New Year’s Eve/Day has always been one of my favorite holidays. It’s an occasion to reflect on what has been and look forward to what will be, to process the past and leave it behind before making a fresh start. I love the hope that January 1 brings. Now that the winter solstice is behind us, I find myself getting exited about the days growing longer, the weather getting warmer, and all the adventures that lie ahead.

2018 was a year of transition for me, and also a year of joy. I spent most of the year settling into parenthood and finding a new normal, so until very recently, I haven’t been setting many goals or tackling new challenges (aside from the big and obvious challenges of caring for an infant and managing to keep the machinery of life chugging along). I now feel ready to reprioritize some of my former goals and begin moving forward again.

It’s always been hard for me to pick just one resolution. My tendency is to move in multiple directions at once, seeking to improve in several areas simultaneously. I recognize that spreading myself too thin doesn’t set me up for success, though, so I’m trying to narrow my goals at least a little and focus on a small handful of things for the coming year.

Some of my goals for 2019 are more like broad policy statements than specific, measurable resolutions. While I think those general statements of values are important, I know that it’s useful to set SMART goals, too – Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Limited. To that end, I’ve given myself two very specific resolutions for 2019, along with a couple of overarching intentions for the year.

Here are my goals and resolutions for 2019:

1. Track my spending on a detailed spreadsheet for the entire month of January. I’m saving for some big future expenditures, and I want to have a better sense of exactly where my money is going so that I can spend it more deliberately and cut back where appropriate. At the beginning of February, I’ll calculate exactly how much I spent on discretionary categories like dining out and shopping and will set specific goals for the following months (for example, I might decide to cut my restaurant spending by 25% or abstain from all online shopping for a month or more). Maybe I’ll do a Money Diaries-style post on this exercise in a couple of months.
2. Re-adopt a plant-based diet. I was a vegetarian for about a year and a half (and a vegan for a month), but I started eating meat halfway through my pregnancy when I was ravenously hungry and craving things like burgers. Meat cravings historically have been highly unusual for me, and I decided to listen to my body and give it what it wanted in case I had some sort of deficiency or needed the extra protein and iron to support the developing baby. I continued to eat meat while nursing, but I recently stopped pumping and now have no excuse for maintaining a suboptimal diet. I want to eat in a way that is both healthful and ethical, which for me means eating mostly whole plant foods and minimizing animal products in my diet. I recently learned that I am mildly allergic to eggs and milk, so this gives me added incentive to go vegan rather than just vegetarian. I tend to stick with dietary changes when I make them gradually, so my plan is to first eliminate meat, then fish and seafood, then dairy, then eggs, making each change about a week after the previous one. I don’t want to be wasteful, so I’m going to allow myself to consume the meat already in my freezer before going vegetarian. By the end of February, though, I hope to be eating a plant-based diet.
3. Reduce screen time in favor of having more real conversations and reading more books. I’ve lapsed into old habits and have been spending too much time on my phone and tablet, over-relying on texting and reading lots of shared articles online. When the urge to text strikes, I’m making an effort to call or write a letter instead, or make plans to meet up with a friend. I’m once again keeping a book in my purse at all times, and when I catch myself mindlessly scrolling through social media feeds and clicking on links while killing time, I’ll remind myself to put down the phone and pick up the book. (My current purse book is Man’s Search for Meaning by psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor Victor Frankl, which I’ve been meaning to read for years. I’m only 50 or so pages into it, but it’s really impactful.)
4. Have more adventures. I’ve spent way more time at home in 2018 than I have in the past. Going out and doing things with a baby takes some preparation, and I often find myself short on the time and mental energy required to research events and plan outings. It’s usually easier to just stay home. But I’ve been suffering from cabin fever lately, and I know I’ve been missing out on some great experiences. While I’m leery of overscheduling, I am ready to get out and do more. So in 2019, I’m going to make an effort to do more fun things on the weekends, take more trips (including hopefully an international vacation), and generally say yes to more adventures.

How did 2018 go for you? What are your New Year’s Resolutions?

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PS: Regular readers might have noticed that I haven’t been doing Quote of the Week posts lately. I’m thinking about just posting great quotes on my Facebook and Instagram pages in the future, as few people click the links and visit the Quote of the Week blog posts. If you like the Quote of the Week posts, though, let me know and maybe I’ll bring them back. As always, I appreciate your feedback!