Setting Goals and Intentions in January
Nope, this isnāt a self-help post.
I had this amazing plan of sending out two entries before 2022 ended which were basically two recaps of my December and 2022. I kept writing it on my planner ācreate Substack postā but I wasnāt in the right headspace to come up with anything so I abandoned the idea and decided well, thatās the best gift I could give you guys for Christmas and year-end - a quiet inbox.
I donāt want to be an a** and not acknowledge that itās 2023 now so I want to greet you a Happy New Year even though Iām a few days late. Like everyone else, I feel so excited about 2023 - thereās nothing like a new year to make you feel so positive that you can do everythingā¦ only to fall off the wagon on the second week of January, crippled with anxiety/depression, be distracted, and just say to yourself, āWelp, this year isnāt for me. I think Iāll try again next year.ā That would be me if I was the same me a few years back. But over the recent years, as I dove into the world of planning and productivity, I started to set goals instead of new yearsā resolutions and it made me happier and accomplish more. I eventually learned how to break yearly goals into quarterly ones or as what other people call it, āthe 12-week yearā (nope, I havenāt read the book, I only found out about it from MuchelleB when I purchased her LifeMap digital planner in 2021). Thatās what Iāve been working on this week.
Normally, I do this planning at the end of the year so Iām all fired up and ready by day one of the new year. I would set a date with myself, go out, and stay in a coffee shop - just evaluate the year coming to an end and brainstorm on what I want to happen for the next year - but that didnāt happen. I acknowledge the fact that Iām still a stranger to my current home despite being here for almost five months now and I donāt know any good shops or cafes nearby - or if itās even normal to spend an hour or two in a cafe here. Instead of being upset about not being able to do my āyear-end ritualā for the first time in five years, I just let myself be instead. Itās my first time not to have any list for the first day of the new year. It felt so different - but refreshing. I still hadnāt finalized my 2023, Q1, and January planning even as we were already three days in but I ended up not being too stressed out about it. I guess itās me embracing my word for this year?
I always choose a āword/theme of the yearā and sort of build my goals and intentions around it. This one, I already figured out on the last week of December. My 2023 word is wabi-sabi. By definition, it is a Japanese term which means āa way of living that focuses on finding beauty within the imperfections of life and accepting peacefully the natural cycle of growth and decay.ā For the past (almost) two decades of my life, I only ever focused on relentlessly striving for excellence and perfection and ended up burned out and depressed. I only understood boundaries in depth when my previous psychiatrist talked to me about it last year. And now that Iām 30, I just want to find beauty in the very thing Iāve tried to escape my whole life - imperfection. And thatās what makes me more excited about this year.
I wonāt bore you and give you a detailed list of my goals and intentions for the whole year but here are three aspects of my life that Iām mainly focused on this year and two goals I have under them:
Faith. I have been a Christian for almost twenty years - and thatās more than half of my life. I may not be perfect in this area but the past few years have only strengthened my belief and love for God. Two goals I have under this would be to read 25 Christian books and finish reading the Bible this year.
Growth & Wellness. Physical, mental, emotional, spiritual - I pray for healing and intend to establish more habits related to being better this year. Progress may be slow but Iām going to embrace the process this year. My main goals under this are to shed some pounds, feel good, and healthy and get re-evaluated for ADHD here so I can continue with treatment plans/symptoms management.
Stability. Focusing more on career and finances. I havenāt necessarily made wise financial decisions over the past few years but now I feel like Iām in a place and time in my life where I can actually start saving for myself (and Karl) and become more stable overall. Two goals I have for this is pursuing the Project Management Professional certification Iāve put on hold last year and saving up to get myself my own car.
Some action plans from intentions Iāve set that I feel comfortable sharing:
Iām starting to curate the media Iām consuming right now. Iām unfollowing a lot of accounts that donāt really bring value in my life right now - call it a social media following purge of some sort.
I plan to break up with my phone for a month, inspired by the book How to Break Up With Your Phone by Catherine Price.
Iām setting more intentional habits - i.e. allowing myself to watch shows ONLY if I am doing indoor walking exercises while watching them so I donāt remain so idle, swapping scroll time and binge-watch time with reading/listening to books or podcasts, etc.
In the next months, I will probably be sharing a lot more about the goals Iāve set and any discoveries I have this year that I feel are worth sharing. This feels like a safe space to keep myself accountable.
Please donāt think that Iām sharing this with you to make you feel guilty if youāre not the type of person who prepares for a new year the way that I do. If you havenāt made your list(/s) or you want to try setting goals and intentions this year, donāt feel discouraged and think that itās too late. The basic tips I can offer you right now is to start with weekly lists, then eventually move to monthly or quarterly ones. Donāt set too much goals that you get overwhelmed and abandon them eventually. It took me years to develop the system and routines I have right now to help me be this way. Iāll try to share more about this eventually as Iām really passionate about intentional productivity and not the toxic kind!
Raeās Currently List
Watching: Criminal Minds S11
Reading: Kindle: Reset, David Murray; Audiobook: Making a Scene, Constance Wu
Playing: I havenāt touched my Switch since January 1 lol
Thinking about: todayās reading for the Year in the Bible Plan Iām following this year
Listening to: a podcast called Verity by Phylicia Masonheimer
Hyperfocusing on: making sure my planner set up is finalized this week
I hope youāre having a good first week! Let me know how I can help pray for/with you for this year. You know where to message me - my DMs are open! ;)
Iām having a love-hate relationship with the climate here,
Rae