My 19 in 2019 List

Happy New Year, friends!

Yesterday, I posted all about my “18 in 2018” list – where I first heard of the idea, what my 2018 goals were, and if I accomplished those goals last year. Today, I’m dropping my 2019 list. Here are my 19 goals for the next 365 days:

1. Outer order, inner calm. This is actually the title of the latest book by my favorite author, Gretchen Rubin. I added this to my list because I want to focus on purging my space of things I don’t need and not purchasing unnecessary items going forward.
2. Perfect my morning routine. I’m hoping my mornings consist of visualization/meditation, prayer, sweat, a good book, stretching, and French lessons.
3. Utilize more routines in general. Oddly enough, I read that routines are a great way to become more creative because you have more time to focus your energies elsewhere. I’d love to make as many routines as possible in my life – a bedtime routine, cleaning routine, etc.
4. Design and sell more greeting cards. Illustrating holiday cards for my friend’s pop-up shop in December was so exciting, and I’d love to do more of that in 2019.
5. Use technology less. One thing I struggled with in 2018 is the fact that I consume more than I create unfortunately. I’d love to unfollow Instagram accounts that are sucking up all my time while not benefiting me creatively.
6. Read 19 books. Got any recommendations?
7. Stretch daily. I signed up for Y7’s New Year’s challenge of 12 classes for the month of January, so this should get me off to a good start.
8. 300 days of French lessons.
9. Use up my gift cards.
10. Photograph NYC and explore it’s coffee shops. I really want to try more local shops instead of running to Starbucks because it happens to be convenient. Got any fun coffee shop recommendations for me?
11. Make one craft per month.
12. Make all doctors and dentist appointments. I know this isn’t the most thrilling of goals, but it’s probably the most important!
13. Focus on mindful eating. I need to work on eating less sugar. In addition, while I did a fantastic job of intermittent fasting this past year, I tended to binge eat way more than I should. I need to find a balance by eating better quality foods.
14. Step foot on international land. A few years ago, I made a goal of going on one international trip each year. With some travel obligations I have coming up this year, I’m not sure I’ll be able to take my normal week long adventure overseas. Having said that, I’ve been looking into shorter weekend getaways like Quebec City. What’s your favorite quick trip to take internationally?
15. Do things and purchase items that make life easier and more luxurious. I’m definitely not an over-buyer (could you tell?!), but I realized in 2018 that there are some items that would just make life easier and more enjoyable if I owned them like a big comfy reading chair or an electric toothbrush.
16. Be less busy. I found myself using the B word a lot in 2018 and I’m not sure how I feel about that. Going into 2019, I want to make sure I’m “busy” doing the things I enjoy with the people I love as opposed to just filling my calendar.
17. Answer texts by the evening. For some reason, I became the worst texter around the start of 2017. I can’t seem to break the habit. I will read a text and then forget to answer, so my goal is to be better at responding in a timely manner.
18. Stay in better touch with friends and family. This is actually unrelated to #17. I want to speak to friends and family more – especially through FaceTime.
19. Stop working from bed. I’m writing this while sitting on top of my bed when I should be at a desk or in an oversized chair. A new chair will be one of my first big purchases for 2019 – and it will also help me work toward crossing #15 off of my list.

What are your goals for the New Year? Let me know in the comments below!

xo, A