Apparently I didn’t make any resolutions for 2012. At least if I did I didn’t put them anywhere obvious here on my blog, as I’ve just had a dig around my posts from January last year and can’t find anything that looks like resolutions! I’m sure in my head it was the same old “lose weight, get fit, embrace new opportunities” that I always seem to fall back on, but at the end of the day it just goes to prove my point from 2011 – I don’t make resolutions…
Looking back over 2012 I think it was a good year. We all survived, which is a good start, but more than that we managed a couple of big changes as well. The geekdaughter started school and, apart from a slight wobble after the first week or so, has taken it all in her stride. I love to watch her enthusiasm for learning, and I am constantly amazed by how well her reading and writing has developed since September. Best of all we were so proud at our first parents evening, when her teacher’s first comments were not about her academic ability, but about how kind and friendly she is.
The other large change was me dropping from working 4 days per week to 3 days. This is something I’ve wanted to do for a while, and I’m very grateful to my incredibly supportive boss for making it happen. Although I’ve only been working my new pattern for a couple of months, I’m already feeling the benefits – I just need to make sure we manage financially with the 25% pay cut likely to really bite for the first time this month.
Loads of other stuff happened during the year of course. Not all of it was good, but I’m definitely feeling positive about the year overall.
So now it’s 2013. I’m looking forward, not backward. And although I don’t have any resolutions as such, I do have some things I want to focus on over to course of the year. I’m thinking of it as “setting a direction”, rather than having specific goals.
1. Be a better friend. I have great friends. Unfortunately they are very geographically spread, and I don’t get to see any of them as often as I would like. I don’t feel like I have been doing a very good job of keeping up with their news, and I want them to know that I love them and I’m there for them. There’s definitely a lot I can do in this space over the year.
2. Declutter. We have made a good start on this already, but I want to make sure I keep up the momentum, and get my house to a state where I won’t be embarrassed to invite people round.
3. Healthy lifestyle. Yes, this is the “lose weight, get fit” one, but it goes a bit deeper than that. I’m not looking for a “diet”, I’m looking for a permanent change, a sustainable change to my eating patterns. I want to make time in my life for exercise, and find a form of exercise that I enjoy. There are also other things I need to keep an eye on, like am I getting enough sleep. Trying to juggle work, the house, the kids, the blog all takes time, and I have got into the habit of going to bed after midnight more often than I think I should.
4. Work/Life balance. I’m not planning to do much around this given the changes I managed to make last year, but I need to keep an eye on things and make sure the balance is right. I also need to remember that the blog is a hobby and I shouldn’t try to take over the world with it quite yet!
So no, they’re not resolutions. There’s no targets, and they’re certainly not SMART. But they’re my guiding principles for 2013, and I will be trying to make progress in each area over the course of the year.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Finding an exercise you enjoy is key in my mind and one where my body has rebelled against me!
I found that I liked running (jogging!) and so started running 3 times a week and a year or so later, had problems with my Achilles tendon that stopped me doing that exercise.
After the physio had sorted out my foot, I got a rowing machine and now I have coccydynia which the doctor thinks is due to the regular rowing.
Now, I’m struggling to find something I like! Fortunately, my work has moved to the same town I live in – about 2 miles away. So I’m planning on walking to work each day.
One thing that became obvious to me is that I like exercise where I can put on a podcast and not think about the exercise bit; running / walking / cycling / rowing are good for that.
Certainly, it’s hard to keep up exercise if (a) you don’t enjoy it and (b) it’s not part of your regular routine.
Regards,
Rob…
Rob… recently posted..2012 in pictures
I keep thinking I’d probably enjoy running, as I was always running as a kid, but I get very jammed on the whole not wanting to be a lone woman running with headphones in thing. Probably silly as I live in a very safe town, but it still stops me trying. We have set our treadmill up in the garage so I might see if I can run on that instead.
I am enjoying walking the geekdaughter to and from school, but that’s only 2 days per week, and I don’t think it’s enough to make a big difference. I hope your walking works out well, what a shame about the running and the rowing.
I haven’t made any resolutions as such but there are little things I’d like the change and improve on – somehow I worry that if I say them out loud that that may doom me to failure. I could be mad though…
From here I can see cobwebs – maybe ‘buy a feather duster’ is a good place to start for me!
Mammasaurus recently posted..The happy rays of 2013 are shining through already…
Start small *nods*
Number one is a major issue for me in 2013 – for one reason and another, I’ve been a shockingly bad friend the past couple of years. Time and distance make it so difficult but I really do want to do better. Any tips?
Sally recently posted..Best Foot Forward
I wish I had an answer Sally. I’m going to be trying to be more conscious of my friends, making sure that I try to organise visits with them, and trying to make stuff happen – I’ve been more inclined to just sit back and wait for them to invite me to stuff in previous years, but this year I’m going to be more pushy.
I’m going down the route of no resolutions this yr. But my plan is to have some goals for the year. I love the first one, I’m definitely going to add that one to my list!
Amanda recently posted..Redfoot Shoes : Review and Giveaway
Thanks, and good luck with your goals
{ 1 trackback }