It’s a new year! That means it’s time for the obligatory “new year, new goals” blog post. 😂 I went about making my goals a little differently this time and I’ve already started working on quite a few of them. Usually when a new year rolls around, I feel really positive and hopeful, and full of energy and motivation. This year wasn’t any different, but now that I’ve had a chance to experience 2021 for a few weeks, the reality that some things still suck has kind of dampened my initial high spirits. Even so, I’m still very excited to share with you my goals for 2021, so let’s get into it!

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This year my husband and I are expecting some major changes, so I based my goals on those expectations. In the summer, I will be up for contract renewal at work, but we will also be moving. We’re not sure if I should continue in my current job or find something else/work for myself/become a housewife instead, so in preparation for that I need to contemplate my career path, my visa status, and our home organization. Also, we are now considering starting a family, and moving/changing my visa will make that a more realistic possibility. Personally, I had a pretty good reading year but a bad studying year, so I want to focus on those hobbies and find balance between them.

I attempted to follow the SMART goals formula to make my goals but I quickly realized it was not going to work for me. I’m sure it’s a very “smart” way to make goals but going through the process of addressing each criteria of the acronym was making me feel stuffy and frustrated. I just wanted to declare what I want to do without having to jump through any hoops for it. Even without following an official framework, I managed to come up with goals that were (for the most part) specific, realistic, and time-sensitive.

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In my bullet journal, I broke down my goals into 5 categories: health, self-care and development, home and organization, languages, and future career. I’ve actually already posted a video on my YouTube channel where I show and explain my decorative goals pages in my bullet journal. You can also check out pics on my Instagram! In this post, however, I’m going to try and keep it simple and straightforward. Down below I have them organized into 1) measurable goals, and 2) habits that need to be established over time. I’m feeling pretty good about the goals and habits that I’ve chosen for myself this year, and I’ve actually already started working on a few! Here are my goals and habits for 2021:

Goals

• lose 10 kgs
• learn about pregnancy and how to prepare
• visit the doctor and dentist at least once each
• read 36 books
• Konmari my home
• clean up my email inboxes
• renovate our next apartment
• move
• finish one Korean textbook
• read 3 Korean things (novels, non-fiction, webtoons, etc.)
• watch 4 k-dramas
• take the A1 Spanish test on Busuu
• change my visa
• decide on a career path
• create a digital product (downloadable/printable)

Habits

• get better sleep
• write a diary every day
• refresh my skincare routines
• be presentable every day (hair done, dressed well, manicured, etc.)
• be active on blog, YouTube, and Instagram to grow following

So far this month I have: written in my diary every day, finished reading my first book and am currently working on two more, started reading a Korean book about fitness as well as a cute webtoon, begun filling out visa paperwork with my husband, posted three YouTube videos, finished the last chapters of an old textbook and decided on which Korean textbook to tackle next, and Konmaried my clothes and books.

Wow. Seeing everything I’ve done in a list like that feels pretty nice. I honestly haven’t felt satisfied with how much I’ve gotten done so far–I feel like I should be even further ahead and time is slipping away so quickly. The truth is, I’ve been on vacation all month and go back to work in February. I have a lot of free time right now which is why I’ve even been able to do this much. But even though my days are completely wide open, I’m still struggling at the moment. I thought I would be my best self all the time: wake up early and exercise, eat healthy, study languages and read books all day, make tons of great content for all my platforms, and do housework and cooking for my husband, all while looking put together. That is just not the case! Time gets away from me, and following through with my habits and routines is as hard as it’s always been. I’m constantly in fear of running out of time, and therefore running out of chances to be better, instead of enjoying my time off from work. But I know that this mindset is getting in the way of just appreciating my progress. I guess I’m being too hard on myself. I mean, deep down I still want to do more more more, but I have to remember to pat myself on the back for the things I do get done, even if I’m not able to check everything off of my to-do list on a particular day.

Well, it’s only January, so I’m trying to keep in mind that so much will change and transpire between now and the end of the year. I’m going to keep working towards achieving my goals and improving my mindset day by day.

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I hope everyone is doing well in 2021. The clock striking twelve on December 31st didn’t change anything: we all still have to deal with who we were before the 2021, while continuing to cope with the challenges that arose in 2020. But we have to keep doing our parts to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe, and we can’t let these ongoing challenges stop us from pursuing new dreams. Let me know in a comment what YOUR goals are for 2021. Let’s encourage each other this year!

– Veronica