My 2015 Goals & Action Plans

Photo via smallglow

This time last year, instead of a list of resolutions, I set a single word to guide me through: calm. And for the most part, I think it worked. Maybe too well.

The first half of the year was completely focused on our wedding. Planning, celebrating, and then riding the newlywed high the rest of the summer. I managed to stay relatively stress-free throughout, but in order to keep it that way, many things were put on the back burner for half the year, including Dear Edna. Let's just say, it was a slippery slope from calm to lazy. And although I kicked butt from September through December, I was left feeling like I dropped the ball.

At the same time, I certainly wasn't happy when I was Super Ambitious Girl and working 15-hour days either. I guess my ideal lies somewhere in between.

I've spent the last couple weeks over-analyzing and have come up with some definite goals and action plans for the year to help me reach that middle ground.

1. Self-care: When life gets busy, taking care of myself is the first thing to go. Which is a terrible habit to get into, not to mention completely illogical. So I'm setting some self-care goals this year: predictable things like exercising more, waking up earlier (or at least on time), and eating out less, and luxurious things like more manicures, smelly candles and hot baths. Because these are the things that make us happy and we should do more of the things that make us happy!

2. Calendar Girl: There are always more things on my to-do list than I can possibly get done and I end up spending way too much time deciding which tasks to tackle each day. As much as I hate to admit it, I need structure. So, I'm experimenting with scheduling everything in a calendar. Nothing too specific, but routine blocks of time for common tasks like email, blogging, and sewing. Not only will it help me stay on task, it also gives me a clearer picture of whether or not it's actually possible to accomplish what I want... and what the repercussions would be if I decide to lay on the couch all day watching The Good Wife.

3. Sewing Sunday: A common battle many creatives face is that when we're working on our businesses 24/7, we're bitter that we never have time to work on fun personal projects, and when we're working on personal things, we feel guilty that you're not working on your business. What if we set aside a block of time, or an entire day, when we're "allowed" to work on fun projects? No work allowed. My list of things I'd like to sew for myself is as long as my arm, so I'm prepared to devote every Sunday to testing this theory . #SewingSunday. Let's make it a thing.

Do you have any big plans or intentions for 2015? Please share in the comments below. We can cheer each other on!