2016 Goals

January 6, 2016

I have a tendancy to confuse goals with to-do lists. I’m a big list keeper (stay tuned for a look at my beloved bullet journal next week!). In the past I’ve started each year off with a long list of stuff to accomplish that would probably best fit on a to-do list rather than a goals list. See 2014 as an example.

Last year I switched to setting more of an intention for the year by choosing one little word to use as a guide for the year. I loved how that felt, so much better than bogging myself down with to-do list items. And despite the fact that I didn’t make a gigantic list, we still accomplished most of the things that would have been on it.

My one little word for 2016 is INVEST.

I want to invest in my family, invest in myself and invest in my business.

Invest in my family:

As this seems to be a recurring theme for me, I know I need to better manage time online and un-interrupted time with family. For the most part, I do well. I have been using Stayfocusd to help me take better control of my time and it’s made a big difference. No more mindlessly scrolling long after I’d intended to be done online.

Stayfocusd is an extension for your browser that limits the amount of time you spend on any websites you desire to include. I have set daily limits that I’m comfortable with (actually, they are pretty challenging, but I’m cool with that) on Facebook and Pinterest specifically. It’s easy to get sucked in, especially when I’m tired and my brain is in need of down-time. I’d rather spend my downtime reading or listening to a book or snuggling with someone I love. So I have about 30 minutes total for Facebook and Pinterest each day and that’s it.

For Christmas I gave Jason 12 pre-planned dates, one for each month of the year. I’m looking forward to investing time in our relationship (we are pretty good about this already, but we rarely go out together. Most of our dates are at home.) We’ll also be attending the temple once per month together.

We’ve recently started having family game nights on Saturdays, in addition to our nearly decade-long tradition of pizza and a movie on Friday nights. I love this time together! Our kids are silly and delightful and we laugh so hard together. Continuing this tradition is a major item on my list this year.

Invest in myself:

I am completing another Year of Creative Habits Challenge in 2016, but the focus this year is on hand lettering. I’ll be hand lettering a quote every day during the whole year. If you have a favorite quote/word/scripture/phrase, please leave it in the comments. I need to have a LONG list! Follow me on Instagram to see my progress each day.

I’ll be keeping up with self-care, also. I plan to read 60 books in 2016 and maintain my daily exercise, scripture study and quiet time routines. These are items that are really non-negotiable for me now so I don’t feel the need to set goals around them, but I’ll add them here, just so you know I’m doing them :).

Invest in my business:

This year my goal is to have 200 items in my Etsy shop.

And also, to participate in 1-2 craft fairs. We have several local shows that are a good size for those starting out, like myself. This goal is terrifying to me, but my husband and kiddos are very supportive and I’m excited to see where this takes us.

Assessing 2015 goals:

Looking back at my 2015 goals, I am happy with how things went. Last year was all about FOCUS.

One of my goals was to have 100+ items in my Etsy shop. By the end of the year, I only made it to 84, but I feel like I gained something more important during the year than I envisioned when I set that 100 item goal. I learned what I want to spend my time creating and what works well in my shop. My focus shifted during the latter part of the year and those items are what I am planning to focus on going forward. So, while I didn’t hit my goal per se, I did gain the insight I need to focus down and make the products I’m passionate about and my customers want. I’m calling that a win.

I read 60 books last year, hitting my goal on the last day of 2015.

I did totally bomb the 52 Project goal, but after stressing out about it every week for half of the year, I was really happy to let it go. 🙂

Do you have one little word for 2016?

Heidi Hillman