are starting to notice in our stats a great rise in journal category usage in Lifetick. For those of you who are yet to try this functionality, it is most useful in recording daily activities you would like to measure or report on. For example, gym visits, calories eaten, books you’ve read and much more. Totally customisable, you can read more in the help tips when you edit the categories themselves in the journal.

Finally, we would like to sign off today with the announcement of some new features:

• Task notes (frequently requested) allow you to capture extra information on your goals
• Fortnightly (every other week) recurring tasks
• Interface improvements
  (including larger task and full screen reports windows)

Hi Lifetickers and welcome to 2009.

We wanted to say a big thank you for your support during our first year of operation and we look forward to expanding the product even more in 2009. Obviously, the new year brings with it a swag of resolutions, mostly useless and doomed, but nevertheless, that won’t stop us from adding our two cents worth to the ever expanding opinion on achieving more in life.

Firstly, most of you are on the right path because you chose to sign up to an online goal setting app – in our case Lifetick – and you did it during the calendar year, which means that you didn’t need the motivation of a new year to pull the proverbial finger out. Therefore, this would suggest one of two things happened in your life in the last 12 months: inspiration or desperation. Regardless of which, if you are using the product consistently then you will be achieving more, so congratulations on that.

A second key point that should not be underestimated is the financial investment some of you have made for the full version of Lifetick. This is important because people feel more committed toward something and value it higher if they have had to pay for it. This is for two reasons: cynically we presume that something free isn’t worth anything and more interestingly, by investing in something we feel the need to get our money’s worth out of it.

But the reality is, none of this will really get you over the line in terms of getting more out of life. In fact, if you are relying on a new year’s resolution to make for a better life then you are sadly deluded. Sure you can pay for an online goal setting app to make yourself feel better, but how many times in life do we buy a bicycle or pay for a gym membership only to see it rust or go to waste. It is a classic case of HAVE-DO-BE. If I just HAVE this then I’ll DO more and I’ll BE happy. Where we need to be focused in our endeavours is the complete opposite: BE-DO-HAVE.

What is BE-DO-HAVE? Firstly, it’s a philosophy. A way of life. If I BE this person and I DO these things then I will HAVE abundance. Effectively, it is putting the horse in front of the cart where it belongs. It is easy to make excuses for ourselves, but if we haven’t got the wiring correct at the outset, then surely, we are doomed to fail.

Therefore, what advice can be given based on this? I’ll break it down to a small list:

1. Re-wire your brain. BE-DO-HAVE. Take responsibility for where you are in life and use that as your starting point. Doesn’t matter if it’s a long way back, at least your compass will be correct.
2. Sit down and think about what you want to be different in your life. Write these things down.
3. Apply the S.M.A.R.T. goal setting methodology. If something doesn’t add up then scrap it. Ever noticed how many NY resolutions are vague and therefore don’t fit the S.M.A.R.T. methodology? You can forget about achieving a single one of your resolutions if they are in any way, shape or form vague.
4. Cast your eye over your goals. If you are having doubts about one, scrap it. Isn’t that giving up? No. The reality is that goal setting really helps work out what we REALLY want in life. The truth is that most things in life we don’t REALLY want. Sure, they’d be nice to have if there was no effort involved, but life is not like that. Otherwise, we’d all win the lotto. Make your list count. If you really want something, it will be a goal.
5. Now the hard part. Daily inspiration. Find it any way you can. This is what will make or break you. Some ideas:
   a) Read a famous quote every morning when you get out of bed e.g. What the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.
   b) Put pictures and reminders of your heroes on your walls, computer screen, as bookmarks, on notepaper.
   c) Get in rhythm. Listen to music that inspires you. Make a compilation of the songs that make you feel better about yourself and keep you motivated when you need it.
   d) Use an affirmation. Not for all, but some swear by them. Worth trying.
   e) Share your dreams with someone you can trust. No, not a random on the Internet. Someone who will take them seriously and believe in you. You should ask this person to follow up with you every one to two weeks to check your progress. If he (or she) is a true friend, he will care and it won’t be an effort for him.
   f) Start a good habit, by breaking a bad habit. If you can start one good habit then you can start a hundred. Find the easiest one and give it 21 days. Prove to yourself you have it within you.
   g) Read biographies of inspirational people every 2-3 months. You’ll soon feel the effects of their lives wear off on yours.
6. Finally, let go. That’s right. Let it happen. Find time each day to pray, meditate, contemplate or just be still. Whatever it is that works for you. Life is about balance, so if you’re too busy achieving you may not be enjoying the fruits of your labour. Find your own balance.

Tools like Lifetick will certainly help you with organisation, reminders and motivation here and there, but your drive will come from within. Find a way to tap into that. It is different for everyone, so beware those who promise the world with their wares.

Good luck and we wish you a successful 2009. We hope to serve you well throughout.

Hi Lifetickers,

In the time we’ve been operating we’ve had some interesting feedback and questions regarding Core Values. It can be quite inspiring to hear how users are re-evaluating their priorities in life, simply based on the fact that Lifetick forces them to consider what their Core Values are exactly.

During the months of development and testing, we had the opportunity to refine the product again and again. However, we also found ourselves refining our core values again and again. Sometimes it was easy to name something important in our lives, like “Family”. Other times it was not so easy. In fact, one of the reasons for it being difficult is that our values can change over time. It’s also common to enter values that don’t necessarily feature heavily in our lives on a day to day basis. There is nothing wrong with this, providing it is where we want our lives to be. One such example is “Adventure” (one of my own core values). Although I’m very much a part of the 9-5 crowd (and some), having the Adventure core value reminds me of an important aspect of my life that I am always striving to achieve, even if it is only once a year.

So with all this being said, we wanted to give you some feedback on what the most popular core values are that you’ve created, so you can see what it is that people value. Here are the Top Ten:

Probably not too many surprises there. In fact, Lifetick now has over 100 different core value names from our users, so here are some of the ones we found inspiring: Charity, Peace, Love, Kindness, Compassion, Honesty, Freedom, Trust and Integrity. Nice to see such a blend of values with virtues.

Finally, we wanted to quickly mention that we’ve now added a “Print Tasks by Core Value” feature (originally requested by Christy). Simply click on the Print button in the Navigate or Life screens and you’ll see it added to the available list.

We hope it provides another useful perspective on your personal journey.