So 2021 New Year has started, and I don’t know if I am excited about it. I think we can all agree that 2020 needed to end, however, it is still lingering. There is an air of uncertainty and anxiety. This leads to a fear of making plans too far in advance, as I would then just have to reschedule which leads to more anxiety. All in all a vicious circle.
2020 Reflection
As I look back at the last year, I do see some positives and negatives. I started the year with great enthusiasm and was hitting most of my goals. And even those goals that I was letting slide, was done in a mindful manner.
So I was happy in my bubble, and rather quite upbeat, until the National Lockdown and restrictions happened. I started battling with depression and anxiety which is clear to see in my New Year previous post. After cancelling my planned sky-diving, I burst in to tears. That was the lowest moment.
So I am more cautious of this brand new year. I don’t want to increase my anxiety levels with having to re-schedule plans / bookings. And I am starting to think there may be more productive things to do with my time at home.
2021 New Year Plan
I have started looking at goals lists for ideas of what I can plan for myself. And I stumbled across the idea of a 12 week year. What this entails is setting up quarterly goals for yourself, as it is easier to maintain the “enthusiasm” and make reviewing your progress easier. I have broken the steps I have taken below.
STEP ONE
I completed a mind map of my intentions for 2021 using the following questions as a starting point:
- What do I want more of?
- What have I been struggling with?
- How can I trust more?
- What will I focus on?
- Self-care
- Fun
- How do I want to feel?
STEP TWO
As with any mind map, there will be overlapping thoughts and ideas which I then grouped together.
STEP THREE
I listed the activities that will best suit my intentions for the upcoming year.
STEP FOUR
I broke the activities down into actionable steps for the next 12 weeks. And I have already scheduled the quarterly review into my calendar.
STEP FIVE
Track the progress in my bullet journal.
FOURTH QUARTER OF 2021
sECOND AND THIRD qUARTER REVIEW
It is safe to say that I battled to keep to the deadline of the third quarter. In all honesty, I hit a depressive slump which resulted in a lot of deadlines not being met. Seasonal depression apparently is a thing in my life, and even though I knew it and felt it, I just couldn’t break free of the cycle.
With the start of spring, and the sun starting to shine, I feel stronger and capable of ending this year off with a bang.
I have changed the categories that I am going to concentrate on, this is an attempt to rectify the course that I am on. I obviously was not feeling the categories that I had made priorities. This s the beauty of setting quarterly goals, the ability to change course and tweak it to fit in with what I actually want.
My home and environment
This category is simplified into the following points:
- Just clean
- Toss out
- Come up with a workable plan
- The life I want to live requires effort, so put the effort in
- Multipurpose furniture
I have started already by clearing out my creativity nook, purchasing a minimalistic desk that takes up way less space and storage cubes. While clearing up and re-organising, I could feel the creativity seep back into my bones. So definitely worth the cost and effort.
My workand environment
All that I can say is that I need to find the joy of having a work to go to. The stresses I have felt have been due to my mental mindset. Intellectually I know that I am fortunate to have a job that is stable during these past turbulent times, however that doesn’t resonate through my being. It’s time to start having fun again.
creativity
I have set up the area, I have the spark!
My latest hobby is sewing which I am enjoying thoroughly. I am loving going to the thrift stores and getting swaths of fabric (second hand curtains and duvet covers), re-purposing them into wearable items.
I need to continue with my painting and sketching. Especially the painting of kindness rocks. These days there is more of a need to put kindness out in the world.
Health
I know what to do and just need to do it. I have started a weekly pilates class, in the hope of sorting out my shoulders which have been bothering me for over a year. I haven’t felt comfortable going back to aqua-aerobics during the pandemic. Turns out that water-aerobics was keeping my shoulders lubricated, so I need to find something else that kind of enforced social distancing.
Overall mood
To remember what is important, that time is limited. My priorities have shifted and I need to start living those priorities.
SECOND QUARTER OF 2021
fIRST qUARTER REVIEW
The first quarter didn’t go as well as I would have liked. And I at times felt over-whelmed. The cleaning and decluttering didn’t really work out, although we did revamp our balcony. Without a doubt the balcony looks better with new waterproofing and paint.
I discussed the frustrations with my husband, who rightly predicted I was trying to do too much at once. The solution to this is to just select a few things for the upcoming quarter, and focus all my attention on them.
I had however planned and attended some activities during the first quarter. And I can seriously recommend breaking the monotony of day to day life by having some activities.
My home and environment
I have written down which rooms to concentrate on in which months. This is augmented by one weekend put aside to revamp a particular area, much like we did with the balcony. The daily cleaning is still something I need to work on. I just have to remember the feeling of walking in to a clean and organised space, for that is the outcome I want to achieve.
Health and self care
I will be more mindful of my steps taken during this quarter. To track and tick them off in my bullet journal. I do still want to get in to the habit of meditation. I feel with these two aspects, I will greatly reduce my stress and hopefully be more joyful.
Fun
This is one area that I am not battling with. I have pretty much planned our weekends away for the remainder of the year. The smaller activities I am having problems with. I may have reached the end of the list when I start seriously considering crocodile cage diving, who knew that was even a thing! So I will have to look for some further activities to do.
FIRST QUARTER OF 2021
My home and environment
I speak about having a clean and clutter free home. I know the benefits this would have on my mental health and overall well-being. With this in mind, I have broken down tasks that need to be accomplished in a certain period of time. The hope (goal) is for my home to be what I want it to be in 12 weeks.
Fun
Although there are still restrictions in place due to the pandemic, this doesn’t mean that we can’t have fun. Looking ahead there are a couple of long weekends that fall in the first quarter, so I will be planning dates, weekends away or other activities.
Health
This one aspect of my life has fallen by the wayside and it is now time to put it right. I will be monitoring my daily steps and have set an attainable goal of 5000 steps per day. Ideally I would like to resume my water aerobics but will wait for the pandemic to subside. I also intend to do meal planning. Ideally I would like to lose 1kg a week. Again this will be monitored and tracked in my bullet journal.
Myself
I would like to start a habit of daily meditation, just to quieten my mind at least once a day. This coupled with morning pages, should lead to me determining my values and priorities.
Self Care
I want to read more and sleep more. I am currently lucky if I get more than 6 hours sleep a night, so I am running ragged and with a hair trigger emotional response. With the help of my fitness watch, this will be easy enough to monitor. The idea of reading will be done prior to falling to sleep and essentially start me developing a healthier night time routine.