2018 Goals & Intentions

Happy New Year, everyone!!

With the start of a new year I, like so many others, have been reflecting on 2017 and thinking about what I would like to accomplish, change, and improve in 2018. At the start of 2017 I decided that each month I would set a few new goals. I consistently shared these goals at the start of each month and reflected on how the previous month went.

It was great to focus on different priorities each month, but overall I don’t think there was an area that I consistently focused on or improved during 2017 because my goals changed monthly. While I enjoyed having small goals to focus on each month (it seemed much more attainable) this year I think I want to do it a little differently.

Instead, I am going to focus on a few broad areas of my life to work on throughout the year. Then each month I will reflect on what I did to improve those areas. I think this will help me see more improvement throughout the year but also keep me accountable as I check in each month and set “mini-sub-goals” for myself.

Health: Mental & Physical

I really slacked in 2017 in terms of health. I let my physical health fall due to stress and anxiety. This year I want to consistently make an effort to nourish my physical and mental health. I know this will require a combination of regular exercise, meditation, reflection, healthy eating, etc.

Continue meditating daily
Make exercise a priority
Drink more water
Eat healthy 80-90% of the week
Make time for things that bring me joy

Marriage

Andrew and I both get so busy sometimes that I feel like several weeks can pass without having any true quality time together. Or if we do have quality time together we often get into the same routine of Netflix and comfy clothes. While there is nothing wrong with that I want to make sure that we are branching out and trying new things together. Whether it be traveling, cooking together, or having a special date night I want to make sure we are taking time to be together.

Make weekly date night a priority
Learn together
Have weekly “check-ins”

Organization/Housework

My organization and tidiness also really suffered this past year. I think this is in part due to my digression of physical and mental health. I just got lazy and overwhelmed and didn’t keep the house as tidy and organized as I used to. I am going to do a MAJOR cleanout/de-cluttering of the house and make a serious effort to keep it that way for the remainder of the year. Not only do I want to just de-clutter and organize but I want to make sure that I am staying on top of housework and keeping things as orderly as possible. I know this will involve various projects throughout the year to keep things organized and tidy so I will be sure to do an update on what is working for us!

Spend time tidying up daily
Curate a new cleaning schedule
Set up new organizational systems throughout the house

Spending/Saving

After looking back at my expenses in 2017 I am truly embarrassed. I let my savings goals slide and made unnecessary purchases throughout the year. So, in 2018, I want to stick to a budget and reduce unnecessary spending. In other words, I need to cut back on shopping (note: I really should say “stop shopping” but I can’t bring myself to do it…). So I have created a new budget for 2018 and am going to try oh so hard to actually stick to it all year long!