2017 Goals

It's still January, so I can still talk goals and resolutions, right?

Usually I like to do two posts, one as a review and wrap-up of my previous year, and one about my new goals for the year, but we're running into the end of January here, so let's just combine things.


2016 Review

So I had five simple goals for 2016 which I then expanded to eight goals mid-year, as it turned out I'd accomplished most of them by May.

1. Graduate with my Master's Degree. Check!

2. Get Pregnant. Check!

3. Read 24 Books. Blew this one out of the water, which is why I had to add goal #6.

4. Go on a Pre-Pregnancy Diet. Ugh, check. Read a little more about that here.

5. Apply to Ph.D. Programs. Yep, I did it, and we're still waiting to hear back. Read more about this goal here.

6. Read 50 Books. Check!

7. Write a Book. I'm not checking this one off because it's not "finished," but it is started, and that is half the battle, so this goal is still a big success for me.

8. Throw Myself a Birthday Party. Check! I'm glad I made this a goal, because I probably wouldn't have done it otherwise, but it was so much fun.

2017 Goals

Last year, I wanted to go easy on myself on the goal front because I knew I would likely be pregnant for most of the year, and it would likely be a miserable year (it was). However, I went a little too easy and needed to revamp mid-year.

I'm feeling the same urge to go easy on myself this year because a.) I have a newborn and life is sleep-deprived and chaotic right now, and b.) we have potential major life changes coming our way this year, like possible new jobs, possibly moving states, possibly starting grad school, everything upending kind of potential big changes, and it feels like survival mode might be more appropriate than stretching myself with goals. But I've been in survival mode for so long (basically since I got pregnant last spring) that I'm just aching to get out and get back to living life fully. So, here are my goals for 2017:

1. Read 52 Books. A book a week. I did it last year, I'm confident I can do it again this year. I'm already off to a pretty good start, what with the eight hours a day or so that I currently spend nursing. One of these years I want to expand my reading goals beyond just a number, but I don't feel like this is the year for that.

2. Finish Draft of Book. My goal here is to just establish a good writing routine, find a dedicated chunk of hours every week where I can work specifically on this creative writing project. (If only I could figure out how to type and nurse at the same time, but unfortunately, I don't seem to have enough hands for that.)

3. Re-establish self-care routines (scripture study/meditation, yoga/exercise, early bedtimes). These things always take a hit with a new baby, but by the end of the year, I really want to have my routines back in place.

4. Blogging Routine Like with Goal #2, I want to re-establish a regular time dedicated to my favorite hobby. I used to have a fairly regular time set aside for this, but then pregnancy/new baby, blah blah blah. Alas, this is something else that is difficult to do while nursing.

5. Memory Keeper Routine (kid journals, baby books, family photos, etc.) I'm no scrapbooker, but I still feel the need to record our family memories in a more consistent way than I have this past year. Once again, it's going to be about finding a dedicated chunk of time each week to work on these projects and making it more routine.

6. Instagram Once a Week This feels a little stupid to admit here, because who makes a resolution to post to social media more? But the motivation behind this goal is actually about taking more pictures in general, and better pictures, and just upping my photography skills and getting some practice in. I want to be doing this on a weekly basis, and my way to stay accountable is to try producing one "Instagram-worthy" picture a week. Maybe silly, but also fun.

Okay, so six goals. And looking back through them, it seems that every single one of these goals is about establishing routine habits to fit in all the hobbies I love (reading, writing, photography, etc). Can you tell that my life is anything but routine right now? After nine months of debilitating pregnancy and this crazy newborn phase, I'm just aching to get back into good routines, both my old ones and new ones, to make time for everything I love. Like I said, we've got big potential changes this year that mean life could still be very disrupted, but if I know anything about myself, it's that the quicker I can get back to my routines, the better I can handle big changes.

Here's to a happy, healthy, (not-pregnant) New Year!