And just like that it was December. Woah.
Is it just me or is the instinct to coast on into the New Year? Like, okay what’s done is done for 2017. Guess I’ll start fresh in January.
Part of me wants to take that route. Peace out, 2017, you’ve been a LONG year to say the least. I also feel ready to go for 2018. Is it too soon to set resolutions and start writing New Years related blog posts? Yes? No? Maybe?
I promise I’ll save all the New Years content to the actual new year. But for now here are some things I’m doing to finish off 2017 strong:
How To Finish Off 2017 On A Strong Note
Review Your Resolutions For the Previous Year.
Oh god, I’m kind of mortified to look back at the goals I set for 2017.
In writing this blog post I decided to stop being a baby and look at those goals once again. And you know what I realized? I didn’t fail nearly as much as I anticipated. Phew.
★ I eventually did hit 10K followers on instagram. You bet I use the crap out of that swipe up feature now that I hit 10K.
★ I’m still FAR from a pinterest pro, but made an effort to figure out the platform. And yes, make it my bitch as I sought out to do.
★ I’ve grown more as a yoga teacher in the last year than I ever could have imagined. And pinch myself every day that I now teach at CorePower Yoga.
Some of the goals I set for 2017 now seem pointless. I realized that going to events my grad school offers won’t necessarily serve me as much as other events more related to fitness, blogging and yoga.
In reviewing these resolutions I now realize (1) I accomplished WAY more than I thought this year. But more importantly (2) I can now figure out what I want to work on for the year to come.
What’s the point of setting some big ass goals if you’re not going to reflect on them? This brings me to…
Reevaluate what worked, what didn’t work
At my old job at the end of every month my boss and I would have a post-mortem meeting. We’d look over some marketing stats and metrics from the month and discuss what worked and didn’t work. I loved this chance to take a step back, look at some metrics and evaluate what was going on.
How often do we get the chance to take a step back and really reevaluate our life and what worked / what didn’t work?
Well December is the time to do that. For starters, the cool weather got me feeling like a hermit. I’ve been doing some hardcore reflecting on the last year in the form of journaling and word collages. I’m not gifted on the fine arts department, but I do sometimes find I’m better able to get my thoughts on paper if I doodle them out in weird words collages. It’s something I’ve been doing A LOT as I figure out next steps for Kayla in the City in 2018. [And other projects I have in the making!]
Ready to reflect? Start off by using any of the following prompts as jumping off points for journalling or even doodling:
- What’s your biggest accomplishment in 2017?
- How can you recreate that success in 2018?
- What was your biggest failure of 2017?
- What steps can you take to avoid that again in 2018?
- How do you want to feel in 2018?
- What do you want to cultivate more of in 2018?
Get your ducks in a row for 2018
For the record I initially typed the above sentance as f*cks in a row. That’s important too.
With the new year comes this refreshing feeling of a new start. I can’t describe the feeling, but I swear it’s a thing come January 1st. I don’t need to patiently wait for that excitement to hit me in a month. I can start preparing for new beginnings now.
My own ritual includes picking out a new planner for the new year.
I’m starting a new “system” this year and I’m curious to see how it goes. I like using a weekly planner to write down important appointments in advanced.
In addition to my weekly planner, I’m also going to add a daily one from Kitlife to the mix this year. My schedule is all over the place. In one day I might be teaching yoga in the AM, hitting up multiple meetings in the afternoon and going to grad school in the PM. Because of this I’ve been wanting a daily planner.
I think being able to visually look at my day is going to make a HUGE difference in keeping me organized and less frazzled. This planner also has cute things like daily gratitude prompts.
Not sponsored or anything, I’m just ridiculously excited for my new planner…
Also… I know I could totally go digital and just do all of the above on gcal. Not my jam, personally, but it is a great way to stay organized too!
Make winter cleaning a thing
Oh god my apartment needs some serious decluttering. It’s a hot mess up in here. One of my BIG goals for winter break is to do some winter cleaning. I’m oddly excited to clean out my closet and reorganize my pantry. BUT I’m not allowed to do it until I’m done with grad school for the semester.
Maybe for you winter cleaning looks like deep cleaning the bathroom (always necessary!) or donating a few t-shirts you haven’t worn in ages. Whatever you do, I swear it will make you feel like a new person.
I did a mini clean-up last week of my living room and holy crap it makes SUCH a huge difference. Every time I walk into my living room now it makes me SO happy to not be staring down ALL the clutter.
Your Turn: What are you doing to finish off 2017 strong?
omg i am SO tempted to just let things slide on the way they’ve been going until the end of the year but that’s for sure not the best option. i was working on goal-setting with my cousin this weekend and i have soooo many things i want to work on NOW and not just wait for the new year! i want to get my house in order (a clean space makes me feel so much better), make sure i spend time with friends before we separate for the holidays, and focus on my health/fitness since i’ve definitely been neglecting it! thank you for reminding me to reflect on goals i’ve set in the past – that’s key and i don’t do it enough!