I am a planner. I enjoy planning and preparing for the future, which is why I love the first day of school, vacation planning and, of course, New Years. I am really excited about 2018. I feel like it’s going to be a great year.
I am not one of those people who say that every year. I did not feel that way about 2017. I was optimistic enough, but I didn’t really expect much from it. It felt like a transitional year.
2018 on the other hand, feels inspiring. I think a lot of things are going to happen for me this year. I want to do a lot and want to work harder than ever before, which is why I’m preparing early.
I don’t have much time to prepare because I’m leaving for Bangladesh soon (I’m so excited for this trip), so I’ve been doing a lot these first two weeks of December so that when I come back to Atlanta the first week of January, I’ll be able to jump right into everything.
Here’s what I’ve been doing/plan to do.
1.//Finishing The Powersheets Prep Work
Last month, I purchased Lara Casey’s Powersheets Goal Planner for 2018 and I absolutely love it. I’ll go more into this in my 2017 reflection, but I don’t feel like I did enough this year. I held myself back a lot and could’ve delved farther into my goals.
I think this Goals Planner will be good for me because there are a lot of ways it’ll keep me accountable. I love workbooks and this planner is also like a journal because there are many writing prompts to help me uncover my goals.
The Powersheets Prep Work is the first section of the planner. You’re supposed to do this before the New Year starts. I went along with the Cultivate What Matters blog (they did a week-long series) and did a certain number of pages each day last week. I went through and wrote ideas for 2018, challenges and good things from last year, lessons I learned, people I’m grateful for, etc. I really made me think and evaluate different sections of my life.
Right now, I’m in the process of choosing my goals for 2018 and creating action plans for them. I’ll be sharing about that in the New Year. If you’re a long time reader, you know that I stopped posting my monthly goals earlier this year because creating monthly goals had turned into a to-do list for my life. They weren’t really helping me.
I needed a new system, and I’m very impressed with the Powersheets so far and expect them to work for me. (Fingers-crossed)
I’m starting to make plans for 2018 now so that I won’t have to think about it while I’m in Bangladesh and will be able to start working on and mentally preparing for the New Year.
2.//Declutter And Organize My Room
I try to do this every year to throw away or donate things I don’t use anymore. I usually do this in the summer, but I didn’t this year, so I’m going to get it done the day after finals week is over.
I’m also decluttering my room because I want to start organizing it in a different way. After going through all my clothes, I’m going to divide them by seasons and store my summer clothes in a storage box in my closet. That way I’ll waste less time looking through my clothes because my drawers won’t be so crowded.
I also plan on moving some of my books downstairs because it’s getting kind of out of hand (they’re piled everywhere and I only have a small bookshelf. We keep most of our books on shelves in the basement.)
When I get back from Bangladesh, I won’t have to worry about getting my room clean and organized because it already will be. That’s a good way to start the year right. I also love coming home to a clean room after traveling.
Related– The Complete Guide To Decluttering Before College
3.//Inbox Zero
I cleared out my inbox a few months ago, but it’s started piling up again. It’s not as bad as before, but I’d like to clean it out before it hits 800 emails. I want to reach “Inbox Zero” every day next year, so I’m starting now in order to get into the habit.
4.//Finalizing All School Stuff
I’m coming back from Bangladesh the weekend before classes start, so I won’t have much time to prepare. I’ll also be SUPER jetlagged, so I’m getting everything done early.
By the time you read this post, I’ll have met with my advisor, registered for classes and hopefully gotten school shopping done before I leave (I only really need a 5-Subject notebook).
This way, I won’t have to worry about school while I’m in Bangladesh and won’t have to scramble for anything last minute.
5.//Scheduling Out Blog Posts
I’m scheduling all my blog posts for the rest of the year. This is mostly so that I don’t have to worry while I’m out of the country, but this will also help me use more of my time preparing content for the New Year and work on other projects.
This is also a smart thing for any blogger to do because they’ll be able to enjoy the holidays without worrying about their blogs going silent.
6.//Organizing My Computer
Along with my inbox, I am also going to be organizing my computer. I got a new laptop two months ago, but haven’t had time to transfer all my files from my old laptop. I plan on getting this done while I’m on the plane because it will take 29 hours to get to Dhaka. I’ll have plenty of time to organize my desktop.
Organizing your digital files is a great way to prepare for the New Year.
7.//Creating A Blog And Business Plan
I need to make a new one for 2018 for both my blog and business. Once the New Year starts, I will have both goals for my blog and a list of things to do to accomplish them.
Making lists puts my mind at ease. They also help me be more productive, so I’ll be able to jump into next year full swing.
(I don’t know if I used that reference right. I’m not really a sports person)
8.//Relaxing
I don’t think is healthy to be “go go go” all the time. We all need time to rest. I guess my relaxing time will be my trip, which isn’t technically rest, but it’ll be a vacation from work and school. Sometimes it’s just great to turn your mind off for a while.
I honestly believe that everyone needs some rest in order to do well. I don’t want to be burnt out once the New Year starts. I can use this example for day to day occurrences. If you don’t get enough sleep, your day won’t go as well because you are tired. Everyone needs some rest before diving into a new project. (Why do you think you’re so energized and motivated about school after summer vacation?)
9.//Starting My 2018 Goals Early
I’ve never been one to start the clock over in the new year. I’m a “start now” type of person. This is partially because as a student, my year is broken up into many different sections (Fall semester, Winter Break, Spring Semester, Summer Vacation, Thanksgiving Break, Spring Break, Etc.), but I also start new goals in random days of the week (Ex. “I am going to wake up at 7 AM tomorrow” or “I’m going to start posting twice a week on my blog.”)
I’ve been thinking about the New Year for a few weeks now and have written down my goals into the Powersheets Planner, so I already know what I’m going to focus on in 2018 and have started doing or preparing for those goals now.
If your goal is to start working out, start doing that now so that you’ll have laid a foundation for your goals. Don’t wait for some magical date on a calendar to get things done.
Well, that’s what I’ve been doing. I hope you lovelies are ready for a fresh start. (I know I am) I’ll see you on Monday!
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How are you preparing for 2018? What are your New Years Goals?