January's Goals & Intentions
Plus free digital planners & trackers
Before we get into the nitty gritty, I have a few reminders for 2023:
Every Sunday at 8am I will post a free post for everyone to read.
Every Wednesday at 8am, I will post a lesson from my Simple & Calm course which will be for paid subscribers only.
Please continue to like, share and engage with my posts as I really want to build a supportive community full of like-minded, slow living enthusiasts.
I absolutely love the fresh start that a new year brings. I thrive in times that allow me to slow down, organise myself and plan, and a new year provides just that.
That’s what I’ve been doing the last few days, and oh my goodness has it felt good.
The Christmas decorations came down on Boxing Day, and I sat and filled in all of the birthdays and important dates for the year ahead in my new diary.
Side note: I usually buy my diary from Fox & Moon but they haven’t released one this year and I miss it! If you have any recommendations for beautiful daily diaries then please let me know.
During this time between Christmas and New Year, I’ve been thinking about my word of the year. Every year I choose a word to carry with me throughout the year instead of a new year resolution, because I don’t have the best track record with them further than January 31st.
Last year my word (well, words as I chose 2) was ‘Simple & Calm’. I felt like they served me well during 2022 as I worked hard on planning and preparing for my new course which I titled Simple & Calm.
But I feel like they still have more to give me.
The Simple & Calm course is only just launching in early January 2023, so I really want to keep those words for this year too. I feel a deep sense of connection to those words, and I’m not ready to let them go just yet. Not only are they perfect for my business, but also for my personal life too as we prepare to welcome our third child in March.
So, my words for 2023 are Simple & Calm, but also Learning. I have a lot to learn in business this year which I’m super excited about, and I also have to learn how a new baby will fit into our lives.
I like to create a print of my guiding words of the year and hang it above my desk so I can look at it often. Have you thought of your word(s) of the year yet? If so, I’d love to create a print for you to capture your word(s) in. You can get your word of the year print here (don’t forget to use the code: SIMPLE15 for 15% off your order):
Now is a great time to reflect on my December goals and intentions to see how far I’ve come, and hopefully they’ll give you some inspiration for your own goals for January too.
I’ve also included a few free digital downloads to help you start your 2023 on the best possible foot. Please download them for personal use only and use them as many times as you like, but please note, they are not for resale.
Personal Life & Health:
READING: I didn’t manage to read a single book in December because I was so busy planning the launch of my Simple & Calm course. I did however read lots of interesting slow living articles and blogs, so I sort of feel like I’ve achieved this in some way. I plan to continue to read as much as I can throughout January, even if it isn’t a physical book per se.
WALKING: The aches and pains that come with the third trimester of pregnancy (and the fact this is my third pregnancy) are getting worse, and I’m not able to exercise or go on our long walks anymore. Short walks are still fine and I’m looking forward to more of these over the next few weeks. I think the fresh air is helping just as much as the walking is right now.
BEING ALONE: My quiet time before Christmas was wonderful, and just what I needed before the chaos came. I’m certainly ready for more of time on my own when the children go back to school on the 5th.
Challenge yourself to complete a goal or stick to a new habit for 30 days this month with this free digital 30 day challenge:
Work Life:
WRITING: I’ve had a few weeks off from Substack (and business in general) over the Christmas period, and I have really missed it. Writing this post today has been wonderfully refreshing and I already have lots of posts planned for January and the coming months.
COURSE: My new, long awaited course - The Simple & Calm course goes live on Wednesday (4th), and I’ve had a fantastic response to enrolments already! This is a serious dream come true for me, and I can’t wait to get started with you all on Wednesday (eek!). If you’d like to enrol on the course, it’s £5 per month and all the details can be found in THIS POST.
Organise your month with this free digital monthly planner:
Finances:
Current debt: £12,919.47 (£1060.32 paid off since December)
Plan of action: Pay off £800 towards debt this month. I’m aiming to pay off less debt than previous months because we need to buy EVERYTHING for the baby coming in March. I have 9 weeks left before baby is due and I haven’t bought a single thing yet. We’ll buy everything we need using January’s wage, and we won’t add to the debt (this is a definite goal I want to achieve this month).
SINKING FUNDS: I’ll be making a start on my sinking funds for the year too. If you haven’t heard of sinking funds before, then they’re just savings pots for different things I’d like to save for. Some of my sinking funds include Christmas 2023, birthdays, Charlie’s football fees, school uniforms and trips/ fun days out. I have a set amount that I’d like to save for each sinking fund, I then divide that by how many months I have to save to achieve that, and then I put that amount into the sinking fund each month. I did this for Christmas 2022 and it was such a huge relief to know that it was already taken care of. I’m going to up my game and have more sinking funds this year.
Fancy a challenge? Save £256 in January with this free digital savings challenge:
Home Life & Possessions:
DECLUTTER: January is the perfect time to declutter and do a deep clean of the house, and that’s exactly what I plan to do when the children return to school. I can’t wait to start the year on a clean slate, and so every drawer in every room will be getting tackled.
SELLING: I’ll be uploading any unwanted items to my Vinted account to sell and make some money.
Keep track of the last time you completed certain tasks with this free tracker:
Technology & Social Media:
INSTAGRAM: This month I really need to get back on track with my Instagram account. I’ve really dropped the ball with it over the Christmas period, and to be honest, I haven’t had much of an incentive to post as my reach is terrible at the moment. I still refuse to do Reels though so that’s probably why.
365 CHALLENGE: I saw a post on Instagram today though that really resonated with me, and I’m definitely going to try. It’s a 365 day posting challenge which aims to find just one significant or special moment in each day, taking a photo of it and posting it (I’m going to focus on capturing the magic in the mundane). I love this as it reminds me of when Instagram was exactly that - instant. Where we’d take photos of exactly what we were doing, when we were doing it. No pre-planning or intense thought to the post, just a simple photograph and caption. I’ll probably not get any engagement as I’ll be posting still photographs, but this will be my own sort of diary of my experiences throughout the year, and that excites me.
Family & Relationships:
VALUABLE TIME: We spent so much time together as a family during the Christmas holidays, and it was wonderful. January is when we’re getting back to our routine though so this means we’ll be spending less time together. This is when our weekends mean the most to us, and it’s important that we make the time we spend together as valuable as possible.
FREE/ LOW COST: We also have a lot of expenses this month so the time we’ll be spending together needs to be free/ as low cost as possible. There’ll be lots of cold winter walks with homemade coffee and biscuits instead of calling in at the local coffee shop this month.
And that’s my goals and intentions for the first chapter of 2023. January for me is going to be all about getting organised, wiping the slate clean and planning and preparing for the no doubt challenging few months that lay ahead.
I’d love to hear your thoughts and feedback on the goals that I have shared, and let me know yours too!
When it's all listed out like that it's a lot! Everyday life is a lot by itself, let alone when you want to make progress on big goals. I like the way you break it down. Congratulations on launching your course!