I was hesitant in writing this entry because I wanted to try something new this year and not jump on the “new year, new blog” wagon anymore. But the more I sat on this, the more I want to share my priorities and mini goals this year as a way to be brutally honest and open with my blog and readers… after all, this blog is meant to be a personal lifestyle blog!
Every year for the past decade or so, I remember writing goals down. At that time, I didn’t learn about writing proper goals so a lot of my goals were quite vague and essentially, unattainable. As I started to learn more about proper goal writing and SMART goals, I started to finetune my goals and break them down into more achievable goals.
For example, I went from “Eat less take out” to “Cook minimum 5x dinners a week for one month” to help develop the habit of cooking. I put a month as the “deadline” because I knew after a month, I wouldn’t return to fast food and spend money on take-out.
Eventually, I stopped writing down specific goals and moved on to “priorities”. It seems to be going backwards because “priorities” can seem a bit vague but I noticed I thrive better under general priorities (aka themes) than having a list of specific goals.
To give you an idea, here are my 2022 priorities:
- Practice minimalism
- Reduce consumerism
- Be more sustainable
- Practice saving before buying
- Donate to Reconciliation Canada
As you can probably see, “be more sustainable” is as vague as “eat less take out” since it has no tangible target for me to achieve but I view my priorities as a guided way to live in 2022 and not be bogged down by a list.
My goals may seem vague, but since they’re posted on the front page of my planner, I see them every day, and I do recall these priorities when I’m out and about shopping, or browsing online stores. I hit the exit button when I remember that I’m practising minimalism or when I notice my muscle memory opens up H&M online instead of me going to the thrift store or visiting an eco-friendly brand.
Here’s a deep dive into my 2022 priorities and little tangible goals for areas of my life:
Practice minimalism.
When I went through a massive decluttering of my place, I realized just how much useless crap I’ve accumulated (and the finances that went into it!). After many sessions of decluttering, I’ve realized minimalism is truly the way to go. I feel much lighter and happier without the clutter; my wallet is happier, and living with less stuff truly allowed me to focus on other tasks and people in my life.
Reduce consumerism.
This ties in with practising minimalism but I’m not going to a clean aesthetic look. I truly want to reduce consumerism and reduce the amount of trash that goes into landfills. In addition, both Dan and I are committed to shopping local and small businesses rather than supporting Amazon. We tested this out with Christmas gifts last year and while it was a minor inconvenience to shop around several stores, it felt nicer knowing our money supported a family business.
Be more sustainable.
In 2021, I’ve made minor changes such as starting to thrift more, swapping out plastic toothbrushes with bamboo, and using soap bars. This year, I’m not going drastic but I want to continue with my baby steps of being more sustainable which means making the sustainable swaps when possible, reusing and reducing more than recycling, and being more conscious of our purchases and actions.
Practice saving before buying.
I have a bad habit (albeit greatly improved over the decades) of slapping impulsive purchases onto my credit card and paying it off with my next paycheck. I want to stop and truly try to save for a purchase, even if I only manage to save up to 90% of the final cost. This allows me to stop overspending, and think – do I need this item?
Donate to Reconciliation Canada.
I did some self-reflecting and felt that I’m at a point in my life where I feel like I can give back to my community and charities. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not out here donating $10,000 to a local charity, but I just want to set aside money every month and donate to a choice of my vetted charity at the end of the year. I have a mentality that even $200 is better than $0. This year it’s Reconciliation Canada, and the next few years to come will focus on hospitals and mental health associations.
Health and Fitness Goals:
- Hit 4x classes a week for a month.
- Reduce my chips and cheese intake. I’m addicted and I need help.
Relationship Goals:
- Take 2 fitness classes together this year.
Eleventh Avenue Goals:
- Establish a 2x weekly post schedule.
- Aim to have at least one sponsored post this year.
Hobby Goals:
- Finish 2019 scrapbook pages!
Lifestyle Goals:
- Establish a morning routine and get up early.
- Buy one new luxury bag 🙂
Career & School Goals:
- Finish 2 courses this year with an A average.
- Leave my current salary bracket.
- Take one fun course.
Wishing my readers and everyone a happy new year, and may this year be your year of achieving goals and reaching your dreams! Let me know what your goals are for 2022 and if you prefer to have a “theme/priority” goal setting or a more traditional goal setting.
