I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I love this time of year. I love a fresh start. I love setting goals and making plans. But being the pisces I am, I tend to spend a lot of time dreaming. So often that means imagining big possibilities without following through and or even creating action steps to get there.
So, going into the new year I’m making these promises to myself:
1. Create a Vision Board
Get clear on what I want and how I want my life to look by creating a clear vision. Digital or print, I think it’s important to have a reminder of where I want to be. I feel a lot of change coming this year and I want to manifest exactly what that looks like. I want this to be a living board that I continue to add to and change throughout the next year.
2. When I Set a Goal, Create Action Steps to Work Towards It
This is something I learned from the 7 Habits program at my school. It’s easy to set a goal, but much harder to actually achieve it. This is something we’ve been working on in my professional life, so I want to do the same in my personal life. This means:
- Setting a clear goal (x to y by z)
- Figure out steps I need to take to get there (How will I achieve this goal?)
- Track my progress on a scoreboard
- Have others hold me accountable
I’m not sure what the goals are yet, but as they come up throughout the year, I’m going to make sure I do it the right way.
3. Get Off My Phone
My fiancé, Elliot, has been using the internet as little as possible the past couple months. He literally only uses his iPhone for calls and texts, and tries to go to the library when he needs the computer. He listens to the weather on the radio and has been renting dvds from a local video store. It’s pretty inspiring.
And while I’m not quite there yet as I love using my devices for various things (plus I need my computer for work), I can still see how much this process has impacted him. I’ve never seen him as an anxious person, but he has said his anxiety has really gone down. He is spending his time picking up new hobbies and checking out local shops instead of scrolling through social media for hours. He’s talking to strangers more and making connections with the community. He’s just happier.
So, I’m significantly limiting my time on my devices as well and really trying to be thoughtful of why I’m picking one up. Is it habit? Is it making me any happier? Am I just looking to fill the void?? (Okay, bit dramatic, but strangely accurate?)
After seeing Elliot go through this change and hearing all sorts of ideas about digital wellness from podcasts (I highly recommend this one), news articles, books, and even influencers, I’m realizing that this is becoming a huge part of mental health. We are in a time where we are all discovering together the affects of having so much technology right at our fingertips, and we really don’t know the end result yet. (I’m hoping to share more on this soon as I limit my phone usage).
Imagine what life could be like with less time on my iPhone and laptop and more time doing things I love, creating the life I love. Less time scrolling and feeling anxious that I’m not accomplishing enough by accidentally comparing myself to others. More time seeing friends and reading and finishing up house projects and just living.
Needless to say, no matter what I want to achieve in 2020, this will be at the forefront. I know it will help me with whatever else I wish to accomplish this year.
What are your ideas and goals for 2020? It’s a new decade, friends, let’s live the life we want!
Simply Sophie 