2021 was a fever dream of a year and you can’t convince me otherwise. We fell in love with the Duke in Bridgerton, KimYe split, Olivia Rodrigo came out of the woodwork and gave us our 2021 anthem, Drivers License. We got Bennifer, Adele, and All Too Well back, sold our local grocery stores out of blocks of feta, got the Friends reunion we were all hoping and wishing for. And before we can say “see ya” to this year, we have a couple of loose ends to tie up before we head into 2022.
If there’s ever a time of year where my need to nest feels more crucial than ever, it’s the what-day-of-the-week-is-it time between the holiday season and the New Year. Between wrapping up all of my work projects, setting new goals, and frantically searching “new year tips” to tackle 2022 in the most strategic manner possible, I’m split 50/50 between wanting to be lazily horizontal and going into hyperdrive towards my New Year’s resolutions. If you’re looking to prep for the new year without burning out, look no further… here are the five (actually achievable) things I want to accomplish before 2022:
1. Practicing gratitude and celebrating my 2021 highlights
If there’s one thing you need to know about me it’s that, these days, I never. slow. down. And while, on paper, that probably seems helpful in the interest of starting the new year with a bang, I’ve learned that going full throttle without taking time to rest, recharge, or review is a sure and quick way to burning out even before my New Year’s resolutions are implemented. This year, I’m taking a breath, resting, realigning with the things I love, and reminiscing on all of my 2021 highlights and accomplishments.
This year, I’m using the Top 9 App to do a quick rewind on Instagram to romanticize just how far I’ve come. Like the pop culture moments of 2021 that make me scratch my head and think, “wait, that happened this year?” I’m finding myself asking the same question about my personal life. By downloading the free, reliable, and safe Top 9 App, highlighting and sharing all of my big moments (switching career paths, being there as my childhood bestie got engaged, and celebrating a Michigan Big 10 Tournament Win, just to name a few) is smooth and easy. I’m able to smile, laugh, and pat myself on the back. Like, damn, girl. You did that.
Click here to download the Top 9 App to highlight and share all of your big moments, too!
2. Making a 2022 vision board
I’ve heard of making vision boards in years past but I’ve never made one for myself. In the same breath, I’ve never been great at goal setting or settling on specific New Year’s resolutions other than “hit the gym more.” Note: She, in fact, did not hit the gym more.
I was listening to an episode of the Life with Marianna podcast this week where Marianna Hewitt (cofounder of Summer Fridays and certified badass) shared that, every year, she makes a deliberate vision board of her hopes and dreams for the year and breaks down what she’ll do to get there. And naturally, if Marianna is doing it, I have to do it. As someone who is more visual and tangible than abstract, I think that this will be my best shot for developing and sticking to resolutions that last far beyond the beginning of the year.
3. Cleaning out my closet
I did a closet overhaul towards the end of 2020 but since shacking up with my boyfriend, being sucked into 2021 fashion trends I never wore, and wanting to build a more sophisticated capsule wardrobe, I’m in need of another closet refresh. I’m making three piles (donate, sell, and keep) and my goal is to simplify my wardrobe as much as I possibly can with the mindset, “if I didn’t wear it in 2021, I’ll never wear it.” If there’s any undertaking that’ll make me feel refreshed and decluttered, this one is it.
4. Reassessing my budget
If there was one New Year’s resolution that I almost pulled off, it would have been my 2021 attempt to improve my financial health. For the first time in my life, I actually paid attention to where my money was going, drafted up a realistic budget that I stuck to for the majority of the year, and actually saved some money! I was nearly unrecognizable.
When I switched careers, hopped on a new health insurance plan, and added another party to my living situation, my entire budget system was totally thrown for a loop. I definitely need to sit down, go through my finances for the year, set new financial goals, and rearrange my budget to better fit what my life looks like right now. But, thankfully, now that I have even the tiniest bit of January-to-October success in my pocket, the challenge is definitely a lot less daunting than it was last year.
5. Ditch my old planners and calendars and start mapping out the year ahead
If there is a designated changing of the guard to signal the start of the new year, it’s the “out with the old, in with the new” swap of our yearly planners. The pages of a new planner are blank and ready to be lovingly scribbled on and the world (2022) is our oyster.
I filled up every square inch of my planner from our 2021 planner collection with Day Designer and, now that I finally have my hands on my dream planner from our 2022 collection, I’m literally planning an entire wine+cheese+planner evening with myself to map out my January, hold a spot for the bigger events of the year (anyone already stressed about wedding season or just me?), and make moves towards my visions and goals. I’ll likely do this a few days after I make my vision board so that I can schedule checkpoints throughout the year to ensure that I’m making strides towards the promises I’ll be making to myself.
This post is sponsored by App Toro, but all of the opinions within are those of The Everygirl editorial board.
