Tuesday 6 January 2015

My goals for 2015


In the past I tended not to make resolutions or set goals at the start of the calendar year; as a teacher, September is much more redolent of new beginnings (and anyway, it's so much easier to make positive changes when the sun is still shining than in this dark, cold days of deepest winter). However, at the start of 2014 I wrote a list of 10 goals for the year as part of the #52lists project (which seemed to peter out halfway through the year) and it turned out to be the only list of goals I ever completed! Maybe there's something to this whole new year thing after all.

After the enormous adventures and changes of 2013, 2014 was an altogether calmer and more stable year. However, 2015 promises upheavals: at work, as my school merges with a neighbouring one; at home, as The Boy completes his PhD and begins looking for an academic job; family-wise, as my extended maternal family converge on Canada for a reunion (all 40+ of us). The goals that I've set, then, reflect the fact that this probably won't be an easy year. I'll need to make time for myself and the things I enjoy doing, ensure that we're in a good financial place to deal with possible short-term unemployment, spend time on the relationships that strengthen me.

1. See more of my mum, and my family generally.
Both this goal and #3 reflect the fact that 2014 was mostly about one person - The Boy. After a long time in a long distance relationship, we made the most of living in the same place last year. 2015 needs to be the year I reach out again to see more of the people I'm closest to.
2. Swim and walk more.
My natural state is one of extreme indolence interrupted by bursts of energy, which I tend to channel into doing things around the house (baking, tidying, making stuff). I always feel amazing when I get some 'proper' exercise but yet I'm terrible at actually getting myself out of the house to do so. I walk a lot to get me around, but I want to do more 'proper' walking in the countryside this year, which is a hobby that's fallen by the wayside in the past couple of years.
3. Dedicate time to friends, both old and new. 
See #1.
4. Continue the spending ban.
At the moment I have four major life goals, and all of them involve money:
- Become debt free;
- Have a lovely wedding to The Boy;
- Go back to university to study for an MA;
- Pay for my mum and I to visit South Africa together in 2018, to celebrate my 40th (gulp) and her 70th.
The only realistic way to achieve any of those goals is to save, save, save instead of spending all my cash. So the spending ban continues until the end of January, after which I'm going to tweak the rules slightly but then continue with it in some form for the rest of the year. Char is doing a complete spending ban this year, which is amazing!
5. Have one night a week that's gadget- and TV-free.
Self-explanatory really. Both The Boy and I love to draw, read and play games but - reading aside - we rarely make time to do so. Having one 'switch-off' a week will give us time to do the things we enjoy without the lure of "just one more episode of Buffy...".
6. Write a will.
Although we're planning a wedding we have no desire to get legally married, which makes it all the more important that we have wills. I also want to set up power of attorney; after seeing the chaos lack of it can cause when a friend of my mum's had a stroke this year, I'm all the more determined to get it sorted.
7. Look into becoming a Nightstop host.
Nightstop are an organisation that provide short-term emergency accommodation for young people who have been made homeless. I'd first read about them in The Guardian last year and thought, "I've got a spare room - maybe I could do that in future." When, this weekend, I saw on Twitter the story of a young trans teen who'd been thrown out of home just for being trans, I became all the more determined to do something. Luckily The Boy is completely on board and so we've just started the process of volunteering.
8. Finish the zine I started working on last year.
I was so excited to get this started and then my enthusiasm sort of fizzled out. Definitely top of the list to do on one of our switch-off evenings.
9. Go to a clothes swap.
Self-explanatory this one. I had a few planned to go to last year and it never happened. The Wardrobe Angel and I are also considering trying to set up an online bloggers clothes swap - give me a shout if you're interested in being involved.
10. Make more.
I want to take part in more craft swaps (I'm starting with Hannah's #DICraft Swap this month) and do another Week of Making, as well as doing more sewing on my days off. I've also promised Sarah something for Baby Rooftops... better get sewing!

31 comments:

  1. Great list. I always have eat less, move more on my lists but they have varying degrees of success throughout the year. It's the ones that make my life richer that, unsurprisingly, get ticked off.
    Nightstop sounds like a totally awesome thing to do, good on you.

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    1. What a great point - and I love the phrase "make my life richer".

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  2. Baby Rooftops is going to be well clad by the time s/he arrives! I like the idea of a TV free night, and I'm definitely on board with the clothes swap thing! I think we have the same natural state also - I love actually exercising but I'm so lazy about the whole process before and after (change my entire outfit for something gym suitable? Walk to and from the gym? Wash hair and shower? .....nah)

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    1. YES exactly! The process surrounding exercise is such a pain in the arse.

