At the beginning of every year, I like to set a few intentions. Goals that keep me focused throughout the year and that I can refer back to when I am feeling a bit stuck. Of course, it doesn’t always work that way, and it’s inevitable that one or two of the intentions falls by the wayside as the year goes on. But it’s still a helpful exercise. Next week, I’ll be sharing my goals for 2016 and my word of next year (find out more about finding your word here), but for now, here’s are my goals in review to see many I actually stuck to this year!
Blog goals:
1) To continue to improve my food photography.
I think that I definitely did a lot of work on this, and I’m generally really happy with my food photos right now. What I’m really struggling with at the minute, however, is actually finding the time to cook anything during the day. Theo sleeps pretty well right now (hope I’m not jinxing myself by saying that), but of course taking photos in the evening is not possible because it’s so flipping dark. It’s even too dark to take photos before I leave for the office in the morning, which is incredibly frustrating. Setting aside some time to do this next year is definitely going to have to be on my list.
2) To share more home and craft projects.
Nope, sorry I didn’t do this at all.
3) To do another 30 days meal challenge.
Again, I didn’t do this at all, which I’m kind of pissed off about because actually, when Theo was about six months old – pre-being mobile, but able to keep himself entertained for a good length of time – I actually ate a LOT of good lunches!
4) I’ve been playing around with the idea of publishing an ebook and one of my goals for 2015 is to create one.
I did actually do a lot of research into this, and did a full layout for my prospective book. However, the technology just isn’t there right now, for free, for me to do justice to what I want to do. One to keep an eye on, though.
5) Get more involved in the blogging community.
I’ve loved getting to know other bloggers, and next year I’m excited to be taking part in a couple of different blogging projects, so more on that soon! Going back to work has been a bit of a drain on my energy levels for evening Twitter chats – I’m often in bed by 9pm these days! – but I’m definitely starting to adjust and generally feel more awake during the week, so am looking forward to joining in more in 2016.
6) Double the traffic to the blog by the end of the year.
Yes! I did this! I am super excited by this. I’ve had some stellar months and some quiet months, but overall I think it will be almost exactly double the number of visitors from 2015 to 2016. Very satisfying and encouraging!
Personal goals:
7) Give myself a break.
Yep, I think in previous years I would have been quite harsh on myself if I hadn’t achieved those goals by the end of the year, but this year I’m just grateful that I have actually got anything done at all. Babies are hard work! Who knew? Okay, everyone knew, but I somehow managed to ignore the fact for quite a long time. When I’m tired, I don’t push myself because I know I need the rest.
8) I really want to develop a capsule wardrobe.
I did it! Well, kind of. I Marie Kondo‘d my wardrobe and it made an absolutely huge difference to my enjoyment of my clothes. I have a much more limited selection, but I actually like everything I own. I think I would actually not be overstating it to say that it changed my life. Getting dressed is infinitely easier and when I am shopping, I know exactly what I need to fill specific holes in my wardrobe.
9) By the end of 2015, I’d like to be close to my March 2014 weight and level of fitness.
I haven’t weighed myself, but I’m pretty sure I’m back to my usual weight as all of my clothes fit well – some are even a little loose (hoorah, breastfeeding!). One thing I do want to work on next year, however, is my fitness. My back is in absolute agony most of the time now, and I think that’s largely down to me needing to do more exercise. I have been given exercises from my physio, which I do every day, but to be honest, they don’t really make any difference. I have my weekly yoga class which is AMAZING (seriously, amazing), but I need to be a bit more active day-to-day.
Work goals:
10) Keep an eye out for what’s happening in the publishing industry and to make sure that I don’t lose touch completely with that world while I’m away.
I think I’ve managed that. I’ve come back to work feeling super energised and back in love with my job. I’ll see if that feeling sticks around in January when things start to get really busy again, but for now, I’m so happy back at work, and feel that keeping my eye out on what was going out really got me excited to return.
So, all in all, a bit of a mix. Some I didn’t really even start, some I feel totally happy with. But overall, I look back on this year and feel I have achieved so much. Because at the end of the day, I had one job this year, which was to raise Theo, and so far, I think that job’s going pretty well…
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