A new year is here and I’m feeling very enthusiastic! I took time over the past few days to map out my goals for the year, including plans for my health & wellness, personal growth, relationships, finances, career, and travel/fun. Rather than setting a bunch of resolutions, though, I’m going to focus on building habits that should ultimately help me achieve them.
My two-step planning process for the month includes:
- Looking at our plans and life events (birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, etc.) and ensuring I’ve mapped out sufficient time to be fully present and really enjoy our life.
- Layering in the daily and weekly habits I know will help me achieve my own personal goals and tracking my progress on these habits throughout the year, evaluating what’s working and what needs to be tweaked.
January Plans
Looking ahead, it’s clear January is going to be a big month for us. I leave tomorrow to drive to Virginia with our dog Bosco to help the Little Fam move into their new townhouse. It’s going to be a hugely positive change for them – they’ll finally have a guest room, a yard, and a gorgeous kitchen, in a larger and more modern home than the apartment they’ve lived in since before the baby was born.
I’m excited to do the big drive (about 11 hours). It’s been awhile since I did a lengthy road trip by myself. I plan to listen to some great audio books and podcasts, intermingled with client calls. I’ll take 2 half days each way to make the trip and have identified a well-rated, dog-friendly hotel in Ohio where B and I will rest our heads.
After the move, I’ll return to Chicago on the 12th – only to leave again on the 14th to fly to Florida to celebrate our grandson’s 1st birthday with extended family. We’ll have a big family birthday party (Winnie the Pooh themed), then we’re off to Disney World for a few days to celebrate with Mickey & friends. For those two nights, we’ll use a combo of cash and points to stay at the Walt Disney World Swan Hotel.
We’ll return home on the 20th and I’ll have 2 weeks at home to focus deeply on work projects before we take off again on February 2nd to celebrate my father in law’s 80th birthday in the Bahamas. I’m actively planning for that trip now, and would welcome any travel insights you have for the Exumas! Swimming with pigs, anyone? 🙂
Woohoo! Plenty of great things happening to kick the year off well.
January Habits
While the moving and traveling is happening, I intend to make sure I’m moving my own goals forward, so I’ve mapped out the habits I want to practice this month:
For health, wellbeing, and personal growth:
- Journal each morning for 5-10 minutes
- Meditate each morning for 5-15 minutes
- Move – 30 minutes of some form of movement each day
- 2 Stanleys (True’s son gave me a 40 oz Stanley tumbler for Christmas and I’m committed to drinking 2 full Stanleys each day)
- Attend weekly health support call for 6-month program I’m doing
- Read one personal growth book per month (in January, I’m reading Atomic Habits)
- Schedule at least one health care appointment (eye doctor)
For my relationships and travel & fun:
- Have a weekly adventure / date with True
- Call someone I care about at least twice a week
- Schedule a “friend date” each month
For career & finances:
- Block time daily to focus on my consulting projects
- Follow up on open proposals weekly
- Outreach to 2 clients/prospective clients weekly
- Weekly meetings with key staff members
- Monitor finances, pay bills, and set aside savings weekly
I’m so excited about the list above – I’m feeling very prepared and ready to make 2024 my best year ever. What will you be focusing on this month? Let’s regroup at the end of January and celebrate all we achieved.