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    2. So are these goals but you both know where my head's at right now; my ability to have a proper conversation about anything other than prams is limited.

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    3. I'm with you Elise. Frankly, I can't be bothered. Have been debating exercising on a morning, but that involves getting up earlier!

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    4. Yeah I already start work at 7 (ish), getting up earlier is not an option! Not in this darkness anyway...

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    5. I love my sleep too much to ever exercise in the morning - like you, Elise, I'm at work too early to fit anything in beforehand.

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  3. I am intrigued by the wedding-but-not-marriage concept - more about that, please? The Nightstop thing sounds like a great idea, looking forward to hearing more about how it goes...

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    1. I'm working on a post explaining it all, never fear!

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    2. Me too! Sounds like a great idea!

      Now Tom and I are buying a house i am also thinking about writing a will but the idea of it still terrifies me a bit! x

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  4. Writing a will sounds quite scary and grown-up, but I completely see the importance of it - I've seen how devastating and complex already emotional situations can become when there is no power of attorney, so it is important. Boring, but important, and could make such a difference. On a happier note, planning amazing trips abroad sounds brilliant - you've got some great goals. Good luck!

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    1. I know, doesn't it?! But I have to be sensible - I own a house and car and have a pension (eek, that makes me sound really grown up!) and if I die without a will it'd be a nightmare to sort out.

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  5. These are great goals for the new year. Good luck with them.

    I was surprised and happy to see that you are planning a wedding to the boy! Congrats (if that is the right thing to say)! As you know, I am a miserable cow when it comes to weddings and traditions etc, but thats so sweet! Im so pleased for you both. Rob and I kind of did the opposite of you, we made things legal but did not have a wedding. No guests, money spent, rings, name changes etc. Rob was happy because he is more romantic and traditional than me, Mum was happy because I would be looked after better if he snuffs it (apparently) and I was happy because I wore my DM's!
    I still hate it when people refer to me as his wife though!

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    1. Haha, love that we're doing the opposite of you guys! Well, sort of... we're planning no rings, no name changes (obvs) but a bit of a party. And cake. Lots of cake.

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  6. Brilliant list! And as someone else who never intends to get married, I'm looking forward to reading to the wedding-but-no-marriage post! Becoming a Nightstop volunteer sounds like a wonderful thing to do - I also read about that teen on Twitter (via you) and it really was awful.

    Sounds like you have an exciting year planned, and good luck with all the goals :) x

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    1. It was the Twitter thing that reminded me about Nightstop and made me determined to look into it, such a horrible situation for a young person to be in.

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  7. These are seriously cool aims! I'd like to do several of these too!x

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  8. Such a good list. Nightstop sounds like a great thing to do.
    So far, I'm pretty positive about the spending ban and I'd love to get involved in the clothes swap!
    I've got rid of my TV recently altogether and so far I'm not missing it at all but it's definitely making me more productive.

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    1. We've talked about doing that - getting rid of the TV - but I think at the moment getting rid of our license might be the first step, so that we only watch DVDs or on demand stuff which we really want to see, instead of just whatever is on (although to be fair, I do almost none of that kind of watching and Thomas only a very little).

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  9. Great resolutions! And all completely achievable which is half the battle. Nightstop is a wonderful idea. I have a friend who had help from a similar initiative when they needed an urgent place of safety, and it was a real turning point.

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    1. That's cool to hear about your friend - glad they got the help. At the moment it seems like Nightstop might not operate in our area, which sucks, so hoping to find a similar organisation we can volunteer with.

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  10. writing and sharing goals are a great way to achieve them...

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    1. Definitely! I do much better when I'm being held accountable, even if it's only by myself and my blog mates.

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  11. Oh wow. Nightstop sounds really very awesome, what a great thing to do.

    Also - for your walking goal - I want to make a visit to Bradgate Park at some point to do some stomping around because I've never been so I'll give you a shout and if you're free you are more than welcome and come and stomp around with me!

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  12. I'm totally doing a technology free evening a week, what a brilliant idea!

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    1. Our first one didn't work too well - turns out, if I know I'm not allowed to do something, it's ALL I think about!

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  13. (Apologies for this ridiculously late comment - I've been away from the blogging world for a bit!)

    So many good goals! Number 5 is also a goal of mine this year - I want to spend more of my nights in reading good books, listening to the radio and crocheting. I'm terrible for looking at a screen all day at work, then carrying on at home for most of the evening!

    Nightstop sounds like a bloody brilliant organisation - good on you for getting involved.

    Hope you're well! Looking forward to getting back into a regular reader of your awesome blog. x

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