It’s 2018! I feel like I say this every year but the last year has flown by at top speed. I loved 2017 for what it was. Of course it had its ups and downs but it has helped me grow, learn and change in so many ways and I am really grateful for that. I was pushed out of my comfort zone in so many instances but I feel proud of myself that I handled it all pretty well! 2017 was when I really got clarity over the direction I wanted to take my work in. I didn’t blog much during Oct-Nov-Dec since I was busy re-structuring my blog and other avenues, and I am happy that my hard work has paid off, and I’m starting the new year with something brand new (launching soon!)
I also wanted to write down whatever plans I had for 2018, and whatever changes I wanted to make in my life in the coming year.
Health
First and foremost I want to prioritise my physical and mental health this year onwards. Above everything else. That means starting to exercise, eating healthy, letting go of situations that disturb my mental peace, sleeping properly, and overall living a calm & happy life. I know it will not be possible to do all of these things every single day, but I want to make a conscious effort to always push myself to go in the right direction. I also don’t want to be too hard on myself if I slip up once in a while. It’s supposed to be gradual lifestyle change, not a military schedule where I punish my mind and/or body for failing.
Create art
I’ve had multiple people take one look at my paintings and tell me not to let that talent go to waste. Which is unfortunately what I’ve been doing the last two years. I’m tired of the excuse that I don’t have time to paint. Or the fact that I’m finding it difficult to dedicate two hours to just painting without getting distracted by the internet. I need to get that discipline and focus back into my life. Painting used to send me into a bubble where I forget time & surroundings and just focus on the colours. But lately everytime I try to pick up the brush, I’m attending a call the next minute or browsing through instagram. I need to shut out the world and it’s noise more often. I need to get back into that bubble once in a while.
Read
This is another hobby that has taken a real hit. Time has not been the culprit here. Rather it’s been my patience. It saddens me that I used to devour an entire 500 page novel in 7 hours and now I find it difficult to get through even one chapter, before I switch to watching a tv series or a youtube video. Be it for business or pleasure, I want to read at least 12 books in this year.
Write
I miss writing too. For a while there I lost my blogging mojo. Everything in the blogging-world had become about instagram, number of followers and collaborations and I had to take a step back and re-evaluate whether that was really the direction I wanted to take my blog in. That break was just what I needed to come back with renewed energy and fresh ideas for the blog.
Travel
This of course has to be on my list. I definitely want to plan better and save more and travel more. I don’t want to put off travel anymore, saying the timing isn’t right or that it’s too expensive. This is one thing that I don’t mind splurging on impulsively. It’s going to be slightly difficult for me and Kalyan to travel together thanks to his full time job and stricter schedule, but I think with proper planning we can manage.
Prioritize myself
I want to make sure I do this every single day. Finding motivation, staying on track, developing better habits, and paying attention to how I feel and what I need is something that I’m going to start doing. Whether that means maintaining a journal or meditating or just taking ten minutes everyday to think about myself and what I want, I’m going to be paying a lot of more attention to bettering myself
Work hard, budget and plan more
We all tend to have lazy days, but when those days stretch into weeks it’s not good at all. Doing the minimum basic like working eight hours a day, finishing the to-do list that you wrote in the morning, or not postponing things that you can finish today to tomorrow – all these little things are what I find the hardest. I also want to focus more on financial goals, save more and plan/budget better
Manage time efficiently
I’ve sucked at time management the past one year and I’m disgusted by that because I thought I was always pretty good at it. Adjusting to living with in-laws, adjusting to marriage and a whole new world and culture has occupied my life completely and I have wasted more time than ever this year. I feel I could have been so much more productive. All that’s going to change from now on!
Cut down internet time
While it’s true that my life (work and personal) revolves completely around the internet, I don’t want to be dependant/addicted to it any more than I am now. Hence the aspect of time management and getting back to hobbies like painting and reading.
So these are my goals/plans. I might have more to add to this later, or new ones might crop up from this existing bunch. Either way, I can’t be more excited to start this new year!
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