2016, We're Ready For You

A no-stress guide to plotting, planning & scheming your plans for the new year

Last year, I made an ambitious list of resolutions. This year, I'm not even bothering. It's not because I don't believe in resolutions or even that I didn't accomplish any of mine, which for the record, I did. 

In 2015 I learned that planning your life out on a grand scale, say, over an entire year's time, is not only intimidating, but really impractical. You never know where life will take you. This time last year I thought I'd be living in California. I can only laugh about that as I pack my final bags for New York. 

"This time last year I thought I'd be living in California. I can only laugh about that as I pack my final bags for New York."

That doesn't mean I'll stop hoping, dreaming and planning, though. It just means that I'll be adjusting how I do those things.

1. Grab the cutest planner you can find

Writing onto the crisp pages of a cute new planner gets me excited. Opening it makes planning feel like an event – a special daily ritual, even.  I keep one main planner and a few supplementary notebooks for life's to-do lists, my blog and journaling. And yes, they are all adorable (I got mine from Sugar Paper L.A. for Target).

2. Plan a little now, plan a little later 

Planning too far and too specifically into the future gives me anxiety. When my family asks me to make plans for 2016's Christmas with them, I silently freak out. I mean, how am I supposed to say yes to going on a cruise in December? January JUST started. Instead, I plan in monthly or seasonal intervals. Plans that don't seem so far away become less intimidating and more tangible.

3. Break big goals down into smaller, specific ones

I'll be honest: to me, big, vague goals like "save money" or "be healthy" don't seem real. Last year, I wanted to "move more". Then spring came, and I realized I hadn't gotten any closer to making it happen. I needed to give it specifics. I wanted to take a burlesque class. After I looked up dates, times, prices and locations, it became real and pushed me to finally get my shake, shimmy and body roll going. P.S. I highly recommend taking a burlesque class.

So, girlfriends, how do you plan? Or are you just done and over with New Year's Resolutions completely?