After a year which didn’t go to plan for most of us, setting goals may seem somewhat futile as the world continues to be so uncertain… 2021’s goals are being set with 2020 firmly in mind but I always like to use this time of year to reflect on the year just gone and plan for the one ahead, even if plans cannot (and maybe won’t again) be made in the same way… 

Get Stronger

My yoga practice is now being limited not by a lack of flexibility but by a lack of strength so I’d really like this to be a focus this year. There are so many benefits to strength training which go far beyond accessing more yoga poses, too. I’m more than happy to do multiple yoga, pilates and barre classes in a week but I’ve still not found a way to make strength training feel fun or something I look forward to doing.

This year I want to find a way to enjoy getting stronger, whether it’s an in-person class, teaming up with a friend to go to the gym or incorporating more strength into my current yoga self practice.

Get Back Into Reading

I read 36 out of my goal of 50 books last year, so this year I’m setting a more manageable goal of 40 books to read during 2021. Towards the end of the year I got super busy and really neglected reading while trying to fit in far too many things into each day. I’m hoping that a book every 10 days or so is manageable. As always, I’ll be logging my reads on Goodreads.

Be More Spontaneous

I get a lot of satisfaction from planning out my days and weeks (I blogged about how I do this here), but the last couple of months of 2020 really taught me the value of leaving some time free for spontaneity or for rest. I’ve often planned my week out so much that there’s no time to do something spur-of-the-moment or I find myself rushing from plan to plan without really enjoying the in between time to daydream and let my mind wander. 

Rest More!

I’m also planning on giving myself one day a week where I don’t do any work at all, even if it’s work I enjoy. This has definitely been one of the hardest aspects of being self-employed. I feel hugely guilty for time not spent working or doing something towards my self-development but it’s so important. I’ve been told by those who are further down this road for not taking time for myself and it’s something I really want to prioritise this year.

Get Back Into Blogging

Blogging definitely took a back seat for most of us in 2020 but I still think there’s a lot of life left in blogs. I have so many topics that I want to blog about where an Instagram caption wouldn’t be sufficient or nuanced enough. I also want to bring a little more fun and personality back to my Instagram account, post more of “me” and see it less as a business tool and find more ways to share my yoga teaching online.

Purchase Mindfully

I thought that I was pretty frugal in 2020 but I was quite shocked to see that I spent over £350 on clothes still. Of course, this is a huge improvement on years past and some of these items were pieces I genuinely needed for my yoga teaching and practice. Towards the end of the year I definitely fell a little back into spending for spending’s sake and buying things I didn’t really need and just wanted. I definitely want to continue to reign in my spending and the acquiring of “stuff”, donate more of my unused items and only buy things that I really need. Spending more time at home has really made me crave a simpler, less cluttered environment.

Have Fun!

Sometimes I’m so focused that I forget to just have some fun along the way. While 2020 wasn’t personally a terrible year, it sometimes felt like fun was a little lacking. Maybe this is a general symptom of adulthood and feeling like life is sometimes a list of tasks to tick off. Having fun isn’t something that can really be planned (I dislike organised fun a lot) but hopefully making a few less plans and being open to spontaneity will mean that fun will ensue. 

What are your goals for 2021? Do you like to set goals at the start of a new year?