With a new year and a new decade approaching it’s hard not to think about the past, the present, and sometimes the daunting future. Every year I try to tell myself that I am going to do this and that in the new year but when the time comes, I end up not following through. I have listened to this podcast called Happier with Gretchen Rubin consistently for about the past year. They would talk about their 19 for 2019 and the different times of the year that can be treated as a time to start new things. I always found this fascinating. As a Gretchen Rubin Obliger ( if you don’t know what this is please click here:https://quiz.gretchenrubin.com ), I tend to need plans and accountability to follow my goals. This means I tend to consistently fall short of New Year’s resolutions and new goals I set during the year. I want to do a lot but do not have the time and stamina to do it all.
I think this is why the concept of 20 for 2020 has really hit me while listening to the Happier podcast. I feel that spending the year focusing on 20 things will give me a variety of things to do yet a structure and priority to tasks in my life. I have spent the past few weeks honing in and thinking of things that make me happy. I thought of things that are good for my well being and my brain. I also thought about what is good for my body. I created a list of things I want to strive toward. These are not resolutions in the sense of if I don’t complete them, I fail. These are 20 things I want to prioritize and work on in the new year. They are things I love and want to include more in my life. I also tell myself and will stick to the idea that these are not things to check off a to-do list. Overall, I don’t want to be perfect with these. I want to realistically incorporate my favorite things in my life.
Below are my 20 for 2020 and how I plan to incorporate them into my life.
- Walk Daily
Since I work in an office, it can be hard some days to be active. I want to make sure I am a smidge active even if I have a busy day. I have a Fitbit and plan to track my steps to see how many I typically take in a day. I hope to add 500 to 1000 steps every few weeks to slowly increase my activity level. - Begin a regular Yoga and Meditation practice
I absolutely love yoga, especially restorative yoga. I want to make sure I prioritize practicing yoga. It is one of my favorite ways to get active and also slow down. I also think meditation is really awesome for my well being and pairs well with a yoga practice. I would love to get into a regular yoga and meditation practice daily. - Live a more sustainable life
I have been really trying to live a more sustainable life the past year and I want to continue this into the new year. I would like to focus on always using reusable bags at the grocery store, bringing a travel mug when getting to-go coffee at coffee shops, and using reusable straws. Hopefully, after focusing on these sustainability efforts, I can set new goals. - Establish my blog
I have been having so much fun writing articles for my blog! I want to set goals for my blog and write material regularly. I want to share my coffee and travel knowledge and think blog posts and videos are the best way to do that. - Schedule doctors appointments
I have noticed that as I get older, life happens and doctors appointments aren’t seen as much as a priority when I am feeling good. I only head to the doctor when I don’t feel well. I want to make sure as I get older I am healthy and staying on top of my health. I want to schedule things like the eye doctor’s appointment I have put off in 2019. - Focus on my Pampered Chef business
I absolutely love to cook and decided in March of 2019 that I wanted to be a consultant for Pampered Chef. Life got crazy and I had to put this side hustle to the side. I want to pick up my love for cooking again and share my love through Pampered Chef. - Kon Mari my life
I loved watching the Netflix show Tidying Up with Marie Kondo when it came out. I began to use the method to organize my apartment but then I moved and everything got crazy and disorganized! I want to spend this year taking time to organize and get rid of things that no longer serve me. - Save money for a down payment on a house
I would love love love to be in the position by the end of 2020 to buy a house. My goal is to buy a cute little house in Scranton, PA! - Start an Etsy shop
One of my destressers is being crafty. Some of my favorite crafting activities are painting and crocheting. I would love to dive into this outlet and sell some of my items on Etsy! - Read regularly
I have never been a regular reader but I love reading. This summer, I spent some of my lunch break reading. This was a great way to get my reading in but also to take a mental rest from work. I plan to find time slots like this in my daily schedule to read. I would like to read at least 12 books during 2020. - Hike once a month
Hiking is one of my favorites ways to connect with nature and be active. I plan to hike once a month to a new location and maybe incorporate some of my favorite hiking locations. - Start my PhD
My entire life I have dreamed of getting my PhD. I get to begin this journey in the summer of 2020! - Deepen my faith
I want to dive into my faith and spirituality this year and reconnect with my faith. I have spent most of my life attending and now working at Catholic schools and I want to learn more about my religion. I hope to attend mass and spend time connecting with God in 2020. - Paint regularly
When I was in college I found a passion for painting. I love painting nature scenes and find painting outside incredibly relaxing. I want to spend some of my spare time painting in 2020. - Journal daily
In 2019, I began journaling and reflecting on my day to day life. I would like to make a habit of this and journal every day in some capacity to document and reflect on life. - Deepen my knowledge and appreciation for coffee
As you probably already know, I love coffee! I have spent a lot of time studying, learning, and drinking coffee. I really want to learn more about this passion of mine and try new types of coffee! - Find my Food Freedom
In April I did the Whole 30. (If you do not know about Whole 30 please go here: https://whole30.com ) I mainly choose Whole 30 because I wanted to assess what I have reactions to and what foods I should be cautious of. Food Freedom is the aftermath of Whole 30 by using my knowledge from this food experiment. I plan on doing Whole 30 in January to reassess the reactions I have to different foods and build my Food Freedom. - Decrease social media/ phone use
I am so tied to my phone and social media. I love using Instagram and Facebook but I loved the break I took over Christmas for 2 days. I want to plan some time away from my phone and off of social media. I also want to be conscientious of the amount of time I spend on my phone every day. - Buy a DSLR camera
I have dreamed of owning a DSLR Canon camera for most of my life. I am making a savings plan to get the exact camera I have been dreaming of. I plan to dive into my love of photography once I get my camera. - Kayak weekly in the summer
Kayaking is my absolute favorite outdoor activity and water sport. I live by a lake and have my own kayak. In summers past, I have not kayaked as much as I would have liked. My goal is to try to kayak at least once a week!
So there is my 20 for 2020! I am excited to begin this new decade and focus on some activities that make me happy. I hope this helps you plan your own 20 for 2020. Remember to not hold yourself to unrealistic standards in the new year. Comment below some things from your 20 for 2020 list!
Happy New Year and Cheers to a new decade! 🥂
Maria Does Things 