Happy New Year! Okay, it’s January the 17th already … Paul Young’s birthday; it’s amazing that I learned that fact about him when I was a teenager and still remember it. I wished him a happy birthday on Twitter and he liked my tweet!!
Anyway. New year, new you and all that nonsense. For the last few years I’ve used a Legend Planner as my journal and it has a layout that includes 24 goals for the year, across 8 areas of life. It feels rather ambitious but better to aim big and achieve at least something than aim low and not even achieve that, I reckon. So, to keep me accountable, I thought I’d outline those goals here, because some of them may feature in blog posts over the next 12 months – if I can actually find time to blog amongst all this goal achieving!
Health & Fitness
Lose (an undisclosed but specific amount of) weight
Back in 2016 I started doing DDP Yoga and went to Slimming World and managed to lose 6.5 stone. At the time, my life was a mess and food was about the only thing I felt in control of. And then I moved to Portugal and suddenly didn’t need to have control of anything … and I went a bit mad, had a snack cupboard, ate and drank whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. And then the pandemic came along and things didn’t get any better. Despite doing a lot of my beloved DDP Yoga last year, I’ve managed to put on not quite all the weight I originally lost, but a fair chunk of it. So this year I am determined to get back to a target weight I have set myself that I will feel comfortable at.
Earn 50K points in DDP Yoga
To help me do it, I’ll be hitting the yoga may with my mate DDP. But rather than set a goal of “do three workouts a week” which I know I won’t always stick to, I’ve got a more concrete yet flexible goal of earning 50K points in the year. (A short workout is around 300 points, so thing is eminently doable.)
Add one new good habit every month
This is to complement the general healthy lifestyle, and I keep adding toa list that incudes things like flossing, going vegetarian and drinking hot water with a lemon in it every day.
Career & Business
Create and run a group book writing programme
Due to start in April. Watch this space!
Build a social media strategy
This is obviously to support my business but has got off to a bad start as I’d ordered a planner that I aimed to use at the beginning of the year to put a strategy in place, and for various reasons it didn’t arrive, and so I’ve not really got anything going other than some random tweets.
Work towards a regular monthly 2K+ income
Whether I stay here or go back to the UK, I need to have higher, more stable income.
Finance & Net Worth
Create a personal budget
Just so I know what’s what!
Save £2000 in an emergency / relocating fund
No idea how I will do this yet but…
Put aside £20 each month towards Xmas
I did this last year, saving the money I earned through doing Prolific studies to use for Xmas shopping. last year I cashed out partway through the year but still had £120 at the end of the year for Xmas shopping. Planning to keep it in the kitty this time, and top it up in my savings account if the study income falls short.
Personal Development
Complete the Somebody Inside-Remarkable Women course
This is a self-development course I first did back in 2018, and then tried again in 2020, and really enjoyed but failed to finish either time. I have given myself to finish it this year.
Complete the Strategy & Conversion course
This is a business course I have signed up for, which I hope will help with some of the business goals.
Read one non-fiction book every month
To get me out of the rut of only reading gritty British crime and contemporary romance…!
Family & Friends
Attend at least one F2F social each month (Covid allowing; excluding book group)
I find it very easy to hibernate in my little cabin but it’s not good for me. This will hopefully encourage me to make plans.
Plan 3-4 trips back to the UK (Covid allowing)
To see the family, see friends, grab a bit of culture, move back…?
Ring Dad at least twice a week
My dad moved into a care home in October and I need to make an effort to ring him. We are not close and he’s often rude to me on the pone, but he is my dad…
Miscellaneous
Give back through volunteer work
Hoping to find something I can do where my pitiful Portuguese isn’t an obstacle.
Go on a holiday (NOT a family visit)
For the last three years I’ve either been here at home, or in the UK visiting family. I haven’t had a holiday! Well, I did have a weekend away in October 2021, but the weather was shocking… So I want to have a holiday – even if that’s just a long weekend by the sea.
Be open to relationships but comfortable single
Something I’m always doing! Not sure why it’s on the list again really. Because I couldn’t think of anything else? A placeholder?
Fun, Recreation & Hobbies
Two crafting sessions every month (and document them)
I love doing art and crafts, even though I’m not very good at it, but I often don’t make the time for it. So this year, not only will I make the time but I will document in my journal what I did.
One new place or experience every month
To keep myself doing new things and not stuck in a rut.
Four things towards my 101 things in 1001 days list
Gotta make progress on that too!
Home
Make decision re UK and relevant actions
Should I stay or should I go? This is the big one. I am already putting feelers out for ideas of where I could live should I decide to go back – but then tomorrow I’ll probably be convinced Portugal is the place for me. Sigh.
Declutter clothes
A lot of my clothes fitted me when I arrived, but no longer do – so by the end of the year I will hopefully fit back into them, otherwise they’ll be gone. I also have a lot of clothes that got stained when I lived on the farm, so those can go too. And clothes I’ve been given by kindly Portuguese people, that I will probably never wear….
Evening and weekly housework routine
Just enough to keep the place looking fit for habitation!
So there you go … there are the goals. I’ll make this a sticky post and do the odd update as the year goes by, and there may also be reference made to them in future posts. Wish me luck!
