New Year’s Day is one of my favorite holidays. I am one of those people that loves the feeling of a clean slate and a fresh start. To me, there is nothing more exciting than a brand new year with lots of possibilities and opportunities. That’s why I make resolutions every year. I don’t always stick to them, but I also never feel guilty if I don’t. The feeling of having new goals and realizing what is important to me in those first few weeks of a new year is enough to motivate me and make me excited.
This year my goals are more specific and have a lot to do with feeling like my best self. I’m happiest when I feel organized and put together, and my goals this year reflect that. Becoming a mom of two has been a challenge and I have struggled with feeling disorganized and scatterbrained. So this year my overall goal is to make little changes to feel more in control and proactive.
Utilize Google Calendar
This might seem very early 2000s, but I’ve been reading some Google Calendar tips and tutorials to try to get all of my organization in one place. I have always been a pen and paper to-do list person, but that hasn’t been cutting it lately, so having a digital checklist and schedule that I can access on my computer and phone is going to be my goal for this year.
I’ve set up color coding for my day job, freelance jobs, blog tasks, meals, appointments for the girls and us, and a daily task list. I’ve started using it minimally just to get myself in the habit so that come January 1, I can hit the ground running.
Spend Thoughtfully
Toward the end of 2021, I did an overhaul of my closet and tried to nail down my style so that I could shop more thoughtfully and only buy things that fit into a more minimalist wardrobe. While I’ve been spending a little more on higher-quality pieces, I haven’t been shopping just to shop. I know what I need to fill in some gaps, like this tan handbag I just bought, but I don’t buy any more than I need and I don’t spend on anything trendy that I’ll only wear once.
I hope to keep sticking with this throughout 2022 because not only does it help me budget more wisely, it also helps me shop without being overwhelmed by all the options.
Take Advantage of Early Mornings
I have spent the last six months trying to catch up on sleep. And truly, just two weeks ago I would have laughed if you asked me to spend any less time in bed. But now that Ellie is consistently sleeping longer chunks during the night and waking up around 5 AM for a bottle and then falling back to sleep until about 7, I hope to use those two hours a few times a week to get a head start on my day.
Even if I just lay in bed and read a book, it’s still more productive (see my goal below!) than scrolling my phone aimlessly until the girls wake up.
Read 12 Books
I love reading. It’s one of my favorite hobbies, but since I had Willa back in 2019, I’ve cut back on my reading time pretty severely. Part of it is because when I have free time, I usually shut down and aimlessly watch TV to just decompress and the other part is because any time I would sit down and get comfortable with a book, I would just fall asleep within two minutes.
With a more consistent sleep schedule, I can actually sit and read for decent amounts of time and I’m ready to jump back in. I use Goodreads and love to participate in their yearly challenge. This year I’m shooting for one book a month!
Schedule Exercise
I am the absolute worst at exercising. When I was younger, I struggled to put weight on and have never really had to worry about staying active because I was always so busy and on the go. Somehow with two kids, even though I feel like I never sit down, I still feel like I’m the most sedentary I’ve ever been!
I need to schedule some time to get active and move. I know I won’t do it if I don’t schedule it in. Whether it’s a quick walk on my lunch break or some time on the treadmill while I watch Jeopardy, I’m going to shoot for twice a week at first and hopefully increase from there! This is the goal I know I’ll struggle with the most, especially during the winter, but once the warmer weather comes, I hope to get outside with the family on some of the trails here in PA.
Well, that’s it! Those are my biggest goals for the year. Do you have any this year? Share them in the comments or let me know on Instagram!
