Happy New Year, dear readers! It really is very nice of you to stick around, I do appreciate that. Before I get into things I want to do or achieve in 2019, let me start with some disclaimers. Sali Hughes wrote a great piece a couple of years ago about how the constant drive for self-improvement can be counterproductive. I agree with her and always try to remember that I am already a pretty OK human living a nice life (I will get to why I’m still making resolutions in a second). She also has a lovely article from last year for those who hate January.

I found New Year’s resolutions silly for the longest time and if I’m completely honest, maybe they are. But they have been (moderately) useful in my case, not so much as a tool for massive self-improvement, but as a means to prioritise. My problem – which is also the thing I like about myself, it’s just impractical and frustrating in real life – is that I am interested in so many things and want to do so many things, that I tend to spread myself extremely thin. Which also means that in the end, it’s the big things that suffer, as you need to deprioritise other things to make them happen and I find that extremely difficult. I need to focus.

This is where some honest reflection and analysis and writing things down comes in handy. I need to be realistic about the number of hours in the day (and also my financial situation) and I find that easier when I do it in a somewhat structured way. The very detailed spreadsheets and elaborate goal-setting systems that many lifestyle gurus use are too much for me, but to each their own.

It is not only about starting new things, it’s also about continuing the good stuff I’m already doing. There is a decent number of goals from my previous lists that are now part of my life and I want them to stay that way. Two big ones from 2018 were exercise and eating breakfast, both of which I now do regularly, and I will allow myself a big pat on the back for this. I also started to properly listen to music again and got into podcasts (although I have been lazy lately with the latter, I will amend that). I did sort my fragrance samples and I have been more disciplined with my clothes purchases, including buying less fast fashion – although I still buy quite a bit.

So what of 2018? Frankly, I haven’t figured it all out yet. Or to be more precise, I know what I want to do, but some of it is challenging practically and some of it needs more thinking. But putting things down on paper (or iPad) always increases clarity, so here we go.

1. Writing. I have been dithering over writing a book for years, if not decades. I think I’m finally in a place where I just need to sit down and do it. However, there are several things I need to figure out in relation to this: where to do it? When to do it? And what about the blog? I have very little free time as it is and fitting both the blog and a book into that space will be challenging. The most realistic option seems to be to write in the early mornings, which brings me to point two.

2. Getting up earlier. I am so not a morning person by nature. However, I have discovered that I *can* wake up pretty early, if I’m motivated enough: I train in the mornings, before work. If I managed to wake up at the same time even when I’m not going to the gym, that would give me at least some space for writing. That means also that I need to go to bed earlier, something that’s very, very difficult for me. Then again, I used to think I would never be the kind of person who is in the gym by 7.45am and look at me now.

3. Learning French. That’s been in my list since 2015 and I’ve always had good reasons for not doing it. I’m out of those reasons now and it’s a waste to live in a French-speaking country and NOT learn the language. As with writing, however, there are practical considerations. My work makes attending a class virtually impossible, so a private teacher is probably the only realistic option. I need to find someone I like and also can afford, as my personal trainer habit costs me a significant amount already.

4. Saving. The only good things I can say about my financial discipline are that I have no debt and no credit cards (very much on purpose). I am rubbish at saving, though, and that needs to change.

5. Checking my health. Out of all areas of life, going to the doctor is probably the one where I score the worst. I’m worse at it than I am at saving money, calling my mom and getting enough sleep. And as I almost never do these three things, you can imagine how bad I am with doctors. I have been extremely fortunate so far health-wise, but surely my luck will not hold forever.

6. Reading. No, don’t worry, I don’t mean I should read more. I think if I tried to read significantly more than my current 100+ books annually, I would end up with no life (I absolutely support and admire those who read more than I do, it’s just that with my job and the blog and the family and other stuff, I think what I currently read is close to my limit). I haven’t entirely figured out how to approach my reading in 2019. I’m a very mood-based reader and that’s how I like it, but I also want to read some more challenging books and things that have been on my list for ages and not get too distracted by new books, however good they are. I will do some thinking and write a separate post on this, once I have my thoughts in order.

7. Culturing (I know it’s not a word). I put down a similar goal I think two years ago and I must admit, didn’t do very well at it. It’s not that I don’t go to the cinema or concerts or museums or theatre, but compared to, say, 10 years ago, I do it less. Over the holidays, I watched lots of movies and was like ‘why don’t I do it more often?’. So I will try. It feels weird to set quantitative goals here, but just as a guideline, maybe one movie a week and one event a month would be feasible?

8. Switching off. As always, despite me trying hard to be realistic, the goals tend to put new demands on my time. Where to get that time from, then? Partly, I will make changes within the allocated time (as with reading) or try to free up time where it’ll be more productive (early mornings vs late nights). Still, there’s an imbalance and the only place where I feel I have some time that can be put to much better use, it’s the time I spend on my phone and iPad. I will never be able to switch off entirely for long periods, as my work requires me to be connected pretty much constantly. That said, I am convinced I can set boundaries and limit my use of social media – not just to gain time, but to improve my general well-being.

9. Travelling. It is such a cliche to have travelling on your resolution list and it can also seem unnecessary, as I do travel a fair bit and don’t need to remind myself that it’s something I like to do. However, after the trip to Lebanon last year, I’ve had that powerful urge to travel and have also been thinking about how to reprioritise my spending in ways that would allow me to do it more. This includes not doing much shopping when travelling and focusing on what the place has to offer beyond hard-to-get skincare.

Phew, that turned out to be quite a lot, but many of these points are connected and they cover a wide spectrum of things, so I feel it’s OK. What are your plans for 2019? And is there anything specific you would like to see on the blog? I am happy to take requests:)