And why I waited until halfway through January to start.
Fun fact about me: NYE is my 2nd favorite holiday, behind Halloween. Regardless if I make any resolutions for the year or not, January is a jumping off point in my mind for general refreshes and goal setting. It’s like we all push the reset button and start new. Except this year, I’ve been waiting for that reset to happen…and now it’s 17 Jan. So I have decided to approach my 2020 resolutions a little differently than in the past.
Like many of you, I like to set goals for myself that are challenging and productive. However, I was in a mental health rut for the better part of 2019, and I’m still dealing with it so far in 2020. Honestly, I see it going on for a bit longer. Needless to say, I didn’t meet the majority of goals I set for myself last year. Sometimes I set goals that are so lofty I’m only setting myself up for self-sabotage and disappointment. So this year, I don’t want to overwhelm myself but better myself. Promising to do something for a whole year is daunting to me, and I’m someone who can break a habit real quick. So “working out 4 times a week,” goes away real fast the first time I don’t do it. That causes a rocky relationship between resolutions and me, and why I refrained from setting any thus far in 2020. However, I can’t meet any goals if I don’t set any goals. So here I am.
Setting My 2020 Resolutions (Intentions)
My 2020 Resolutions, or intentions as I prefer to call them, revolve around kicking bad habits and creating new, productive, and sometimes self-serving habits.
I have a pretty basic list of intentions in each of the 6 categories I think we should all set goals in. (You can read all about it here.) When I brought this up to Fitz, he questioned how broad intentions like “get healthy” and “check-in more” were going to be beneficial. Fair question.
It’s because I’m tackling these on a monthly and weekly basis. It seems a much more doable and less damning way of approaching 2020 resolutions. And it turns out I’m not alone.
I was reading the Cupcakes and Cashmere blog and was pleasantly surprised to find that not only did someone share my sometimes unhealthy relationship with NY resolutions, but someone also was approaching it the same way as me. We’re all in it together, you know?
How is a weekly goal going to help me achieve my long-term goals?
Let me give you some examples.
One of my general goals for 2020 is: get healthy. I know, you’re asking, “but what does that mean?” Am I getting my mind healthy? Body healthy? Truthfully, all of it. I’ve been in a big rut, remember?
So how am I going to reach that goal? Slowly but surely.
This week, my 3 main goals are:
- Make list of bad habits I want to break (+ good habits I already have)
- Replace AM scrolling with book reading
- Make doctor’s appointments
Next week, my 3 main goals are:
- Bring lunch to work everyday
- Don’t go to bed with dishes in the sink
- Find a new podcast (preferably something motivational)
While simple, these goals are extremely doable. And while they seem small in themselves, hopefully they begin to become habitual. And this year is all about getting into new and better habits so I can be better to myself and then better to others.
For anyone who also gets overwhelmed at the start of a new year, perhaps this approach will be beneficial to you.
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