Easing into the New Year!
New Year, New resolutions, that’s usually the case, but no, not me, I had decided to “ease into the New Year” and not make any lists. resolutions etc. I spent the 1st recovering from our long trip back from Ireland. (Seriously Hawaii is a LONG way from home.) I figured I’d wait a week or so before deciding what I wanted for 2023, allow myself to ease into the New Year and evaluate old goals and see what habits had stuck around. Monday I was still pretty beat, it seemed like the older I get the longer it takes to adjust to the time difference. Roll on Tuesday, you’ve guessed it. I picked up a little bug along the way. Not quite the way I had planned on starting the New Year. In one sense I was lucky, aside from an awful headache my biggest symptom was extreme fatigue. I figured 3 or 4 days and I’d be back running and dancing, ready to take on the New Year, but the Universe had other plans. Three weeks in and thankfully I’m beginning to get my energy back. I still have to pace myself, overdo it, or try to do too much and I pay for it the next day.
So, I’ve spent the last three weeks “easing into the New Year” in more ways than one. Sitting on the couch or laying in bed has given me ample time to think, make lists, and consider goals. I’ve always figured I would spend my retirement doing all the things I love to do and didn’t have time to while working. Now that we are a little more settled it’s time to start tackling that list.
I’ve written this list many times over the years and focused on different parts at different times in my life. Now it’s time to get serious, prioritize and get to it. I started by brainstorming everything I’ve always wanted to learn, including languages, skills, and habits I wanted to develop. (It’s a long list!) Next, I tried to categorize them, see which were already in progress, which needed a more focused approach and what could I let go of or dial back. I was trying to remember my plan to ease into the New Year and let things unfold, rather than planning and scheduling every last minute.
They say if you make your goals public you are more successful as there is some sense of accountability in it. Those who know me know that I am very goal orientated and a huge believer in Smart Goals.
Check out this short video – SMART Goals – A Quick Overview.
With that in mind, I had plenty of time over the last three weeks to ponder them and create some plans. One of my biggest challenges is that I am so used to curriculum planning, setting goals, objectives, assessing, and monitoring that it is very easy to get caught up in the planning and not actually get anything done. I decided to go with the “Yes, you have permission to plan, but you can only add a little at a time”.
Specific
Measurable
Actionable
Relevant
Time driven
Stay tuned to see how I get along. I’ve broadly broken things down into the following areas for the time being. Some involve evaluating and revising old goals, some implementing new goals or new action plans.
Mental Health
Physical Activity
Home
Garden
Travel
Personal Development
Language Learning
Music
Technology
Reading
If you’d like some more inspiration on goal-setting, check out Keltie O’Connor’s video below where she describes how she uses her iPad, apple watch etc to help her set and reach goals. I personally use a Pixel phone and PC but you may get some inspiration.
