New Year 2023 - Resolutions, decisions, ideas

By Nan Berrett - Word Solutions:

 I had really good intentions

I had really good intentions last year, even though I didn't make specific resolutions. I wanted to form habits which would stick. As a haphazard house keeper with an often disorganised workspace, I decided to make a habit tracker of all the things I wanted to achieve on a daily or weekly basis. I drew up the tracker in my bullet journal - it's the notebook I use every day to log my jobs and reminders, so I knew I'd be able to keep an eye on it. I drew seven vertical lines with a space to the left to write the task or habit. I labelled each line with the day of the week, beginning from Monday. I know there's some argument that calendars should begin on Sunday, not sure why, but Monday is the start of the working week for most of us, so Monday it is!

On each line I wrote the tasks - Make bed (abbreviated to 'bed'); Bath (wipe down bathroom); Meditate; Laundry; Work; etc - you choose your own adventure here. The grid also reminded me to take my meds, so it was handy.

Anyway, that's how I started 2022 and I'm pleased to say I kept to my daily routines unless I was away.

For those with depression just achieving one task can make or break your day - choose something simple, like making the bed, and you'll feel a whole lot more motivated.

Now it is January 1 2023. I don't have the excuse of partying hard but found that the end of the year had rushed up and left me as disorganised as I was in mid-December. My desk is a tip, there are books to be read, files to be put away, odds and ends which made their way into my workspace to find homes for or dispose of. Shameful, really. I had spent the past 12 months working on developing a journaling system which worked for me. I'm pretty much a journaling tragic and always looking for the next best thing which will capture my thoughts and motivated my needs. I have discovered that not all journals represent the best outcomes for the way my mind works, so, finally, today I started putting together bits and pieces from a huge pile of journals in the hope I will find a workable system.

So many journals contain the same processes, so there's not a lot new out there. Some of the best I have come across include:

 the Manifestation Momentum Journal by Leah Toth - Products – Destiny Drive

This is a 26 Day Journal with some truly excellent prompts and a terrific lead-in of exercises to start you on your manifestation journey.

I also found the Be A Healthy Human - Wellness Journal really useful - it came from Office Works and is an Otto product - Otto Pastel Wellness Journal A5 160 Pages | Officeworks - it's a two page A5 spread which asks you to set your intention for the day, track your meals, record your sleep quality and hours and your water intake as well as noting done any acts of kindness - kindness is always an option! The second page is for reflection on what went well during your day, your feelings and emotions and a couple of lines for gratitude.

So, as I said, I'll be putting together a raft of trackers, prompts and exercises which I plan to have a go at on a daily basis to see what works and what does not. That's going to be my task for today, and probably a little bit on an on going basis.

My major problem is my magpie mind, which is so easily distracted, so I'll be working on some strategies to mitigate that!

I had a brief look back at my year and know it beat the pants off the previous one. Every year seems to bring me more challenges - in a good way - and more opportunities and I'll be looking at building more online courses, probably launching a podcast (fingers crossed) to talk about running a business after conventional retirement and chronicling a little of my working days.

After helping more than 50 clients through business mentoring and working with dozens more by providing a range of services, I've had a good year of connecting with small business and look forward to more of it down the line.

A huge plus has been the continuation of business women's networking events in my region and seeing the group grow and increase in enthusiasm as well as get know one another.

If you want to take a crack at journaling - I have some great ideas and lots of downloadable worksheets available in my Get Started with Journaling Course - take a look here: https://payhip.com/b/Q6l3D

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Check out my website: www.wordsolutions.com.au

Nan Berrett creates visibility for small business as well as mentoring small business owners and startups to help them navigate the mountain of knowledge which is part of our everyday life in a digital world. She is based in regional South Australia in the beautiful Clare Valley and is happy to travel to meet clients or chat over Zoom. Find out more or book some time to chat: nan@wordsolutions.com.au