Tag: Goals

2021 Wins and 2022 Plans

- Alexis 3 Comments
Photo of the author standing on a sidewalk, smiling
Photo by Jessica Scheuer

New Year’s Eve has always been one of my favorite holidays. The changing of the calendar year is a perfect time to reflect on what has been and set my sights on what could be.

I don’t know about you, but 2021 was a tough year for me. It feels like a blur, or a continuation of the weird time-warp that began in March 2020. I spent much of this year just doing my best to make it through one day at a time. But looking back at the year in the aggregate, here are some of the things I accomplished in 2021:

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New Habits for the New Year

- Alexis 2 Comments
A rainbow over three homes next to a lake
A rainbow captured on New Year’s Day

I few weeks ago, I wrote that in 2021, I wanted to make more time for myself. I’d noticed that my body seemed to be craving more movement and my mind was longing for more quiet time to read, write, and work through ideas. But part of being kind to myself means not setting near-impossible resolutions and then beating myself up when I don’t adhere to them. Doing that can really mess with one’s self-image. It’s important for me to set goals that I can actually meet.

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Paper Planner Review and New Habits for 2020

- Alexis Leave a comment
Puffin Planner and two of its inserts, a "How to Use This Planner" sheet and a sheet of stickers

A belated Happy New Year! We’re now three weeks into 2020, and I’m happy to say that I’m on my way to establishing some healthy new habits. I mentioned in my last post that I had purchased matching planners for myself and a friend, and now that I’ve been using my planner for a few weeks, I’d like to sing it’s praises — it’s working really well for me. (This is not a sponsored post and it contains no affiliate links, just my honest opinions).

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Celebrating 2019’s Wins and Planning for the New Year

- Alexis Leave a comment
Lush, flower-filled Irish countryside at dusk, with the coast in the distance

As I’ve written before, New Year’s Eve/Day is one of my favorite holidays because I love fresh starts and the optimism they bring. But before launching into listing all the ways we could do better in the coming year, I think it’s a good practice to remind ourselves of the things we did well this year. I tend to be rather hard on myself, and I often move on from my successes quickly while dwelling on my failures and shortcomings. The year’s end is a good time not only to think about how I might improve, but also to reflect on victories big and small.

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Why You Need Specific Goals and How to Set Them

- Alexis Leave a comment
Photo of bright afternoon sun shining over a ridge

A reader recently asked me to do a post on goal setting, and it’s a topic that’s been on my list for a while, so I’m happy to oblige!


Looking back at stages in my life when I felt like I was underperforming or not living up to my potential, they were pretty much all times when I lacked a vision for where I wanted to go and specific goals I wanted to meet. Goal-setting in school was fairly easy because the structure of formal schooling involves a lot of clear steps and numeric measures. There are external expectations that you can strive toward: get an A on the next test, achieve a certain score on the SAT, rank high in your class, get into college or graduate school, secure an internship, etc. I was a people-pleaser when I was younger, and I was motivated to check those boxes, get the associated praise, and feel like I was in control and doing well.


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