New year. New goals. New determination.
So I have found that when I don't really invest my time in thinking about my resolutions, making them visible to me, etc., I am terrible at keeping them. So, to help keep me motivated, I've dressed up my resolutions and hung them where I'll see them every day, and I'm announcing them here so that I'm also more accountable.
Pare down and reorganize
I started this in December - and the feel of getting rid of all stuff I didn't need, and never used was LIBERATING. So I found this 30 Days of Decluttering list on Pinterest, and just modified it to suit my own needs and space.
- Get rid of 50 things by December
- 30 Days of Decluttering List by April
Cook!
A helpful reminder not to get lazy in the kitchen and fall into a rut. If I'm really good, maybe I'll even post them on my Sponge for Knowledge in the Kitchen blog.
- Try a new recipe once a month - Learn standard things if you don't already know (cook a roast, etc.) and try new recipes that are lower in calories and more nutritious so I can incorporate them into my repertoire.
- One new on-the-go breakfast a month - I love on-the-go things! I need to make sure that I have stuff on hand to grab as I rush out the door - muffins, turnovers, more!
Take a monthly trip
This is just a helpful reminder to keep me from staying stagnant. Some things I want to do:
- Renew passport!
- Visit sister-in-law in Indiana
- Go camping
- Smithsonian museums and National Zoo
- Ziplining and white water rafting on the New River
- Visit cool cities/places: Niagara Falls, New Orleans, Memphis, Atlanta, Annapolis, NYC, etc. (Not all of these, obviously, but maybe
Be Healthy and Fit
Okay, so maybe most people have this on their list every year. But I've been doing a pretty good job this year so far since I got the MyFitnessPal and MapMyFitness apps. MyFitnessPal has been immensely helpful - I've been paying a lot more attention to how much I eat, snack, and drink in general, and I have lost 7lbs so far, and am almost at my 10 lbs. goal. That's also after falling off the wagon a few times, and through the holidays. Plus,
- Log food in MyFitnessPal at least 3x a week (complete an entire day)
- Get a physical this year! (It's been way too long...)
- Fitness: 2x a week exercise & walk 15 minutes 3x a week
- Be able to do a pull up by the end of the year. I just want to know that if I'm hanging off a cliff from my fingertips, I'll be able to save myself. Could I do that now? No. Quit judging.
Be well: Mental Wellness
When I get over-stressed, I suck at things and am generally less animated, which feels very funny on me. These goals will help fix that, I think.
- Be able to meditate 15 minutes straight by the end of the year (without a guide)
- Schedule weekly 1-hour date with myself
- Sleep better (I'm embarrassed to say that my starting goal is to go to bed by midnight at least once a week, which has already proved challenging. I'm a night owl by heart, but sleep is healthy for my brains, so I will do this and maybe increase that to several days a week in a few months.)
- Fill up 1 journal by December (This is a cross-goal with my writing section, see below)
Save More: Finances
If you're making your own money goals, I'd recommend putting amounts next to them as well - I did that, but just didn't post them here.
- Pay off one student loan in full by end of the year
- Save for a down payment on a house (could it be this year?!)
- Open a mutual fund
- Add to IRA this year
Love: Marriage Goals
Gotta keep us on track, you know. We'll celebrate our five year anniversary this year!
- Be open and let things go (Measurable? Maybe not, but it is a good reminder)
- Monthly love letters
- Monthly date night
Create
More arts, please. Maybe I'll get around to posting pictures of them sometime?
- Schedule time & make space for creativity (my two greatest nemeses to my art)
- Fill up one sketchpad (Woo! Zentangling, sketching, coloring, whatever.)
- Do 3 oil paintings (Up from the one I do every 3 years).
- Do 2 watercolors (Not my favorite medium, but fun as a refresher every once in a while)
Read & Write
My goals here aren't crazy, but they are solid and reachable enough that I can stick to them.
- Read 60 books. (Not extravagant, I know, but this is why I hope I reach it)
- Read 10 short stories.
- Finish your novel! I will beat NaNoWriMo this year.
- Write a short story, a poem, and a song.
- Blog monthly. Again, not setting my sights too high, but my blogging goals have been tricky for me in the past. So with this post, I've got two in one month and I've doubled my expected productivity!
- Finish one whole journal (again, a joint mental wellness and writing goal)
