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There's something exciting about the promise of a fresh start after the holidays. Even though 2020 was a doozy for all of us, and many of the challenges it brought are following us into the new year, this is still a perfect opportunity to pause, reflect, and hit refresh.
There's no better feeling than starting the year off with a clear and positive mindset, and one of the best ways to accomplish this is to outline a few goals to help you visualize the changes you want to make in the new year and some manageable but concrete steps to work towards making those changes a reality.
A few goals and intentions we're setting include hitting reset on our work spaces, our digital spaces, our homes, and our routines. These changes don't have to be monumental, but a few small and positive shifts can have a big impact on your overall mindset. Below we're sharing a few of our plans to help inspire you, as well as a few of our favorite planners to help keep you accountable!
Workspace
Many of us are coming to the gradual realization that working from home may be more of a permanent situation than we previously realized, or that it may be something that continues even after our offices reopen. With this in mind, we're taking the approach that our workspace should be a reflection of the work we want to create - calm, clean, and inspiring. This can of course be difficult if you live in a small or shared space, but that doesn't mean you can't take steps to make that corner of your home a place you look forward to spending time. On our workspace to-do list: de-clutter drawers, re-arrange to optimize natural light where possible, and invest in a desk (love this one) and chair that are both comfortable and aesthetically pleasing.
Digital Space
It's no secret that social media can be exhausting, especially when we're all trying our best to stay sane (let alone productive) in the midst of a global health crisis and unprecedented lockdown. Given the amount of time many of us are devoting (intentionally or not) to consuming content on social media these days, it's important to take a minute to reassess how the accounts we spend our time following make us feel. Our plan is to focus on following accounts that inspire us and bring us joy, and consider removing the ones that make us feel inadequate or "less than." If you're finding that there aren't many aspects of social media that bring you joy, consider starting the year off with a digital detox to help you re-focus energy on your real world relationships and to prioritize your mental well-being.
Home
Since we're all spending way more time at home than ever before, the new year provides a perfect opportunity to do a deep clean, de-clutter, and make your home a space you love. A great way to channel your Pinterest aspirations into your actual home is to take the time to scan your Pinterest boards, Instagram saves, or wherever you go for home inspiration, and try to find common themes across the spaces you love. What do many of them have in common? Are they neutral, minimalist spaces? Are they full of patterns and pops of color? Make a list of recurring themes you're seeing and aim to incorporate the more achievable themes into your own space. For us, we're aiming to incorporate textured layers and practical storage solutions into our spaces. We're planning to use these rattan baskets to organize our kitchen, hall closets, and all the places clutter tends to accumulate.
Routine
Finally, we're hoping to use the new year to hit reset on our routines. Like many people, we used the holidays as an excuse to majorly indulge (in alllll of the desserts, couch time instead of workouts, and so on). To be clear, we all deserve to indulge after the year we've had - but we're hoping to get back into a healthier routine with more greens and less sweets, more exercise and less Netflix, and more water and less alcohol. A great way to hold yourself accountable to these positive lifestyle changes is to track progress in a planner.
To help you get started with your own fresh start to 2021, we've rounded up six of our favorite planners for this year.
We'd love to hear, what are some of the ways you get organized and ready to tackle the new year?