As I mentioned in an earlier blog post, my mind is getting very distracted from normal life these day and seriously getting into the holiday mode. And that means I am having trouble keeping up with stuff and daily life.

The plan for this blog is to do my five posts this week, and then take my two weeks off. To be back fresh and rested in 2025! We all need the break right? Well, I certainly do.

So this week, I have a few plans to finish with some plans and ideas in place. 

Today Monday- I want to take 2 or 3 hours in the afternoon to think about stuff. 

Stuff involves the following:

1. My work projects for winter- what painting series I want to work on, what new stuff I want to experiment and learn, how to implement changes to improve the marketing side of things, do I need to work on my website, and planning out the writing side of things.
2. What fun projects do I want to work on in 2025…
3. How do I plan to fit these projects in my life- some basic planning on goals
4. What my word of the year is (I have an idea, but I just want to think about it a little more)
5. What books do I definitely want to read in 2025
6. What were my best books in 2024
7. My basic workout plan for the new year (or atleast the first few months, because it will most likely change as time goes by)
8. My workout plan to finish off the year.
9. What life-projects/important to-dos do I want to, and need to tackle this year and when and how

Now that I have this list in front of me, it’s huge right?! I just overwhelmed myself!

I plan to start today, but I am totally ok if I need to find a few more afternoons to finish this. Isn’t that what the holidays are for- eat, sleep, be merry, but also plan for the fresh new year?

Another thing I do with my family is that we go out to a cafe at the end of the year, and just list all the highlights for us into one long list. It gives us an opportunity to look back at the year and remember all the big things, and have a list for future reference for what the year brought to our lives. It’s quite fun, and a nice simple tradition for us.

I am looking forward to this reflection and planning. It makes me excited to welcome the new year and all that it may have in store for me. 

I realize that January 1st is a random day like any other day for planet Earth, and it’s just us humans who put it on a pedestal.

But hey, it gives us a point to end one time period and start another one. And if that ending and starting gives us impetus to do things in our lives that make it better, that make us grow, that help us put the not so nice stuff aside and start fresh, that gives us an opportunity to just do something for a limited time to try it on for size, why not? 

I love the feeling of the holidays and a break to end one year, and making plans to start the new year. And so, I will use this feel-good time to be excited and motivated, and rested. 

Let the good things begin!