For many of us, New Year is a time to make some resolutions and commit to bring positive changes in our lives. See if you would like to include any of the following to your goals and to-do lists for 2014:

1. Learn to be happy! Happiness is the foundation for all success and achievements. Happier people are more productive at work, better at relationships, healthier and have more energy. Practice the happiness principles daily:

• Be grateful. Acknowledge the good things in your life. Being alive, having the comforts, doing a job, having a family… are not things to be taken for granted, but to be thankful for.
• Accept what you can’t change. Don’t get angry, frustrated or disappointed at things that are beyond your control: The weather, traffic, the colour of your skin, your height, your past, other people’s thoughts and actions…
• Make others happy. Compliment more. Acknowledge when someone does something well. Be kind and helpful. Help someone solve their problem. Give your time.
• Find out what makes you happy and do that. Whether it’s nature walk, some form of exercise, volunteering, learning something new… Change your job if you have to.

2. Become more productive! Do the right things, do them well, on time and with ease. That may seem too ambitious but here are some of the ways to achieve that:

• Prioritize. Do less to get more done. Ask yourself whether you can drop it, delay it or delegate it, before you do it! Distinguish between important and urgent. Develop the habit of ‘first things first’. Do what matters most first.
• Simplify. Unclutter. Get rid of useless stuff that just occupies space – in your office, on your desk, at home, your wardrobe, book shelf, even the desktop of your computer and the number of apps on your phone. Don’t accumulate excess in the first place, and keep cleaning. When you buy something new, give away the old one. Go paperless!
• Cut your Facebook time. And other social media time. And emails. Do them in batches instead of 24/7. Switch off the push notifications.
• Sleep less. Waking up an hour earlier in the morning can be the single most critical change you can make, adding significantly to your productivity, efficiency and effectiveness. Use this time to exercise, plan, read, learn… no more ‘I don’t have the time’ excuse!

Do you have any additional tips for the two lists above? This is part 1 of a series. Can you guess what’s coming up next?

For daily inspiration and resources on happiness, motivation and success, please also see Dinchack on Facebook.