How to stick to your goals during lockdown. (This also applies to non pandemic life)

It's truly a marathon. 

Not everyone has the exact same experience during this new and unusual era, though I figure I could shed some light (although I do need more sun myself) on methods I've found to keep on track during this suburban Toronto area lockdown. 

Overall it's come down to 5 major things. 

1) Setting goals - on physical paper 
When it comes to getting things done, physical and visible charts have been the most helpful to me. 
As much as I could trust my superhuman (lie) memory to perfectly catalogue every single thing that I have to do in perfect order, it's still much much easier to simply write things down, order them by number based on importance, 1 being the most essential, and then setting a due date. Due dates are extremely important 

(Short side note : When I was going through art school and trying to pick a solid study path, I always wondered why the animation students in general came out with a higher level of draftsmanship. I realized that they simply had to get more projects over the line. Deadlines coupled with a set quality standard and criteria make for a solid level up recipe. )

2) Targeting health and nutrition - without this , there's nothing to build on. 

If your body doesn't work, you lose the game. (You've already lost the game because you're aware of the game - Am I telegraphing my age?) 
Making sure to keep plenty of good clean , nutritionally balanced foods in your house, and to actually eat them and not the junk food that's conveniently placed to the left of them is essential. Also supplements are very useful ( vitamin D if you're not getting as much of that sun as you should) 

3) Scheduling rest. 
If you don't make time to just chill then you may never ever chill. It's common to want to just feel productive and think you need to be killin it 25/8 but it's not realistic. Work in cycles, rest in cycles, schedule it all. You'll thank yourself for following through on it. 

4) Taking time to learn new skills
Keep your mind fresh. There's always more to learn, but once in a while picking up skills outside of your normal range will grant you some extra peace and a bit of mental flexibility. Innovation usually comes from combining things that haven't gone together before. If you'd like to know more check out Mastery by Robert Greene. (Click through for a direct link to the book) He gives an excellent and comprehensive look into what gets people from wherever into success.

5) Aim beyond the comfort zone. - Making a note of it to punch above my weight 
I've learned that pushing the upper and outer limits of your skills is where you grow. Being comfortable is cool if you're running a money button situation ( A money button is a task that you can simply complete that generates solid revenue, as if it were a button. Low input with a reliable return) . 
If you'd like to grow and achieve something a bit more remarkable then you'll need to go beyond the normal. 
Stretch and you'll grow. 

That's it. Those are the top 5 that have helped me keep on track. 
Hopefully they'll help you out as well. 

Let me know what you're targeting over the unforeseeable future and what processes you're using to stick to it. 

Cheers, 

-MANIKK-