HAPPY 2020!!!
Welcome to a new decade peeps!
For those of us around the age of thirty (give or take) with littles under 8 years old, we are entering into the decade that will define them. The same way the eighties defined my mother and the nineties tried (and failed thank god) to define me. Except for boy bands. I love a good boy band.
Side note: to anyone reading this that is a (local) close & personal friend, watch out for an invitation to my birthday party this year. It’s 90’s themed. And it’s going to be epic!
What 2020-2030 will hold for all of us is unclear. Music and fashion will evolve. Transportation and daily life can change with the next great invention. And for the most part we don’t have a ton of control over the world aside from the energy and effort that we put into it. And what resources, etc we take from it as well of course. What we do have control over however is ourselves.
The way we act. Think. How we spend our time. Which people we give energy too and what thoughts we choose to water and harvest. All that is put on the table every single morning that we are blessed to wake up. And it is, a blessing. One we should do our best to make the most of.
It is sooooo easy to get caught up in the mundane every day cycle. To be trapped by the ins and outs of expectations, responsibilities and chores that never seem to end. To be sucked in by the time wasters and the idea of “I’ll start tomorrow/Monday /next week, etc.” So how do we break free? How do we make the most of every day? That is what this weeks article is about.
FYI here’s the part where you grab a pen and some paper, cuz it’s time to take some notes.
Let me first start off by saying I am not one of those “new year, new me” kinda people. No offence to anyone who is, but in my experience that shit has just never worked for me. I always revert back to who I am in my core. And for the most part, that is okay. It’s good even. It’s important to stay true to who you are. (This is one of my quotes to guide me through the new year.) I am who I am and while I am forever on a journey through life to grow as a person, my core values and dreams do not falter.
Today I want to share with you how I plan for the new year. I do not set resolutions. I set intentions and goals. And action plans for those goals.
This is not necessarily revolutionary, but it can be made unique by you!
The first step is going to be choosing your WORD OF THE YEAR.
In past years I have chosen; Security, Balance, and Freedom. This year I have selected Intention.
I have begun 2020 quite literally with the intention of being...well, intentional. In the time I spend and the people I spend it with. The energy I put out, the food and content I consume, and the daily habits I partake in. For I know that even the small things I choose to do daily add up. The days add up into weeks, months and before we know it another year has gone by!
Your word can be anything you want it to be!
Step two is to select your THEME OF THE YEAR. This is similar to your word, but a little more in-depth. Think of your word as the title of a book. And the theme like the blurb on the back. Why is this your word? What does it mean to you? What does it inspire you to do?
For 2020, my theme is: No Zero Days. This means every single day, no matter how small the progress is, I do something to achieve my goals. For the first quarter of the year that means I will have a daily focus on my novel. I will write/edit, etc. Something to do for the greater goal of my overall year. (Which is self publishing my book.)
Step Three is setting targets on your PRIORITIES & GOALS. Now your goals will look different depending on your lifestyle and current season of life, but for the most part I think it’s safe to say that everyone has similar priorities in life. Whether they know it or not. The way I set this out is by listing each of the six (as seen above) and setting a clear intention for each.
Example:
Career- I set the intention to live 2020 with a clear path of expressing myself through art and supporting my family.
Following that, select three goals for each priority. For example ‘self publish my first novel’ could be one of the three that goes under the career header. These can be simple things like ‘research publishing companies near me’ or a task that is a bit more time consuming.
Step four is to split your year up into quarters.
It is good to look at your upcoming year as a whole. But there are also cons to this. Perhaps you will get overwhelmed by all those days. Or perhaps you will see the 300+ days and think you have all the time in the world to accomplish your tasks.
I avoid against this because then you could end up doing what I did for many years. Which is struggling to accomplish all the things in November & December when life is nuts from the holidays. meanwhile the first ten months of the year were Netflixed & chilled away.
By looking at your year in quarters you can get a better handle on the seasons of life you have ahead of you.
For example, I know that my third quarter is one of the busiest times of the year. Both Papa Bear & Baby Bear’s birthdays are in July. And there are a ton of other birthdays I also need to celebrate. I don’t necessarily need to plan parties for them but I do need to organize gifts and schedule time to see certain friends and family members.
It is also wedding season which means I will most likely have a wedding or two to photograph and edit.
When looking at your 2020 calendar, first write down holidays, events and birthdays you can anticipate. Truly understand ahead of time where you have room in your year to do the things you want to do. Strategize when the best time to take vacations are. When is the most opportune moment to publish and launch your book or new blog, etc.
Take CONTROL of your year. Your weeks. Your days. Hold the calendar in your hands and help it serve you.
Happy Planning 🗓📖
-Mama Bear