19 goals for 2019

Last year I set myself 18 goals for 2018. I don’t tend to bother with New Year’s resolutions as I know my enthusiasm is likely to wane by the middle of January at the latest. So the idea of goals for the whole year is far more palatable to me.

Having said that, I didn’t do brilliantly with last year’s list. I’ve just read back over it and cringed a bit at how little I achieved. But in my more positive 2019 mindset, let’s look at what I did manage… I lost weight, exercised more, hosted a little bit more, drunk more water, overhauled the blog and blogged a bit more, exercised more but still not enough, and planned Christmas much better.

So this year, I’m going to come back to this list every now and then to remind myself and get back on track.

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1. Be calmer – I’ve got a tendency to worry and get stressed and as I get older, I’m beginning to realise it doesn’t get me far. I started doing some meditation last summer and it’s definitely helping with the anxiety and stress, so I’ll continue with that and aim to be more zen
2. Find the positive – It’s easy to dwell on the negative when things go wrong, but there’s always a positive, no matter how bad you think things are. I think looking for those positives and focussing on them helps to get you through the tougher days.
3. Plan more – I bought a planner towards the end of last year, and when I plan the week, I get so much more done. So this year, I plan to plan each week on a Sunday evening.
4. Make one to one time with the girls – It’s difficult to make one to one time with the girls as well as having time together as a family when Gary is off. But I think it’s really important for them and for each relationship, to have one of us to themselves every now and then.
5. Help Woody pass his APDT Foundation test – Woody passed his puppy class and is now working towards a proper accreditation. He’s possibly the nicest natured dog I’ve ever met, so if we can get him to be super well mannered too, he’ll be even more perfect.
6. Spend more time with my mum – I always take the girls when I go to see my parents (lets be honest, they’re the stars nowadays). But I miss having time just with my mum, so I’m going to try and take her out shopping or for coffee once in a while this year and have some quality time with her too.
7. See my friends more – I miss them. Now the girls are a bit bigger, this will be easier to manage.
8. Say yes – I’m in a habit of thinking automatically that I’m too busy with work, kids, housework, horse, etc to say yes. But you can always make time, so I’m going to do more of it this year.
9. Read more – I’m guilty of buying books and stacking them up and never reading them. I need to stop buying and start reading. I love reading so if there’s nothing on TV of an evening, or I find myself with a rare five minutes to myself, I’ll be picking up a book for a bit of escapism.
10. Monthly date nights – We’ve already put January’s in the diary. We need some time just the two of us to remember we are a couple as well as parents. We won’t always go out, but put time aside to spend with each other with no distractions.
11. Believe in myself – I recently came to the end of a work project and I need to start looking for some new clients. I always doubt myself with things like this, but if I was looking from the outside, I’m capable, experienced, hard working. And if I don’t believe in myself, nobody will.
12. Save for a rainy day – I’m not setting amounts, but I’d like to put a little away each month.
13. Get back in the saddle – I failed at this last year and I miss riding so much.
14. Lose the last of my baby weight – About a stone to go now. I can do this.
15. Create less waste – I’m never going to be a zero waste person, but I think there are things we could do to help a little bit.
16. Learn a new skill – there’s so much I would like to learn – how to use my camera, how to crochet, to be fluent in crochet. It’s stupid to think I’ll master them all, but I’m planning to smash at least one this year.
17. Stick to TOMM – I’ve recently started loosely following The Organised Mum Method with my housework and it’s been a bit of a life changer. I’m determine to stick to it, it makes everything so much more manageable.
18. Take more photos – I don’t have enough of 2018, that will change this year.
19. Be kinder to myself – I’m doing the best I can in a pretty hectic schedule. Sometimes I need to acknowledge that and stop beating myself up about what I haven’t done!

What are your 2019 goals?