The year may already be a third over, but it’s never too late to share your goals, right? (Please tell me I’m right!) It seems I have been too busy working on some of these goals to get this post out into the world- but I swear I created these goals at the beginning of the year!
If you’ve read my goals posts from past years (2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2019 | 2020), you’ll likely notice that the larger categories remain much the same. My overall interests and desires haven’t shifted all that much, although the details have! Some goals on this year’s list are quite similar to last year; COVID really threw some goals straight out the window!
Here’s my 2021 vision:
Be healthy and strong
- Run the Cabot Trail (297 km). Virtually, of course. And not all at once! That would be ridiculous. This is my way to try and get myself to run somewhat consistently.
- Complete 30 days of yoga. I’m really good at doing yoga two days in a row, and then never again. This goal is baby steps.
- Do a real sit spin. I’ve literally never been strong enough to do a real sit spin; I simply can’t get that low, much less get back up. If I can’t be on the ice regularly, off-ice training it is!
- Go on 10 different hikes. I love being in the woods, and I don’t do it nearly often enough.
- Visit one new nature place per month. This island still has so much to explore!
- Go outside 75% of days. COVID-19 led to me spending a LOT of time inside, and that’s probably not really a good thing.
- Develop good sleep hygiene. Basically, I need to re-teach myself how to go to bed at a normal time. Life is so much better when you’re not tired.
- Eat healthier. More real meals, please.
- Develop arm strength. Seriously. What is it like to not feel weak every time you try to carry something?
Share ideas with the world
- Present at CACUSS. Last year’s conference was cancelled, so this goal is still on the list!
- Publish lit review. I have very little idea of how the world of academic papers works, but if I’m going to be writing something for my master’s program, I might as well try and put it out into the world!
- Write 1 blog post per month. The list of things I want to write is always much longer than the list of things I’m actually writing.
- [Secret project] I’m not ready to share this one with the world yet!
Always be learning
- Finish Master’s project. And I mean both finish it to submit, and finish it to an extent I can stop thinking about more things I want to do.
- Graduate with MEd. Just one term (and a whole lot of work) left!
- Read 52 books. This goal is back again!
- Read 2 chapters of a work-related book per month. The pile of work-related books that I have is wayyy to large- and has been for wayyy too long.
- Learn handlettering. I want to be able to make pretty things.
- Improve at phone photography. More pretty things, please. (I don’t understand why other people’s photos are so much better than mine)
- Prioritize equity learning. I’m always reading and learning something, and I want to make sure equity-related topics are a part of that reading and learning.
Contribute to my community
- Promote digital accessibility. I’m constantly learning more, and I think the rest of the students affairs field (and the internet at large) could benefit from more knowledge too.
- Launch research podcast. I’ve had this idea for years, and since my master’s degree will wrap up this year, I’m hoping to have the time to actually make it happen!
- [Secret project] Not ready to share this one either!
- Various Graduate Student Network projects. There are a few things that we’ve been talking about doing, and I want to make them happen!
Embrace adulting
- Create a home I love. If I’m going to spend all my time in my home, I might as well make it a place I really like being!
- Buy a car. I’ve gone a million years without one, but I think it’s finally time. I want to be able to go places!
- Clean apartment regularly. I promise I’m not a complete slob, but I also put off some cleaning tasks forever… and then get overwhelmed by how much cleaning there is to do, and put it off even longer.
- Donate $$$. I have a dollar amount in mind, but I want to make sure
- Complete 100 things project. Another year, another chance to do 100 unique and interesting things!
OneWord
My #OneWord for 2021 is LESS. It feels a little backwards to say this after writing out all the goals above, but I want a year full of less stress and overwhelm then the last year was. I get easily excited by ideas and new things, and I need to get better at creating boundaries for my time, and saying no or “not right now.”
Featured image by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
