Goal Setting

With everything happening in the world at the moment, it's important to stay motivated and positive, despite everything you might be facing. And that includes the good and the bad. How many times have you read a self-help book, watch a TED Talk, or tried to start a new habit but given up only a few days later? Why? Why do we get inspired and motivated with all of these grand ideas, but nothing happens? When I'm feeling a lack of motivation and energy, I ask myself these three questions: What do I want from today? What have I done [...]

So 2020 is coming to an end. I'm sure many people are glad to see the back of it and looking forward to the new year. But I've taken the last month or so to look back on 2020. And because of all of the changes this year, I feel like I have more to reflect on than in previous years. I think comes down to taking the time to be more grateful. So this is a summary of my year and the things that stand out in my mind. My word of the year I've picked a word of [...]

There are many ways to be successful when it comes to setting and achieving your goals. But some tools can make the whole process a whole lot easier and much more fun. There are three particular tools for goal setting that have really made a difference in my success. Write it down I think writing down your goals is probably one of the most well-known goal-setting tools. There are a lot of different statistics out there about it. But you are about 40% more likely to achieve your goals if you write them down. So if you only do one [...]

Keeping a clean and orderly house its not always at the top of your list of priorities, but for some people it is. And for those that don't prioritise it, getting your house in order might take less effort than you might think. Laundry and dishes seem to be the bane of my existence, especially since we are all spending so much time at home at the moment. But there are a few things you can do to get your house in order that will also help you get your life in order. 1. Make your bed Whether you throw [...]

I love a good list. I love them so much I have them everywhere. Having multiple to-do lists means that I can keep my ideas in different places for different things. Important tasks, not so important but still need to be done and plans for the future. Seeing that checked off list makes me feel super productive. Why do lists work? Lists work because it helps tremendously to get the ideas out of your head. Once the items are out of your head, you don’t really need to keep remembering them because it’s on your list. Lists provide a simple [...]

I did it in 2018 with great success. I did it again in 2019 with average success. And I'm doing it again in 2020. I've picked a word of the year. My 2020 word of the year is... Environment This year I want to focus on environment. And I've taken that to mean the physical environment of my house and the actual environment. I already know of a few ways I can improve this but I'd love to hear your suggestions. So far I have switched to more ethical and environmentally friendly versions of a few products. Ideally, I'd like to [...]

So much for 19 for 2019. It was more like 14 in 2019 for me. Which isn't too bad really. But at the same time, I did pick relatively easy items, that were once-off type things. 19 for 2019 ○ Have a legal will drawn up - I have enquired about this. But I left it a bit late in the year for it to fit into the budget around the end of the year. It's certainly something that will get done in the first half of next year. ○ Transfer house ownership - We are still debating whether we [...]

Once again this year I have decided not to set goals or resolutions, but pick a word, theme or phrase for the year. But again like last year I have chosen two themes for 2019. Around the middle of 2018, I decided to start thinking about what I wanted to accomplish in 2019. I have heard that the best time to set new goals for yourself is your birthday, rather than the start of the year. I think this makes it a bit obvious that my birthday is in the middle of the year. Health Health encompasses many things. Physical [...]

I first heard about 18 for 2018 on the Happier with Gretchen Rubin podcast. So 19 for 2019 is not a new concept to me. But the thought of achieving 19 things this year was quite daunting. I’ve struggled over the years to stick to any new years resolutions that I make. So in 2018, I decided to pick a theme for the year. Actually, I picked two. I’ve also picked two main themes to focus on in 2019, but there are a lot of one-off things that I want to do too. So here is my 19 for 2019 [...]

There is hindsight at the end of 2018. And of course, hindsight is always 20/20. But I think I did really well with my goals for the year. Rather than making a number of New Year's resolutions that ultimately fail, this year I decided to pick a theme. I actually picked two. My two themes were relationships and mise en place. Relationships The main relationships that I wanted to improve were my friendships, but I also wanted to become a bit closer with my extended family and colleagues. In January I started the tradition of the Squad Night off, which [...]

Here’s to the new year! This year I have decided not to set any goals or resolutions, but pick a word, theme or phrase for the year. I wish that I could claim this idea as my own. I first heard about it while listening to Happier with Gretchen Rubin, my favourite podcast. The idea is you pick a word, theme or phrase to focus on for the year. I have cheated, choosing 2 themes to focus on. Relationships This theme is directed more towards friendships, but I also want to build stronger relationships with my family & colleagues. I [...]

Here it is, my 2017 review! To quote Katy Perry: that was such an epic fail! (Firework by Katy Perry). General Read - Reading is hard when you don't have much time for yourself! I read a lot more books to my daughter than I read to myself. It turns out I read/listened to 15 adult books in 2017.  Actually, take a lunch break - I quit my job back in May, so I can't say I've worked through my lunch break much lately. Even while I was at work I was just as busy that I still ate at [...]

Once again, I've had a good long hard think about my 2017 goals. There were a few on last years list that I didn’t complete but I don’t want to repeat those again. General Read - This year I'd like to complete a Popsugar reading challenge. I always find out about it too late but I've come across the 2017 challenge already. You can see the Popsugar article about the challenge here. Actually, take a lunch break - I really need to get away from my desk & computer when I eat lunch. This includes when I am at the office [...]

Another year has come to an end, so it's time to do the 2016 review. Here is a review of the goals I set for myself at the beginning of the year. Check out the original posts 2016 Goals. Goals Read – Rather than actually reading the books on my to-read list, I reevaluated it. I read the synopsis of each book on the list to decided if I really wanted to read it. Lots of books didn't make the cut & I'm ok with it. My current to-read list has 35 books. Make different things for dinner – I think I [...]