Be more frugal. Spend less money
Pay off more debt
Lose weight and tone up
Travel lots
How many times have I accomplished any of these things?
ZERO.
Every year thousands of people make false resolutions and empty promises to themselves about how they want to be without any way of becoming that way. Its not easy to lose 20 pounds and tone up so you look like a model. It takes a lot more than wishful thinking which is all we do. So this year instead of New Year Resolutions; I’m going to have New Year Goals.
The thing about goals is that goals take planning. But it doesn’t need to be hard. You can still goof off and binge watch your favorite shows (like me and my obsession with Parks and Rec) but you need to get things done otherwise you will never afford that trip to Cancun no matter how affordable it is.
I have made several goals for this year.
Lose enough weight to be a size 8. That’s about 3 sizes down. Which is doable in 12 months.
Get my own place no matter how tiny.
Purge and declutter my life. Live a more minimalistic life.
Balance my social life with my own personal time. AKA don’t go out everyday of the week like usual.
Learn beginners Spanish.
Save money for debts/future trips
Take one small trip on my own
The ways I want to accomplish this is by creating multiple lists to help keep me on target. Adulting can be very hard. You have so many things to do even as a single girl I seem so busy. I can’t imagine how the Moms out there do it. Because they manage many peoples lives. Little people who need them.
So doing what I normally do, I watched a lot of YouTube videos about planning and goals. They all seem to have many things in common.
Have measurable goals
Have realistic goals
Have a plan
Have rewards for completing your goals.
My father always says, “If you don’t know where you are going, how will you know when you get there.” And as much as I hated hearing that sentence as a teenager, as an adult, it makes heaps of good common sense.
You need a plan. You can’t just flounder from one thing to another and expect to get what you want. That amazing job won’t magically appear. Your love handles won’t magically disappear and unfortunately there isn’t a credit fairy to pay off all your credit cards. (Though I really wish that one was real!!)
The one thing I noticed about all these big YouTubers was how flipping expensive their planners were. Most of them cost at least 50-65 dollars and that was without all the cool add-ons. Maybe YouTubers with thousands to tens of thousands of viewers can afford that. But I’m a middle class girl doing what she loves for not a whole lot of pay. There wasn’t any way I could afford an Erin Condren Life Planner. At least not until I meet my rich Prince Charming (I know I know they don’t exist either! Kill all my dreams why don’t you?!)
Luckily middle class America has Walgreens, WalMart and CVS. Heck even an office supply store would do the trick.
Things I bought at my local store:
A cheap daily planner (I think mine cost 5 dollars. Its one of those mini’s you can keep in your purse)
Lots of paper, scissors, pretty pens and staples. Or Binders if you prefer. I like to keep things in my purse so I can plan while I am on the go.
My System:
Make a list of things you want to accomplish by the end of the year. I split my own personal list into options: Professional, Friends & Family, Finances, Fitness and Other. Make sure you write down measurable goals. Goals that you can ACTUALLY accomplish. No more look like a supermodel okay ladies?!
Use your daily planner to plan out your meals, important days and social calendar. This way you can make sure you have time to go out but also that you aren’t overlapping an important family event with your new hot date. I use the monthly calendar to write down my dates and paydays etc. Then on the daily I write my daily goals, workouts and meals.
Make your own booklets for goals. Use construction paper or any paper that you like. Cut it in half, fold it and staple it. Volia! You now have your own little booklet you can designs with pens, stickers or doodles. I like sharpie markers myself.
I have two. One is for my weekly goals. I use a page for each week and plan out my week such as blog posts, cleaning chores, random errands and other things I want to get done that week. Only write about special one-time things or one big project instead of your meals or etc.
My other one is my budget. I planned out what I wanted my budget to look like and decided which subscriptions I wanted to get rid of. Then all my bills are written down in one place so I always know what is coming. And also I can plan for large purchases or money goals for saving. I’m hoping to go to Cancun in 2017!
The last thing I like to do and its totally optional is my journal. I love to keep journals. And I don’t write in it every day because seriously who has time for that. But a couple times a week keeps me focused, centered and feeling light. Also it helps my moods too. I can write down how I feel if I have a hard day. I also like to use podcasts to really reflect and just use it as a chance to write and grow as a person. Please look forward to a blog post about journaling. I’ve been in love with it since 2007!
I hope this helps you all be more productive and be the person you want to in 2016! Look forward to updates on how my goals are doing. Please let me know how your goals are for this upcoming year!
