I heard about the act of listing eighteen thing to do in 2018 from Happier with Gretchen Rubin and Happier in Hollywood. They’re not really resolutions per se. More like reminders of what I want to accomplish throughout the year. Because I will literally forget that I wanted/needed/had a goal to do something unless I have some sort of written accountability. And I’m not going to lie – I love lists.

What are your eighteen (or fewer) for ’18?

1. Stick to my bullet journal. I want to make this a habit. I was going strong in September, faltered in October, and I think I had one entry in November. The thing I hear is that a bullet journal will only work for you if you make it what you need. Don’t get caught up in all the Pinterest-worthy hype (unless you truly find value in making your bullet journal a work of art. As creative as I love to be….ain’t nobody got time for that). I love this tutorial from The Lazy Genius Collective.
2. Plan a trip. Sounds vague, I know. We so often get caught up in our daily lives, we don’t make plans for little vacations during summer or during shorter school breaks. Then the break is over and we say, “Man, I wish we’d done something.” (I am also a terrible planner and fear commitment, so this will be a challenge.) Here’s to making plans and going places.
3. Declutter / decorate bedroom. We all want to declutter – toys, books, garage, kitchen – but putting general decluttering on the list wasn’t intentional enough. What I really need to do is get all of the homeless stuff out of my bedroom and make it a place to which I actually want to retreat. We recently rearranged the furniture, moved my desk, hung the TV on the wall, and I have lots of inspiration from my Master Bedroom board on Pinterest. I just need to make those ideas happen.
4. Take action on a creative project. Because of the 847 projects swirling in my head, I would like to complete at least one. (And I need to work on my fear of process.)
5. Frame/hang art/photos. We have lived in our house for 12 years. Two years ago we painted the living and dining room, so I had to take down what little art we had hanging, and I have yet to put most of it back up. the room has large, expansive walls that are daunting to fill. My husband and I received a bunch of cool prints for Christmas that I would like to NOT still have leaning against the walls this time next year.
6. Stop hitting snooze. Ugh, this will be harrrrrrrrd.
7. Read 30 books. 2017’s goal was 24, and I made it to 26. Reading more chapter books with the kids definitely helps. I have a list in my bullet journal, but I keep track of it all in Goodreads.
8. Give more handmade birthday gifts. I always think of something I would love to make for someone as a gift….at the last minute. The problem is, I can’t whip up a quote or drawing or painting with two days notice (usually). So in addition to wanting to give more thoughtful, handmade gifts, I also need to…
9. Be more intentional with friend/family birthdays. I don’t want to say, “Ugh, I am the worst at birthdays,” and have that be my excuse for seeming like a shitty friend/family member. I want people to know they are worth the effort it takes for me to plan ahead and send a card or a gift.
10. Blog at least once per month. JANUARY IS IN THE BAG.
11. Plan a local family adventure. There is so much to do in this town, and we take advantage of so little of it. I’ve already said I suck at planning, and I find comfort in the familiar, but I do love a loosely-planned, semi-spontaneous adventure. If you’re in the Austin area, I’m open to suggestions!
12. Rebuild address book. My addresses are a mess. So every time I need someone’s address, I have to ask for it. It’s pretty annoying and could be solved with just a little time and a little bit of organization.
13. Plan a girls’ weekend. This sounds cliche. Is this cliche? All I know is that I don’t get together with some of my girlfriends as much as I’d like. Where would you go?
14. Take myself to the movies. I have been “trying” to take myself on a date to the movies since my twins started school. They are now in 4th grade. Why haven’t I even able to make this a priority? (Because I’m an Obliger and always putting myself on the back burner.) If there’s a movie I really want to see and I can rearrange my schedule so I can go while they’re in school, why not?
15. Journal regularly, re: creativity. I have a growing fascination with creativity, and I’m in the midst of a could-be-big project revolving around it. I need to be writing down more of my thoughts and documenting my processes (there’s that word again).
16. Unnamed project idea that I have to keep vague for the purpose of this post.
17. Try barre class. If there was ever anything people would be surprised to hear I want to try, it’s barre. I’m surprised myself. But I love strength training, and I love a challenge, and I’ve heard a lot of great things about it.
18. Fix the ukulele / teach myself how to play. One of my 9-year-olds took 6 months of ukulele lessons, and boy did I hope this would be the activity that stuck. Alas, when she got discouraged that she wasn’t automatically a rock star (also happened with Tae Kwon Do when she realized she wasn’t automatically a ninja), she lost the will to continue, and we’ve had a ukulele sitting in a case under her bed for about a year now. One of the tuners needs a screw replaced, and I would love to feel like if we fixed it and I started playing it, someone else would join in.

What are your eighteen (or fewer) for ’18? I’ll try to make note when I cross one off, so stay tuned.