Last year, I shared my New Year’s resolutions for the first time. I already explained why I can’t and won’t write those on the 1st of January (read all about it here). So, I’m not going into detail this time. However, this year, I’m especially late (it’s already February!) but it’s not because I haven’t decided on some resolutions yet but rather that I already started to put some into place. This makes it actually easier to talk about. Because now, I already have a clearer picture of what my goals are – rather than a vague idea of which direction to go.

This time I’ll also reference the resolutions from last year and get into what I really accomplished in this weird last year – where the new situation was a help and what I learned about myself and goal setting in general. This leads me then to what I’m going to do and not do in 2021.

To make myself accountable, I also want to establish a quarterly review of the status quo and what tiny adjustments I had to make over those months. What I picked up and/or learned in the last few months. Let’s see how this goes. I love to read and hear about those things from others so maybe we can start some kind of dialogue here.
You’re welcome to share your resolutions, goals and opinions in the comments.

What I accomplished from my 2020 New Year’s resolutions

Last year one of my goal was to accomplish some bigger DIY projects and I kinda reached this goal and also I didn’t. I managed to finish the punch needle carpet but I haven’t really created something new. So this year, I want to change how I approach creating projects: don’t put myself under to much pressure regarding originality and creating “bigger” projects but adapt ideas I find and just create. Maybe one or two projects turn out alright so I can share them here. I’m also more keen on creating videos – so keep your eyes out on my youtube channel.

What I can definitely tick of as super-success: cooking more at home and doing more yoga – or exercise more regularly in general.

Thanks to being stuck at home I picked up some new exercise routines. Especially those free classes from instructors online and on Instagram had been a big help. I realized that I’m the most motivated to exercise when I do it right after work. So around 5:30 or 6:00 pm, I change, get my mat and on it goes. I also tried to do something everyday, so I don’t get into the habit of asking myself if I’m actually motivated. There was no choice because I didn’t give myself any. When I felt real tired or not good at all, I searched for an easy course e.g. a yoga session for beginners and told myself that I could stop when I don’t like it after 10 mins. Most of the times I pushed through and felt so much better. Win – win!

For me, routines are key to get things done.

To get into the cooking habit, a copied the idea of a friend: She takes her cook books out, marks all the recipes that she wants to create the next week and buy everything she needs in bulk. That’s so genius when you think about it: you don’t have to think much about what to eat everyday. You have a small selections of recipes to choose from and you actually need to cook because otherwise the ingredients will turn bad. Also it limited the time you need to buy groceries which was a win last year.

I was also successful in not eating meat at all in 2020, I didn’t fly (which couldn’t have been easier obviously but still!) and I managed to work on my procrastination (a bit).

What I couldn’t stick with from my 2020 New Year’s resolutions

I didn’t really learn Spanish. Since in 2020 I had a two month long road trip planned through Spain and that wasn’t happening, I kinda lost interest or rather motivation to do so. It’s still on my list though but without a “deadline” I don’t feel motivated enough.

And of course I couldn’t take the birding course I talked about in my last post. However, I took more walks and had my binoculars with me to watch birds. The course had been postponed to this year, so I will be able to accomplish that eventually.

It’s ok to adjust your resolutions as circumstances change.

What are my goals and resolutions for 2021?

1.  Get financially savvy and get my finances in order

This is actually a big thing because having started already I can tell you that dealing with your finances stirs up a lot of things. What I naturally did  – and turned out to be a key factor in accomplishing this – is dealing with your own mindset regarding money, wealth and finances. I already started a money challenge that gives me input and tasks for 60 days. There’s a bigger group where we exchange our thoughts and seeing what others struggle with, gives me a much deeper understanding of myself and my mindset. So good! Can only recommend that!

As I mentioned already: it also stirs up a lot of things. A lot of beliefs that block you come up – not only regarding money but about yourself as well. Working on your confidence and your goals (in life, relationships, work etc.) are inevitable.

While I work on my mindset I already reassessed my status quo and generally speaking: I’m not in a bad place – not good but also not bad. A good start. I hadn’t been bad with money so far and I find saving money easy. However buying the flat we currently live in and taking on a loan from my own business had me struggling keeping my cash flow. I always managed to do so over the past two years that we own a home now but there hadn’t been much going on further than that. This needs to change and this time I want to really go deep and get financially savvy: what’s good (for me)? What do I need to do now? What impact can I have on my future financial status?

I’m doing the challenge that I mentioned above but also read blog posts, watch Youtube videos and listen to podcasts. All the information is there and explained so well, there really is no excuse to not know your financial status and go for your goals.

I’m curious where this journey leads me over the next months. I keep you posted!

2. Work smart not hard

This has been a goal of mine for some years now. Every now and then I write it down somewhere but in the end it’s kind of more good luck/bad luck if I end up working “smarter”. However, this year will be different. Why? Because of my resolution No. 1. When I want to get my finances in order, I have to work smarter. Think about passive income, ask for the projects I want to work on and say no to clients that drain my energy. Let’s see how that goes and I’m more curious to document my progress in the quarterly updates.

What I learned: Fokus on simple tasks and celebrate little wins to stick to your goal.

3. Don’t procrastinate

If you looked through my resolutions of 2020 you might have a deja-vu. That’s right. It has been a goal, I failed, I’m trying it again. This time I thought hard and long what I actually wanted to accomplish with this and it’s dichotomous:

  1. Procrastination is by definition when you’d have something to do but you’re doing anything else. This doesn’t mean that you’re not productive. Au contraire. I’ve read an interview where the person said, he’s so accomplished because he procrastinates a lot. However, he has one thing on the to-do list that’s uncomfortable and then he does anything else. Basically being productive because while procrastinating. That goes so far that he tricks himself with a impossible or uncomfortable task in doing all that he actually needs to do. This struck a cord. I could also see procrastination as a tool to get myself doing more things. Also not seeing taking break as procrastination but give myself some down time and get back to work refreshed.
  2. “Eat the frog” – that’s an expression I learned this year. It means doing the most important and (maybe) hard task first. Especially when you’re the most productive in the morning. Like with exercising, I try to establish a habit of getting work done without thinking about if I actually want to do it. Tick this task of and then focus on other stuff – and maybe give myself some more free time with a quiet mind.

4. Keep up my exercise routine

Once I establish a goal and a routine, it’s easier to keep it up. Like with being vegetarian: if you decide for yourself to not eat meat anymore, it’s easier to do than to “just eat less meat”. In this case you’d have to decide every time you eat if you’re going for the vegetarian version or make an exception. Once you go all in, you don’t go to the meat section in the supermarket, you browse over the menu to reach the vegetarian options. Less choice, easier decision.

So every other day (during the week) I’m doing a fitness workout from the instructors I like and the other days I’m doing yoga. No decisions to be made on a regular basis. It’s simple and clear and so it’s much easier to stick to. On the weekends I’m outside anyway or doing nothing and that’s ok too since I do my workouts during the week on a regular basis anyway.

These are my goals for 2021. I’ll keep you posted on how well it’s going and what I might pick up or adjust along the way. It’s about a focus and a direction more than about a fixed and set goal.

What are your goals for this year? Anything that you can inspire me with? Let me know in the comments!