Happy New Year! For the first post of 2017 I want to do one of my favorite things: make a list!

Last year, I set goals for 2016 in my planner and then proceeded to forget about them. It wasn’t until yesterday, when I was transferring important dates into my new planner that I was reminded of them. Oops!

To be fair I did achieve one or two, but I did not meet most of them and I have no one else to blame but myself! So this year I am holding myself accountable and not just setting goals, but also planning on how I can achieve them.

Be Well

This one isn’t profound or unique, but like so many others I need to begin  working out regularly and eating better. Regularly is the keyword here. I did a pretty decent job working out in the beginning of last year but when things got busy during the summer, and stayed that way through the end of the year, I stopped working out. I suck. And my body feels it – I have no muscles, my flexibility is disappearing, and climbing a set of stairs isn’t pretty.

So I’ve renewed my subscription to ClassPass – which for a monthly fee lets me visit any gym or studio and participate in any of their group fitness classes. I know myself, and I don’t go to the gym if it means just going on a treadmill or lifting weights. I prefer dance or yoga classes that keep my mind occupied. Because I have a hectic work schedule ClassPass gives me access to different gyms so I can choose classes based on my schedule and interests! It works for me – its expensive, but it’s literally the only way I get myself moving regularly so I schedule my first classes for this week already. Its going to be painful.

As for the eating well – I just have to have the discipline to make better choices. I have a love of chips, McDonalds hamburgers, and basically all fried food. Even my friends at work notice my unhealthy food habits – my first change will be small but its something I do daily: buying a bag of chips every afternoon. In place of my beloved Cheetos, I will eat fresh fruit and treat myself to a salty snack on Fridays – let’s see if my coworkers notice!

Create

This goal is from last year, and while I did a decent job, I want to keep it up with more intent. From starting a hobby in bookmaking to creating this blog – I don’t want to lose the creative momentum I generated last year. Making things is important to me, be it DIY crafts or creating music by learning a new song on the piano. I have a short list of things I want to make this year or work on – here are a few of my projects/goals:

• – Bookmaking – keep it up!
• – Learn 5 new songs on the piano
• – Finish (and maybe publish?) short travel story
• – Write 4 blog posts a month

Establish Yearly Traditions

I talked about this with my friend Sam the other day – I love the idea of having yearly outings, dinners, or get-togethers with family and friends that become traditions to look forward to and plan for. Simple, small things like having a murder mystery dinner every March, an annual camping trip, or meeting my sister for tea at the Allis once a month.

This goal helps ensure Ted and I stay active but also make time for seeing loved ones. By the end of the month I’m coming up with a few ideas and sending early texts to family and friends to coordinate.

Build a Capsule Wardrobe

Has anyone else heard of these? The idea is to simplify your life and build a timeless wardrobe that values quality over quantity. Ideally it’s made up of around 30 versatile pieces that don’t go out of fashion (this excludes workout gear, sweats, PJs, etc. so don’t freak out) that can be mixed and matched together to create different looks and updated with seasonal pieces.

I tend to wear the same things over and over again and have a closet full of clothing I never wear. Over the holidays I cleaned out my closet and will start to make all of my clothing choices with intent and make sure I build a wardrobe of quality.

International Travel

I went on many of these last year – but again its in the plan 🙂 I’m not sure where we want to go this year, but travel and exploring our beautiful world is important to me so of course it goes on this list! Any suggestions?