Reflections and plans for 2023 are pretty popular topics right now. You canβt spend much time on the internet in January without encountering posts that list personal resolutions, a Word of the Year, diet & exercise programs that you MUST try, or self-help books that will change your life.
Itβs that βfresh startβ season! Everyone is either saying, βNew year, new me,β or theyβre emphatically insisting that they donβt need to change at all, thank you very much.
Feeling overwhelmed yet?
Or maybe it’s too far into the month and you’re just so over it!
While I did choose a word to focus on in 2023, I wanted to spend the first part of this month reflecting on the previous year.
I wanted to make sure I took time to look back and see what worked well for me, what hasn’t been working as well as I thought it would, and how I want to move forward in this year.
Iβm often inspired when I see others share reflections like this. I hope sharing mine here will inspire and encourage someone else today!
Reflections: What worked well in 2022?
- Asana: If youβve been with me for very long, you know I live and breathe by this system! Being able to put all of my tasks, ideas, important info, and appointments in one place is like having my own personal assistant. My ADHD brain is so thankful for it. Using Asana to manage my business and personal life is 100% the best decision Iβve made in the past few years! I could talk about it all day! Do not hesitate to schedule a coffee chat if you want to see if it might be a good fit for you, too.
- Dual monitor setup: My tech savvy husband set me up with an external monitor for my laptop, and now I don’t know how I ever functioned before I had it! It’s especially helpful when I’m building systems for others in Asana, and I love being able to see info & take notes on another screen when I’m coaching in Zoom.
- Rocketbook & Frixion pens: Instead of having 500 different notebooks and forgetting which one I used for that list I made, I just write on the reusable pages of my Rocketbook. It’s so quick and easy to get the info from there into Asana or a Google doc. Then I erase the page and start all over! Pages that wipe clean and pens that erase – I’m in love!!
- Coffee warmer: There should always be coffee, and it should always be hot. My first coffee warmer was well-loved for quite a while, so I was excited to receive another one as a gift this Christmas!
Reflections: What didn’t work well in 2022?
- Using a Laptop Stand with an Adjustable Riser: When I made the switch to working from home and teaching online in 2017, I learned quickly that I could not sit in a chair all day long. I found an inexpensive riser for my laptop that served me really well for a while:
…but it eventually became a place to pile things! It was annoying to manually adjust the settings up and down. Iβm thankful that it got me through the transition period, but itβs time to move on!
- Sitting all day with no lunch break: Iβm the Queen of Hyperfocus when it comes to projects I want to crush, but this also means I skip the occasional meal or eat at my desk. This is serving no one! My body needs to move and be fed, and my work suffers if I donβt step away for a bit. This will be the year of intentional lunch breaks – whoβs with me??
- Keeping products & resources available βjust in caseβ: I have been out of the online teaching space for quite a while now, but I just havenβt been able to let go of the resources and coaching services I created for that community. What if someone needs it? What if I take it away and that one person doesnβt get what they need? Realizing that I don’t have to be all things to all people is quite freeing! When I put all of my energy into serving the women who are overwhelmed and drowning so they can create some breathing room, my heart feels full!
Plans for 2023!
So with all of that being sorted through, here is what Iβm taking with me into this shiny new year of 2023:
- This gorgeous new desk goes from sitting to standing and back with just the push of a button. I AM SO SPOILED. π₯° Chronic pain makes daily deskwork a challenge. Having an easy way to change it up throughout the day has become a must.
- Time management & Productivity tools that work for ME. There are a lot of ways to get your life together. You can buy all the planners in the world. But nothing will help if it doesn’t work for your brain and your lifestyle. My favorites are clearly Asana, my Rocketbook, and my beautiful Frixion pens! I have every intention of continuing with them. I also love this wall calendar! I can see the whole year at once with just a glance and it helps me track my goals.
- Daily lunch breaks away from my desk. Thatβs right – I might even take my food to the couch and watch something on HGTV. *gasp* Taking care of myself by resting and recharging allows me to serve others well! (I will continue to chant this every single day through the year until it sticks. π)
- Providing resources and services that are specific to the people Iβm serving. I will always be exceedingly grateful for the years I was able to teach kids online, create resources for online teachers, and coach others who wanted to create classes & teach online. Going through that season has led me to a business and specialty that I am passionate about. I feel so blessed that my job and my ministry can be the same thing!
Share your thoughts about my Reflections and Plans for 2023!
Iβm sure there are plenty of other things I could share here. I hope the few Iβve chosen are helpful for you! Leave a comment below or send me a DM over on Instagram! Let me know what youβre bringing into 2023. π
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