{My brand spankin’ new goals wall}
UPDATE:
I just had a question on Facebook about how my planning wall works so I thought I better explain!
I’m very visual and love having things organised by colour, as you can see. The week’s – not all of them at this stage – are laid out starting with the current week at the bottom, reading upwards, because I like having current tasks in my line of sight as I’m sitting at the computer.
When a task is completed, the Post It comes off the wall. Similarly, if anything needs to be added, it’s easy to do so. To the left are my goals and ‘Things to Remember’ (events, Skype calls), and to the right are my blog posts.
Hope that makes sense!
Imagine this:
Instead of defaulting to “Why’s the end of the year always so friggen crazy (gaaaah!)” you embraced something a little softer, a little more like this “I’m all about tying up loose ends, adding more white space to the calendar (refer to Friday’s newsletter), time with my important peeps. The rest? It can wait.”
I know which one I prefer.
I’m going to be honest here – in years gone by, the first sentence above has fallen out of my mouth as often as bad canapes and Christmas “treats” have gone in. The temptation is always there to get caught up in the collective franticness that ensues when it dawns on us that the year is marching to a close.
“Oh my god! Only 9 weeks ’til Christmas – are you KIDDING?!”
“How the hell are we going to smash this target before December?”
“I don’t have a free weekend in, like, ever!”
I could go on, but I think you get the picture. It’s become so deeply engrained that, despite spending the whole year achieving/ doing/ smashing targets/ kicking goals, we need to do even more in the final two months before the break to feel like we’ve really squeezed every last drop o’ juice out of ourselves and our days. As if, by dragging our work-weary bodies towards the finish line that is Christmas Day and the holidays, we’ll truly be able to relax, content that we’ve finally reached the summit of that very large mountain.
I’m here to tell you things can be different. I’m also here to tell you there will never be a time where you reach the top of the mountain. You’ll probably never have ABSOLUTELY. NOTHING. to do in this lifetime. Let’s agree to be cool with that, okay? It unshackles discomfort.
In flipping outmoded ideals on their head, I’m putting it to you that instead of overwhelming yourself with unrealistic and exhausting goals, you choose just a few tasks that you’d love to have wrapped up before 2013 rolls around, and you go about completing them because you know doing so will leave you gloriously fulfilled – not just because you feel you “should.”
We’ve got 8 weeks (and a coupla days) up our sleeves, and I’d love to you join me in choosing one goal to tackle each week. Some weeks your goal might be bigger, some weeks teensier. It doesn’t really matter – just measure them up against these questions:
1. Do I actually want to do this?
2. Will it make me feel happier/ joyful/ proud/ the best kind of satisfied?
I started my list a week ago so I’ll share what I’ve already been up to, along with what I’ll be focusing on for the coming week. Every Monday I’ll post a new one on the blog.
WEEK 1: Getting my house in order
{22 – 28 Oct}
My goal last week was to “get my house in order.” I’m not actually referring to spring cleaning our abode here – although that happened on a very small scale as well – I’m talking about decluttering my online life and getting a couple of “roll over” tasks (you know the ones that pop up on to-do list after to-do list) sorted out once and for all.
I got organised by:
+ Sending the handwritten thank you notes that I’d been meaning to send fo-evah.
+ Whittling my inbox down to two emails.
+ Embarking on a Power Day at work on Friday, whipping through must-do’s without letting distractions take hold.
+ Clearing out my Evernote (bye bye wedding-related notes, hello some semblance of order!)
+ Cleaning out my old Hotmail account and unsubscribing from the newsletters I always delete (Living Social, I’m lookin’ at you).
+ Creating my goals wall, shown in the photo above, and booking in a bunch of appointments for November in one fell swoop so I don’t have to keep reminding myself to do so.
All super easy tasks that have been taking up a tonne of mental real estate. The lesson: just do it.
WEEK 2: Embracing creativity
{29 Oct – 4 Nov}
This week’s focus is creativity. Since our wedding, I’ve been missing the sense of fulfillment that comes with making something beautiful by hand, and since my 30th birthday shindig is just a few weeks away, I’ve decided to make a couple of simple – and colourful! – decorations this week.
Again, simple stuff – but importantly, simple stuff that contributes significantly to my happiness.
Your turn gorgeous!
What do you think about this idea of focusing on easy, achievable, un-stress-out-able goals for the next 8 weeks? Sound like a plan?
I’d love you to join in the festivities and share your goals – a list of everything you want to nail, or simply the one you’ll make happen this week – in the comments below. Let’s drum up some positive, can-do energy and cheer each other on for the final leg of 2012!
Images: Etsy | Fellow Fellow | Poppytalk
