2021 was a fever dream of a year and you can’t convince me otherwise. We fell in Love with the Duke in BridgertonKimYe split. Olivia Rodrigo came to the rescue and gave us our 2021 theme song. Driver’s License. We got Bennifer and Adele. All Too Well We sold the blocks of feta to our local grocery store and got the Friends We all hoped and wished for the reunion we had been waiting for. And before we can say “see ya” to this year, we have a couple of loose ends to tie up before we head into 2022.
If there’s ever a time of year where my need to nest feels more crucial than ever, it’s the what-day-of-the-week-is-it time between the holiday season and the New Year. Between wrapping up all of my work projects, setting new goals, and frantically searching “new year tips” to tackle 2022 in the most strategic manner possible, I’m split 50/50 between wanting to be lazily horizontal and going into hyperdrive towards my New Year’s resolutions. If you’re looking to prep for the new year without burning out, look no further… here are the five (actually achievable) things I want to accomplish before 2022:
1. Practice gratitude and celebrate my 2021 highlights
If there’s one thing you need to know about me it’s that, these days, I never. slow. down. And while, on paper, that probably seems helpful in the interest of starting the new year with a bang, I’ve learned that going full throttle without taking time to rest, recharge, or review is a sure and quick way to burning out even before my New Year’s resolutions are implemented. This year, I’m taking a breath, resting, realigning with the things I love, and reminiscing on all of my 2021 highlights and accomplishments.
This year, I’m using the Top 9 App to do a quick rewind on Instagram to romanticize just how far I’ve come. Like the pop culture moments of 2021 that make me scratch my head and think, “wait, that happened This year?” I’m finding myself asking the same question about my personal life. The Top 9 App is free and reliable. It allows me to highlight and share my most memorable moments (switching careers, getting engaged, celebrating a Michigan Big 10 Tournament victory, etc.). I’m able to smile, laugh, and pat myself on the back. Like, damn, girl. That was your goal.
Click here to download Top 9 App to share and highlight all your great moments!
2. Making a 2022 visionboard
I’ve heard of making vision boards in years past but I’ve never made one for myself. In the same breath, I’ve never been great at goal setting or settling on specific New Year’s resolutions other than “hit the gym more.” Note: She, in fact, did not hit the gym more.
I was listening as an episode of The Marianna: Life with Marianna podcast this week where Marianna Hewitt (cofounder of Summer Fridays and certified badass) shared that, every year, she makes a deliberate vision board of her hopes and dreams for the year and breaks down what she’ll do to get there. Naturally, Marianna is doing it. IYou have to do it. As someone who is more visual than abstract, this will be my best chance at sticking to resolutions that will last well beyond the first of the year.
3. Cleaning out my closet
I did a closet overhaul towards the end of 2020 but since shacking up with my boyfriend, being sucked into 2021 fashion trends I never wore, and wanting to build a more sophisticated capsule wardrobe, I’m in need of another closet refresh. I’m making three piles (donate, sell, and keep) and my goal is to simplify my wardrobe as much as I possibly can with the mindset, “if I didn’t wear it in 2021, I’ll never wear it.” If there’s any undertaking that’ll make me feel refreshed and decluttered, this one is it.
4. Reassessing my budget
If there was one New Year’s resolution that I Nearly It would have been my 2021 attempt in improving my financial health. I was able to pay attention to my money for the first time in my entire life. I created a realistic budget that I followed for the majority of the year and actually saved money. I was almost unrecognizable.
My entire budget system was thrown off the rails when I switched careers, bought a new plan for health insurance, and added another member to my household. I need to take a look at my finances for the year and set new financial goals. Then, I need to reorganize my budget to fit my current life. Fortunately, I have even the smallest bit more January-to-October success than last year so the challenge is definitely less daunting.
5. Start mapping out the year ahead with your old planners.
If there is a designated changing of the guard to signal the start of the new year, it’s the “out with the old, in with the new” swap of our yearly planners. The pages of a new planner can be scribbled on with love and the world (2022), is our oyster.
I filled every inch of my planner with Day Designer from the 2021 collection. Finally have my hands on my dream planner from our 2022 collection, I’m literally planning an entire wine+cheese+planner evening with myself to map out my January, hold a spot for the bigger events of the year (anyone already stressed about wedding season or just me?Make progress towards my goals and visions. I’ll likely do this a few days after I make my vision board so that I can schedule checkpoints throughout the year to ensure that I’m making strides towards the promises I’ll be making to myself.
This post is sponsored in part by App Toro. However, all opinions are those of The Everygirl editorial staff.
Source: The Every Girl