We have good news: the end of 2020 is literally in sight! And with 2021 comes a chance at a new start, in a year that promises to be—well, not 2020. You’ve probably got all your Zoom/solo party plans set for New Year’s Eve (by this point we’re all Zoom party experts, right?!), so let’s take a look at some ways to get you set up for success, for January 1st and beyond!
One way to get excited about your goals and plans for the new year, and to keep track of how you’re doing on your journey, is to keep a planner. If you’re new to this approach, it can feel a bit overwhelming with so many options available, so here are two of our favorites. SILK + SONDER offers beautiful paper planners that they send to you on a month to month basis, and all of them have a self-development and self-care focus. Then there’s the Commit 30 planners, which have both digital and paper options and are centered around the idea of tackling different goals in 30-day increments. If neither of those options tickle your fancy, check out this Strategist article that has their top 24 picks for 2021 planners, broken down into daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly planners.
We can all agree that setting personal goals is one way to increase our happiness and overall sense of wellbeing. But even if you’re not the type to go planner-crazy, you can still be a goal setter, minus the documentation. With most people still in quarantine to some extent, one thing we suggest is to intentionally set some goals related to your health and wellness, like setting a weekly physical activity and movement goal. And there are still plenty of ways to stay active within the current state of things! Some fun winter activities you could try: snowshoeing, skiing, ice skating, or even sledding (dragging the sled back up the hill, again and again?! That’s no joke!).
If you’re not into braving the cold for exercise, set an inside-friendly exercise goal. Try yoga at home, or other bodyweight exercise programs like pilates or kickboxing routines. No gym entry required – there’s an app for that! Or many, we should say. One of our favorites is an app called Down Dog, which offers a selection of exercise types, including yoga, HIIT, and barre. What we like most about Down Dog is how many customizations you can have, from the style and level of difficulty of the exercise to the kind of music that’s played in the background, and the voice giving instructions. And if an app isn’t your thing, there are plenty of fitness classes offered online now too, so check your local gym to see if they’ve switched to Zoom classes. There are also independent fitness instructors who offer free or low-cost classes online, and often advertise on Instagram so you can find them more easily.
And speaking of health and wellness goals, let’s not forget our favorite time of the day: mealtime! As you probably know by now, we’re big fans of family meals. Sitting down at the dinner table and eating together as a family has been shown to have a number of positive healthy side effects, so if you struggled to make family meals a habit in 2020, give yourself a fresh start and let 2021 be the year that you make it a routine. Another way to help your family eat well apart from when they’re all together at the dinner table is to take some time every week to prepare healthy snacks. For example, have ants on a log in the fridge, or pre-cut veggies and hummus, ready to go for the kiddos at the start of the week, rather than only having party size potato chip packs on hand for snacks. Small changes like that will make a huge difference in your kids’ nutrition.
Besides health and wellness, what are your other goals for 2021? Do you have a hobby you want to make more time for or a project you want to commit to finishing? Let us know! On our list of 2021 goals is to form deeper connections with all of you. So tag us on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook and share your 2021 dreams with us. We wish you happy goal-setting, and most of all—a very happy new year!