Happy New Year! It seems strange saying that after what 2020 turned into, however, I am going to try and stay positive this year.
Even though 2020 was hard going, mentally and physically, it was a good year for us in total. I always set some aims and goals for the year ahead to spur me on to achieve those targets. Before I do I just want to reflect a little back on 2020 for us personally.
Reflections on 2020
It’s funny looking back on last year, everything that happened in the first few months seems so minor compared to everything that followed. Starting with a health scare, 2020 did not get off to the best start. Thankfully it worked out fine in the end and we then went straight into the pandemic, which has had such a massive effect on everyone.
Mentally I found 2020 tough going at times, from the front things just keep moving but underneath I had lots of things bubbling away. Thankfully the anxiety has eased off and we have moved forward with a positive mindset, but I understand that mental health is no joke and I have to ensure I look after myself as much as I can.
Work was chaos, so much goes on behind the scenes that people just do not see. I have a huge amount of respect for my colleagues, not just the teachers who kept ploughing on but the site teams who kept the sites clean and safe for staff and children. The admin teams who dealt with a huge amount of paperwork, emails and queries and everyone in between. I know much staff who are having their first break of 2020 in the Christmas break.
Education, what can I say. I never want to be homeschooling whilst holding down a job again, hats off to those with more than 2 kids, I lost the will. Google became a teacher in our house as some things I just could not teach without a bit of help! It was tough for all children in such strange times however I am so proud of Kayleigh and Ethan who kept going, even when the times got tough.
Blogging for me was good in 2020, I got my act together and got organised! In fact, so organised that this is one of 3 blogs that I have and I even helped Daddy Vs Work set up his first blog. It is not easy and is a full-time job in itself, however, I have plans that I am working towards so all the effort is worth it. If you are thinking of starting your own blog, I’d recommend giving this post a read. how to start your blog in 3 simple steps.
Aims and goals for 2021
Personal goals –
- Get a better work/play balance – I need to learn to switch off. This was one bad habit I took out of 2020, I am always thinking I could just do this or just checking my emails. I need to switch off and walk away from work more in 2021, it will still be there when I go back! I also want to take time out to get healthy again, I always find doing it in the winter harder than the summer. If you are looking for some tips to get started, this is a great post to help.
- More family time – With time being limited we have been spending less time together, we need to get back into good habits with this and spend more time together as a family.
- Learn to cook more – We have the basics nailed down, I just want to start expanding our meal choices for us to have on our meal plans.
Work goals –
- Increase traffic -This is across all blogs, I want to start to focus on the traffic this year to boost the blog’s exposure.
- Increase income – Last year was a good year for blog income, I don’t want to rest on this though and expect it. I want to keep growing all of the blogs to bring in a steady income. With the increase in income, I am going to give this 1p challenge a go to save us some money ready for Christmas!
- Get organised – Over the last 12 months I got organised, when Christmas rolled around I got lazy. In the coming months, I need to get back to my blogging basics and get organised with it all.
As we don’t know what is coming this year I have no plans to put too much pressure on myself, however, after how 2020 went, I have plans to push on. I have learnt so much about what brings us happiness and a family and I know where we want to get to now. If you are struggling this year, take a read of this post, it is a great read on the easy way to find happiness with the little things in life.
Do you set yourself any goals in the new year?
