Setting Goals and Expectations for the Year Ahead

0
Setting Goals and Expectations for the Year Ahead Vanessa Santamaria Contributor Miami Moms Blog
Setting goals for 2020. Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash.

It’s January and I’ve set my goals for the year. I’d rather not call them “New Year’s resolutions,” because that has a sort of negative connotation to it as if they are just dreams that always seem an arm’s reach away. This year, I want to change a lot of things and really make an impact. Rather than setting “resolutions” that seem out of reach, I made a list of short-term and long-term goals that I want to accomplish, both personally and professionally.

For the purpose of this post, I’ll focus on my personal task list. First, I want to get my home in tip-top shape, as this will make it easier to then tackle everything else. Below I’m sharing my list for 2020.

Paperwork and Financial Documents

I don’t know about you, but I always have a stack of paperwork to file, kids’ projects to put away, and catalogs to sift through. I’ll need to schedule time to review all of this, throw out what’s not important, and make sure all my financial documents are ready for my accountant.

Home Organization

I’m really big on organization projects because it seems like it’s just too easy to accumulate too much stuff. Over the holidays, we amassed more toys, clothes, and shoes. So it’s definitely time to devote an entire weekend to clearing out closets, cabinets, drawers, and face the daunting task of once again organizing the playroom. At some point, I’ll need to call my friend who’s a professional organizer to come and help me declutter a bit. Then I will feel so much better and more productive after all this is done.

Self-Care

It seems everyone talks about self-care when January rolls around. For me, it’s about more than just eating healthier, exercising and losing weight. The past couple of years I’ve focused on everyone but me, and I need to change that. I want to take time for me because I need it and I deserve it. I want to start taking more walks outside and enjoying nature, go on a lunch break every so often, schedule a massage, watch a series or movie that I enjoy, spend time with friends, mentor more college students, and pay more attention to what I consume. 

Vacations

Traveling adds fuel to my fire! It feeds my soul, allows me to spend quality time with my family, renews my energy, and it teaches us so much. I hope to take the girls somewhere they’ve never been so we can experience a new destination through their eyes. As a travel editor, I’ve had the opportunity to discover many picture-perfect destinations, and I’d LOVE to return to Colorado or Puerto Rico (two of my family’s favorites). But I’d also like to take them somewhere new. Any suggestions?

Setting Goals and Expectations for the Year Ahead Vanessa Santamaria Contributor Miami Moms Blog
Vanessa with her daughters, Grace and Gianna

Weekend Fun

We had family in town over the holidays and it made me think of all the beautiful, enriching experiences there are to see and do throughout Miami. We really do live where everyone else vacations so we should take advantage of that! This time of year is especially beautiful, with the crisp blue skies, refreshing ocean breeze, and the cooler temps. This means we need to get out and experience more of what makes this city so magical. On my list: walking in the gardens, boating, rodeo, brunch outdoors, picnics and play dates in the park.

Balance

Finding true work-life balance is challenging in this fast-paced, deadline-driven, list-making, non-stop world of mompreneurship. I call it the “seemingly unattainable [insert unicorn pic here] work-life balance.” However, I believe that we need to set our priorities and just work through them as best we can. Life is always going to surprise us with something. Believing we can lead a perfectly-balanced-life-of-working-9-to-5-in-our-dream-job-without-interruptions-and-then-picking-up-our-kids-and-preparing-a-gourmet-homecooked-meal-while-they-behave-like-angels is… well, let’s just say, it’s easier to go out and buy a unicorn. This year I’m committed to setting priorities, being perfectly imperfect and finding some sort of balance so that I’m not overly stressed 99% of the time. This means trying my best to stop working by 6 p.m. so I can spend more time with my kids, putting away my phone so I’m not constantly checking work emails, worrying less, putting my kids to bed on time, and just savoring every blessed moment with my loved ones.

I put up several Post-It notes on my inspiration board with goals that I want to achieve. I hope this will keep me focused.

What are some of YOUR goals or priorities as we enter 2020? Together, we can empower each other. Let’s do this!