Happy New Year to all of you!
Wow, I didn’t plan on being in holiday mode and MIA for as long as I have! As a matter of fact, I hadn’t even planned on having a break, but that period from just before Christmas until the first week in January is a strange time, isn’t it? It’s almost like the world is in limbo, stores switch to holiday hours, the streets empty out as people are enjoying the holiday with their families and the world seemed to slow down to a relaxing crawl.
And I loved it! It might actually be my favourite time of year. We spent lots of time in nature, being active, and I read lots too. (If you follow me on Instagram, you would have seen what I’ve been up to.) My life quietened down so much during this time and it allowed me to think more clearly. I love not being super busy and able to catch up on my thoughts. It seems to be the only time of the year that I can really do this. And I know this isn’t unique to me because as the new year starts, we all feel the need to reassess our lives and make resolutions and goals.
I read over my 2019 resolutions during my downtime and I was pretty happy about all I’d achieved over the course of last year. But funnily enough, I’m not feeling the whole traditional resolution thing this year. I don’t even feel the urge to have a word for the year. Although, to be honest, perhaps my word should, therefore, be ‘simplify’ because that’s the vibe I’m leaning towards, I think.
Simplify.
All this to say that I’m going to be taking it easy and really simplifying my life this year. Decluttering and clarifying on every front – home, relationships, interests, goals and personal. I want to focus on the things that I have worked out are important to me and stop getting pulled in too many directions.
I’ve already done a lot of decluttering around our home and that’s an ongoing thing, I think. I’ve also cleaned up my inbox – unsubscribing from all the emails I don’t need cluttering my mind any longer. Also, I’ve deleted all the unnecessary apps on my phone so that I can cut down on the time I spend on there daily. (It was up to 6.5 hours!)
I can already see the difference in how I’m spending my time and all I’ve managed to do instead of mindlessly scrolling. For example, I’ve already read five books this year, instead of endlessly checking my Inbox, Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. Speaking of social media, I deleted the Facebook and Twitter apps on my phone which has resulted in my only checking in on those apps every once in a long while, on my computer. I don’t miss it. And my anxiety levels have improved too.
In addition to that, I cut down on the number of people I follow on Instagram. I just don’t want to spend so much of my precious time scrolling anymore. I’m more interested in real connection. And I know that sounds a little noble and cheesy, but I’d love the watchers to engage and comment more.
Goals for a happy new year
Now I realise that all sounds lovely and maybe a little random too, and this is not to say that I don’t have goals for this year because I do. I feel I have to have some sort of framework so that I continue to grow as a person. But I’m wanting my goals to be practical and specific and so I’ve decided (after reading lots of other blogger’s resolutions, goals and words for this year) that I quite like the idea of weekly goals.
To my mind, weekly goals are doable. And I actually found myself doing them naturally last year already. Planners lend themselves to organizing things into weekly sections anyway, so I’m going to continue doing that. I think it helps to write down some big ideas of how you want to grow in the coming year, what you want to focus more on and how you can achieve it. Because simply by writing those ideas down, helps to illuminate your thoughts and gets you thinking about what’s important to you. Otherwise, we’re simply floating aimlessly. And the ‘how to achieve it’ part is where the weekly goals come in. I’m inspired.
Anyway, that’s where I’m at right now. I’m loving this quiet, reflective time that I’m in at the moment. And I’m defining what’s important to me now, as a person and in my daily life. Also, I’m trying to be more present, kinder and a little less of an asshole. Lofty ideals, no? Hahaha.
How about you? Do you have a list of new year’s resolutions and goals set up yet? Or do you prefer to wing it?
Wishing you all a very happy new year! I hope 2020 is good to you and you find happiness in being you.
xo
Photo by cottonbro from Pexels
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