Here’s your step-by-step guide to a “comeback” era.
Here’s what you should do:
The Pre-stage of the “Comeback” Era
#1 Have a “rot-day”
I got this funny name from the “hot girl energy” podcast I was listening to one day on the bus ride home from town center. And I love it, because I envision myself as a tomato sitting on my bed, rotting away, for some reason.
Umm, anyways…
So, hopefully at this point in the holidays, you are very well rested and have had multiple rot days.
And if you are reading this blog post after the summer holidays or in the middle of a school or workday, I’d suggest that in the coming week or so, you schedule a “lazy day” in your calendar.
You might ask, “isn’t rotting or staying in bed all day, the quite opposite of a comeback era?”
Well, a lazy, low effort, and a minimal energy consuming day primes you for more productive and efficient days.
Experiencing a day of doing nothing can create a desire to balance it out the next day. The act of resting and the mild guilt it brings along with it makes the idea of getting things done more appealing. Learn more here !
Other Benefits:
A lazy day resets you mentally and physically since taking a break allows your body and mind to recover from fatigue, which can help you feel more energized and ready to tackle tasks afterwards. And can lower stress levels, making you more relaxed and focused when you return to your to-do list.
It’s like having a rest day after a weights session, which tends to recover your ripped muscle tissues.
Also stepping away from your usual routine can provide mental clarity and help you approach tasks with a renewed outlook. Or in other cases makes you more eager to return to work with a renewed passion, making you excited to be productive.
Basically, you are hitting the psychological reset button.
However, most importantly, it helps you avoid burnout.
Breaks at regular intervals are very important for sustained productivity in the long run. Plus, alternating between rest and work can create a powerful rhythm that will always complement any lifestyle.
#2 Goal setting
Goal setting is the key to having a “comeback” era.
We need to be mindful about what results we are trying to get and how we’ll get there.
So, Step #1: Identify your goals
Identify what you want to achieve or what things do you want to check off by the end of a certain time period — be it better grades, more friends, making money or just want to see substantial personal growth.
Whatever it is… write it down. Make a checklist, to-do list or a habit tracker. Whatever helps.
Step #2: Write out a plan about how you will get there.
Make a detailed, step-by-step plan of how you will achieve your goals.
It’s completely fine if things don’t work out to be the way you envisioned it, but having a step-by-step plan, will help you get started. Because the task won’t seem as daunting as you think they were.
Step #3: Track your progress
When things start to feel impossible or unattainable, having evidence of your progress can be a source of motivation and keeps you going. Because of-course, you won’t want all that hard work to go to waste.
P.S. Habit trackers are really fun to make.
#3 Know your values
It can get very easy to get caught up in life and forget the values you hold close to you.
Hence, a day before school started in year 10, I wrote a list of values I hold close to me and made sure I’d let no one cross them. It helped me really be aware of what values I respect the most and where to set my personal boundaries.
Now it did cost me a few a friends and a massive fall out (which is normal, and no one is to blame for what happened) to realise that even I didn’t know what my boundaries were at the time.
And in that case, I simply couldn’t expect others to know it as well.
So, I wrote my values down on a notion page, just to be very clear.
I wrote everything from what my values were, to why I think they are important and why I’d follow them.
And used it like a pledge most of the time, referring back to it when needed.
It’s important to know your values and stick to them, regardless of what the circumstances are.
If you learn to respect your personal values and stick to them, it’ll serve as a strong message for others to follow them as well. Which indeed is very important!
Right, now that we know what we are worth and what our boundaries are, let’s look at what we need to do when we are well into our “comeback” era.
During the “Comeback” Era
#1 Revamp your habits
Habits make us more efficient and prepare us to run on autopilot. Saving us energy and thinking space.
Which is great, because we need to save both energy and mental capacity to do other great things.
So, try new habits to keep you organized and create a balanced life.
Particularly for students, it’s important for you to try out new study habits so you can balance both schoolwork with extra-curricular activities.
Read my other article to learn what other habits you should adapt, to make the most of every moment and stay productive.
#2 Improve your social skills
Congrats! We have good habits that run on autopilot. Now let’s shift our saved energy purposefully.
Relax your jaw and smile a little mate!
Don’t forget to make that eye contact when you are engaging in a conversation.
Your, body language, says a lot about your personality. If you look confident, you’ll more likely be heard and taken seriously. Which shows that small gestures go a long way.
Also become a good listener. Take interest in what others have to say and don’t be scared to ask questions.
Not only are you networking, but you are also improving your confidence and public speaking skills.
Which, must I add are important and useful at various stages in life. Also, you are connecting with people at a deeper level.
This will definitely open you to new opportunities, if nothing else.
#3 Showcase your talents
Whatever it is that you are good at, whether it’s sports, music, writing or singing; don’t be scared to show case it. In fact, find ways to let others see what you are good at.
Showing your talents doesn’t make you a show-off or an attention seeker, it helps you find opportunities and people who will be interested in working with you.
Basically, demonstrating your personal statement out live. And if you choose to post it online, maybe your future employers won’t have to ask you for evidence, because I am sure they will be aware of your online footprint, long before you get a call for an interview.
#4 Take care of your well-being
Prioritize your health and wellbeing. A strong comeback requires a strong and sound head space.
Therefore, make sure you keep it peaceful up there and find ways to manage stress. Perhaps, follow the cliché(s): try to journal or meditate.
Personally, I don’t do that and it’s not a personal favorite. I like staring at the roof in the dark or talking to a friend and reading the Qur’an to keep my mental health in check.
And another thing I love to do is to workout.
Recently not so much because of the whether change and volunteering, which gets exhausting at times. But in normal circumstances, I love to workout. Particularly home cardio workouts or Pilates. Sometimes running.
I say sometimes because I normally stop in winter because it gets dark too quickly to run outside in the UK. Hopefully, we’ll invest in a treadmill soon.
But the point being, working out is great for mental clarity and keeping in good health, especially since health has a lot to do with mental stability and happiness.
Post “Comeback” Era
Hopefully, if you implement at least some of those ideas in your day-to-day life, you’ll probably see a lot of positive changes. Because all the ideas above are also generally good for personality development and gaining good personal traits.
Hence, the last thing to do is to maintain it.
Let’s say transitioning from a “comeback” to a “well-settled” era!
All that’s left to do now is to stay positive and resilient.
Embrace any setbacks and understand, “everything happens for a reason” and not everything will go to plan. It’s okay to make mistakes.
The important thing is to keep moving forward because we are all Still Figuring It Out.
And don’t forget to celebrate your wins. Big or small, they are all equally important and required equal amount of hard work.
I hope you’ve found this post helpful. Feel free to leave a comment below if you did!
Raniya