At the beginning of a new year it’s common to set new year’s resolutions. Planning what you want from the year ahead to get the year off to a good start.
If this is something that you do, before starting, it’s useful to reflect on the year gone by. Reflect with gratitude for where you are now; the things you have achieved and all the people who have helped you along the way. You may also find it useful to reflect with gratitude on things that didn’t go so well and what you could have done differently.
If you haven’t been keeping a check on all the good things you achieved last year, take a piece of paper now and start writing down all that you have achieved in the last three months – big and small. You will be surprised at how much you have achieved.
The definition of resolution is…. ‘a firm decision to do or not to do something’.
I stopped making new year’s resolutions many years ago. Like a lot of people, I found it difficult to stick to them as I wasn’t always 100% committed and felt that I’d failed when they weren’t completed. I find it more productive and motivating to make plans and to record my achievements as I go along. That’s why I suggest that you also think about planning, recording and recognising your successes as you go through the year too.
Memory Aids
Having methods of recording plans and remembering achievements helps to keep you on track. Tools and techniques available vary from online apps and programmes to pen and paper diaries, journals, lists, jars and charts. Different ones not only suit different people but also different situations. Planning, recording and recognising your successes will be much easier if you choose tools that suit your lifestyle best.
Useful Planning Tools
- Vision boards – these are great if you are a visual person. They are created by attaching to a board, pictures of what you want to achieve or have in your life in the year ahead.
- Bullet Journals – these have become very popular over the past few years and are a cross between a traditional diary, a vision board, a journal and a notebook.
- Diary – useful for recording daily plans. Paper and online diaries work well for this type of planning as you can carry it around with you at all times.
- Notebooks – I use these to make notes and plans for individual projects. They allow me to keep all the information in one place.
Recording your Achievements
- Happiness Jar – This is an empty jar that you fill up during the year with notes of all the things that have made you happy during the year. Just grab an empty cleaned coffee jar, a note pad and a pen. Whenever something good happens, write it down and pop it in your jar. On 31st December open your jar and reminisce about all the lovely things you have done during the year.
- Achievement wall – Take a sheet of A1 paper, write the words My Achievements in 2021 (or the current year you’re in) at the top and stick it to a door or a wall. Whenever you achieve something, draw a brick-shaped rectangle and write your achievement and the date in it. It can be anything – a work achievement, something personal or a family achievement, big or small. I colour-code mine for each area. Just watch how your wall grows over the next 12 months. You may need two sheets of paper!
- Notebook or Diary – This can be something to carry with you at all times and jot down things as they happen. When you’re having a not-so-good-day, you can quickly flick through the pages to get some motivation.
Taking Action
Before you start planning your year ahead, try doing a visualisation. Visualise what you want from the year and picture it in your mind’s eye. Visualise the picture of what you will be doing on this day in twelve months’ time. To increase the reality of it, try including all your senses and the emotions you will feel once you’ve achieved what you have planned.
Some things to include in your year
Decluttering – Get rid of anything you don’t need and make space for new things. Decluttering your physical space will help you to feel mentally lighter too.
Self-care – Include self-care in your planning for the year ahead. Plan to have a self-care Sunday each month. Make a list of all the things you like to do and include them at regular intervals in your diary. Plan to have at least one activity a week that helps you to focus on your needs. Read more here about why taking time out is good for you.
Big dreams – When planning it’s easy to play it safe and just focus on your strengths and only include things that you know you can easily achieve. Try to include things that excite you, that take you outside your comfort zone and require you to take a leap of faith. You’ll be surprised at what you can achieve.
Workshops
My online workshops are designed to help you put yourself on your to-do list and to focus on your needs. If you would like to know more about these workshops register your interest here. Topics for my workshops will include: –
- Vision boards
- Self-care & finding time for you
- Journaling
- Meditation for beginners.
Take a look at my book, Self-care for Busy Women. It’s full of hints, tips, checklists and trackers and will show you how spending just a few minutes each day focusing on your mental, emotional and physical health can have a big influence on your mindset and well-being. You’ll also be able to create your own 28-day self-care plan that fits seamlessly into your busy lifestyle.
About Sharon
Sharon lives with her partner Geoff in Warwickshire and they have two adult children. She worked for over 25 years in an office environment, gaining qualifications to degree level in finance, business and management. While there Sharon witnessed and experienced many stressful situations and suffered illnesses which were stress-related.
Sharon was advised to make some changes to her lifestyle which included trying complementary therapies. After experiencing the benefits of complementary treatments, Sharon decided to retrain and to share her knowledge and experiences to help others recognise and manage their own physical and emotional stress and anxiety levels.
Sharon has been working as a complementary therapist for over 15 years now She loves helping people manage and reduce their stress levels, to feel uplifted, focused, positive and empowered about their lives.
