At the start of the year I had the idea to share my priorities for the year every month, along with some of the ways that I'm trying to live out those priorities each month. And then life happened and priorities shifted, and I haven't been sticking with the posts.
At the same time I've been working on self compassion, and on trying to remember that each actual workout I get in is better than the perfect workout in my head that I never do. Just like every real blog post that I wrap up and send into the world is better than the perfectly managed editorial calendar that magical elves never turn into a final draft for me. (Do you think they would be more helpful if I printed it & left it out so they could see it was unfinished?)
So it's April, and I'm talking resolutions. You've been warned.
These are the five priorities I set for this year:
- Take care of myself emotionally & physically
- Create meaningful, high quality work
- Nourish my relationships with friends & family
- Make space for opportunity and possibility
- Have more fun, ease and rest in my way of being in the world
The way that I'm living these out in April are…
- Take care of myself emotionally & physically: Waking up earlier than normal so I can take lots of time doing things I love before work. I'm talking reading in bed, yoga, meditation, bubble baths, walking my dogs, taking a long shower, picking a great outfit that I just love. It's all possible!
- Create meaningful, high quality work: Switch my schedule to working with one client per day so I can really immerse myself in each project when I'm working on it, and take it farther than I could otherwise.
- Nourish my relationships with friends & family: I want to meet some new local friends! I've changed so much in the past five years, and I'd like to make some new friends who I can get to know as an adult. I've joined a few meetup groups online but haven't gone to any yet. This month, I'm going to get out to one.
- Make space for opportunity and possibility: After falling out of the habit, I'm sharing & connecting on twitter more regularly. I'm making a point of going out to explore new restaurants, coffee shops and stores in my city so I can go exploring on the weekends.
- Have more fun, ease and rest in my way of being in the world: Taking breaks during the day, and getting back into my morning yoga practice! I tried this video for the tense upper back computer work gives me & I'm addicted. Be careful, they're gateway poses.
How would you like the rest of April to feel? Is there an action you can take that would get you one step closer to that?
LAST UPDATED ON: April 19th, 2013
CATEGORY: All Posts
I love your 1 client per day goal… I really am looking forward to when I’ve spaced my time out sensibly that I can do that :)
I want April to feel done, like I’ve achieved what needed to be done
Those are great goals. I am also at a point where I feel like I need to make some new local friends. I feel like something is missing in a lot of my friendships these days because they still see the person I was in 2005!! I am going to try out for a local roller derby and just try to be open to the possibility of new people:) I wish you lots of luck:)
I’ve been struggling recently with feeling very unproductive… Like I’m just spinning my wheels and acting like a big couch potato. That’s definitely something I’m working on changing this month!
Ooh, I’ve been there Nikkiana, and that’s a hard feeling. It’s also not exactly the same as not getting things done (though it can be that simple too). For me, it usually has to do with how I’m talking to myself and with what is on my “Have to do” list (client work, exercise, meal planning) being really out of sync with my “Want to do” list (watching The Walking Dead & Dr Who, eating all of the marshmallows, naps).
If you’re having trouble getting things done, maybe you could spend some time finding what you really want to be doing and making a list of all the things you would jump at the chance to do. Then you can use that list as rewards for getting some of the less exciting stuff finished. I always look for ways to motivate myself like that, and “gamifying” my days has been really helpful.
Because let’s be real. There aren’t many chores that I wouldn’t do when I know there’s a tasty s’more reward on the other end lol Essentially I’m five years old, but it works for me ;)
Thanks for your thoughts, Kyla. I really appreciate it.
I”m currently in the process of basically redefining what it is I do business-wise… so a lot of what seems to be throwing me is anxiety regarding making this shift. I’ve been a front end web developer, mainly specializing enterprise level sites in Drupal for the past six years, and I want to shift more towards doing technical consulting and content strategy for small businesses… and while I *know* I have the know how to do this, and I know it’s definitely a better path to go down for me… There’s still a lot of nervousness around the uncertainty of trying something new.
AND I seem to have an issue around acknowledging my victories when I do have them. I launched the beginnings of a website this week at nikkiana.com, so that’s an accomplishment! I just have this bad habit of getting down on myself because I didn’t do as much as I had set out to do at the beginning of the week…
Gamifying stuff is definitely a tactic I’ve used in the past and it works pretty well for me… I definitely need to start doing that more!
These are great goals and I hope you feel like you make progress with them this month and for the rest of the year! I want the rest of this month to feel productive!
Thanks Mary! So far so good, but having a road map for the year is definitely helping me make my goals more meaningful than they have been in past years. Your 100 Ways To Be Creative posts look pretty productive to me. I hope you get some time to really dig into what you want to be doing and feel that charge from checking things off your list!
Oh sorry, was that my Type A showing? lol
I really admire your April Intentions – especially number 1. Also, number 2. Okay, and 3, 4, and 5 too. :)
Your goals are great reminders for me about things I need to remember and bring back into my own life (time to myself, connecting with new friends, creating meaningful work).
Thanks for this, lady!
Aw, you’re too kind Heather, thank you! I’ve found that making my intentions for each month line up with these bigger themes is already having a huge impact on the kind of year that I’m having. If you know what those things are, maybe this is a good time to focus your actions around them and test drive it for the spring. Who knows what good could come from it! :)
I started doing yoga as part of my workout routine and now I am completely addicted to stretching to reduce my lower back pain. It is wonderful!
Congratulations on finding something that works for you, Laura! I have chronic back pain from being in a few small car accidents when I was a teenager & doing computer work, and having something I can count on to work is so helpful. Do you have any favourite resources to share? :)
I’ve found that the hilariously named “Miracle Balls” are amazing and a big help. They’re like using tennis balls to self massage your back, but they don’t break, last forever & you can get a much better stretch from them. Worth checking out if you’re curious.
I want the rest of april to feel calm. it feels like a busy month :)
It’s been that way in my world too, Claudia. That’s a good one! I think I might block in some “CHILL OUT NIGHT!”s in my calendar in your honor ;)