Here's To You, 2016

It's that time again where we make resolutions for the next 12 months of our lives. It's something most of us do every year with high hopes of accomplishing every single one by December.  

1. Don't plan too far in advance
2. Organize
3. Create SMART goals
4. Don't sweat the small stuff 

Over time, I've realized that making a bunch of plans can get too stressful, especially if they aren't thought out. You can't really plan your life, sometimes you just have to live it.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to stop planning, I'm just taking a different approach. Here are my basic life resolutions for 2016.

Planning is one of my favorite things to do. There's nothing better than creating a schedule in a cute planner. I purchased a similar Sugar Paper planner from Target.

I use my planner daily to keep my blog and YouTube content up to date and organized. If I make plans with friends, I'll jot them down in there as well. When planning, try not to look too far into the future. I normally plan a month in advance only. My only exceptions are vacations, which I try not to plan further than three to four months.

A clear space is a happy space. Clutter makes me crazy. Whenever I'm feeling a little bit stressed, I take a look at my surroundings to see if I have any clutter. I'll normally find binders and excess paper spread out on my desk. When you feel stressed, take a step back and assess your current surroundings. You might need to remove a few things from your space to give you a little more breathing room. 

Creating a list of to-do's and goals is easy. But are your goals SMART? This is my biggest challenge. Make them specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely. 

A specific goal is creating a lifestyle blog focused on beauty, food, and DIY with new posts published twice a week. It explains what you want to achieve specifically. Make your goal measurable to hold you accountable. I will know if I don't publish any new content twice a week. My goal is achievable because I am physically able to publish content relating to beauty, food, and DIY posts. The goal is relevant to my life and realistic in nature. And lastly, the goal is timely because I want to publish content twice a week. 

As much as we plan, we might not always achieve our goals. Don't worry about it. Instead of looking at the glass half empty, look at what's left in your cup. Look at how much you achieved. Look at your potential. What you don't accomplish this year, you can always try next year.

How are you planning 2016?