I have a confession I’m embarrassed to admit: the calendar on my office wall is still set to January.

It’s not a secret that I love being organized and having a good system. But unsurprisingly, one of the reasons I spend time creating strategies that work for me is that I actually need them! Especially when work gets crazy.

Wasn’t it just New Year’s Eve? I feel like I blinked and now we’re months in.

Getting out of this mindset has meant recognizing that I have some un-helpful ideas about what this “Shiny New Year!” would look like that I need to bust through so I can have real, genuine fun in the mess, craziness, and beauty of everyday life.

So if you’re feeling pressure of goals that are off to a wobbly start, or are still at the part where you haven’t set goals for the year because you haven’t made time, you’re not alone – and there’s help.

get on top of this year and chase down your dreams!

 

1. Get out of your head and get present!

When you’re caught up in the story of how things should be or constantly running through what you’re going to do later, it’s easy to tune out of what you can do now that will get you a step closer to the life you want.

It’s important for us to have time to dream, but your life takes is shaped entirely by your actions.

When you’re living in your head instead of in the moment, it’s easy to get distracted by things that don’t matter, get derailed by your worries, and be less than present in your life. And who wants to live on autopilot?

How to practice mindfulness: Wherever you are, tune into the sights, sounds, and feelings you’re experiencing at this very moment. Breathe deeply and slowly, and when you get caught up in your thoughts, catch yourself and guide your focus back to your senses (without beating yourself up!).
 

2. Get real with your calendar

It’s draining to live when we aren’t doing things we really love. If you think of the last day you spent running from commitment to commitment, and doing things that were on your “Things I Have to Do But Wish I Could Skip” list, chances are that day felt like a chore from the moment it started.

But even when you’re seeing people you like and doing things you enjoy, you may not be investing time in the things that will get you closer to your goals. When you look at your calendar, does is reflect your priorities and highest goals for this year?

If not, you’ve absolutely got to get that under control!

Our habits are persistent, and how you’ve lived the last six weeks is likely to be how you live the next six weeks… unless you take action to change that.

How to give your calendar some tough love: Look at your commitments coming up over the next month – where do they line up with what you want the year to be about? What are you doing that you don’t adore? Cancel what doesn’t serve you (cancel, not reschedule!) and find a way to say no that you can marry yourself to. Your dreams will take time, so protect yours.

 

3. Schedule time to get big picture

There’s a saying that “You can’t work on your business when you’re working in your business” and it’s not just for business owners. If you’re in a boat that’s caught in a storm, that’s not the time to discuss plans for next year’s fishing season! You need to batten the hatches, take care of yourself, and get big picture once you’re in safe harbor.

Unless you make time to reflect and reassess on your habits, what in your life feels great and what’s just not working? You’ll never reach that safe place where you can fine tune and adjust.

Because in life, the right time to reflect isn’t a place you arrive at, it’s a place you either create or sail straight past.

How to see the big picture when you’re in the chaos: Make a recurring appointment with yourself to reassess and adjust – and then treat it like it’s downright sacred. Every other week is a good frequency, because it’s often enough that you’re never going to have hours of work ahead of you, and it can become a natural routine instead of a dreaded task. And make sure you reward yourself for each session completed, and your commitment to having a life you adore!

 

4. Choose your battles & question your assumptions

We all have built in assumptions about how the world is and how we “need” to do things. If having a clean house feels like it’s a life or death matter for you, then respect that instinct! But if you want to have a clean house, great meals on the table every day, a thrilling, frequently updated blog, a romantic adventurous life and fall into bed every night at 10 pm?

That’s your inner rabid Martha Stewart telling you stories about how she would do things if she could possess your body and make you a “real good, worthy person” (Um… see how that just slipped out? She’s crazy!). Her standards don’t have to be yours, and they certainly aren’t the way things have to be.

In our home, I’ve made peace with my dust bunnies and tame them weekly-ish. I meal plan, because a hungry Kyla will burn my house down, but I only cook a handful of nights a week. And my life feels so much better for it.

How to sneak a peek at the assumptions you might be holding: Is there a part of your life that feels exhausting and uphill? Think about that problem, and tack on “because…”. Write it out, and see what conditions you’re filling in the blank with. Then ask yourself, “Is this really, completely true?  What could I do differently so this fits my life better?”. Experiment with different strategies and priorities, and see what feels right for you.

 

This is my game plan, at least!

How are you making sure this year is unforgettable, without making goal setting your part time job?