I am determined to be better this year (and yes, I do say this every year but I mean it for 2024 ok!!) and to be better. Last year wasn’t my best. I did so many things that I loved and am grateful for but I was a bit of a mess. I was unorganised and messy and lazy and a bit of a hermit which is ok in small doses but I’m talking this was my whole personality.
Many aspects of my life were affected in 2023 due to how I was living. Relationships, work, uni, my house, my finances and the list goes on and on… but not now. 2024 is our year, we are finally going to get our shit together and unfuck our lives.
Below I have listed what my ins for the year are and what is OUT. These will be different for everyone but these are the aspects of my life that I think needed some help, feel free to steal some but make sure you add at least a few of your own to add to your list. A crucial part of this exercise is reflecting inward. If you are unable to relate to your list then it is unlikely that you are going to implement it.
ONTO THE LIST…
So I will talk through each of the ins first starting with sobriety.
1. Sobriety
Being sober played a huge part in my journey last year as I made it to over 6 weeks with no alcohol which was a huge deal for me. I really tried and I think this may have contributed to not seeing people which is completely the wrong way of being sober.
If you are going to be sober you should still make an effort to see people outside of the pub however scary. Once you have done it a few times I guarantee it will make it easier. I always get anxious seeing people for the first time after a long time or not drinking but mostly come away happy (have had some awkward silences before but avoiding these just comes with practice & it’s ok to not fill all of the gaps anyway).
I am going to try and be sober again this year but in a different way. I think I am going to drink if I fancy it and if I have an occasion on but I am not just going to drink because I am in the house on a Friday night which is another downfall of mine. Boredom is one of the reasons why I drink & do drugs but then I can’t handle the hangover the next day so I don’t want to go out and do anything. If I do go out, then I am going to force myself to get up and do things the next day. This is not the year of the rot.
2. Daily uni work
I fell so far behind in 2023 with my uni work and everything else in my life that I am so determined to not be in 2024. Last year, I didn’t know when my deadlines were causing me to ask for an extension on my first assignment… not a good start to the module (I did end up getting 80% on it though so was chuffed with that – wonder what I could get if I was organised and not rushing and, therefore, skimming my studying!)
This year I have started off differently, I have created a spreadsheet with all of the dates of the year and added in tasks/events for each day for my personal life, work and uni (up until a certain point because things are obviously bound to change). I have scheduled my days off and also days for planning which will allow me to plan the dates that I haven’t yet got to. I should have more of an idea what will be going on closer to the time so want to make sure I keep up with the organised life..
I have added in the template below for reference and your use if you fancy! I have kept the uni work planned for further reference.
3. Daily side hustle
This can include a number of things. My blog and also making some extra cash where possible such as through Vinted and other (legal) means.
I have planned daily tasks for my blog such as drafting content or research etc. depending on what I think needs to be done and when. This is similar to the previous point so not much else to say here.
4. Clean home
Again, this comes under being organised but I am going to use the mantra of ‘just do it’ to get things done. Before I would try and plan out when I was going to clean but now I just see something and do it when I can. I can normally get at least something done at least once a day. I find the thought of doing it is worse than actually doing it.
Having a clean and tidy home makes my head feel clearer and although it isn’t ever perfect, as long as things are tidier than when I started, I count that as a win.
5. Being productive
This has been mentioned within the previous point but again, just doing things rather than putting them off for weeks. If it is a simple task then just get it done and you will feel a million times better.
I have previously had a to-do list as long as my arm and more where things were just stuck and would never got done. If it’s not important, forget about it & just do the things that need to be done as soon as, or not long after they arise.
So many times in my life I have been affected by putting things off like losing money due to not returning things on time or rushing uni work and submitting below-par work. No more.
6. Thank you cards/thoughtful gifts
This is just something nice that I would like to do. I usually get last minute presents for people and I think this shows so I want to put some thought into people’s birthdays ahead of time (sorry to be repetitive about the planning but it is important!!).
As well as this, I would like to show gratitude about what people do for me. I received a thank you card from an old lady last year when I took her to see her sister in hospital. It was such a nice gesture and want to make others feel good like I did after receiving it. It’s only something small but it goes a long way.
7. Monthly saving
This is self-explanatory but I need to start saving. I don’t have much money to my name so going to work hard to make sure I save at least £200 a month. I am on a lot more than that so there is no excuse as to why I can’t save this much but I can’t god damn it!!!! Just have to force myself to do it & the only way I am going to be able to do that is to try to budget which is my next point. Other than that I will transfer it to a savings account at some point in the month and just forget about it.
8. Budgeting – use cash
I used this technique previously and it really helped me budget and understand where my money was going. When I use card, I find it hard to stick to a budget and just downright wont so I need to force myself to have only a certain amount of money physically on me and then I can ensure that I will spend only this for the amount of time that I have specified (usually a week).
I have fallen off with this recently due to the christmas period but determined to get back into this and may do from tomorrow onwards to ensure that I am spending only want I want over the weekend & to avoid overspending profusely which is what I naturally want to do.
A couple of ways to ensure that this works for you –
- Decide what period you want to do it over – I suggest weekly periods which means restarting your budget each week, drawing out money for this period only. I do this as if I have the money for a month to hand, I think it will be harder to manage.
- Decide your budget for your period. How much can you survive on a day over this period? You also need to be lenient with weekends as you will likely spend more. If you do not factor this into your account, you may start using your card and fall back into the trap of overspending.
- Keep your cash handy – find yourself a purse where you can keep all of your cash in one place and that you can quickly grab and have on you at all times. It might take some getting used to when trying to remember your wallet but you should get there eventually. Don’t forget that this is a process – you will only get good by practicing and doing.
- Keep your cash in your purse if you have any leftover – you never know when you will need the extra.
9. Reading
I love reading but find that it takes a lot of effort to make myself do it. I can get quite easily distracted so I need nothing going on around me and with a boyfriend who likely has ADHD, I am hardly ever in a good situation to read properly.
I have been, however, trying to read at least a couple of pages a night and I can normally manage this. It also helps with sleep by reducing your exposure to blue light which is a positive.
I am currently reading The Mind-Gut Connection (Mind-Gut connection) and it is fascinating. It’s the first Science-y book I have ever read and I am really enjoying it. There are a lot of things that have shocked me like how it has been proved that by putting the faeces of one rat into another can change bacteria in their gut and change them completely. If the skinny rat’s faeces are put into a fat rat, it will make them skinny… MIND BLOWN. Sometimes TikTok recommendations are useful.
10. Daily exercise
This one doesn’t need much explanation but going to the gym really improves my mental health. I must admit that daily might be too much to go to the gym – I have been 3 days this week and it is friday morning. I gave myself a day off yesterday as I was super busy and I was tired anyway but felt bad that I couldn’t go. I do walk the dog everyday so that does count but doesn’t give me those edorphins like the gym does.
I also need to keep on top of my gym-going as I can easily fall off. If I have a couple of days off, I just won’t go and then it’s a lot of effort to start back up and I’ll lose any progress that I’ve made. It’s a really annoying cycle so by going everyday, I am hoping to mitigate this.
2024 OUTS:
1. Cancelling plans
This is something that really needed to go. I was a bastard for this. If I didn’t want to go or if I was hungover then I would cancel which is a really bad trait. I don’t want to be that person that doesn’t show up for the people I care about so I am not going to be anymore.
We forget that we can change ourselves every single day if we want to. If our own actions are hurting us or other people then we can just change.. obviously there are some caveats to this but if it is something that you aware of and something that isn’t an addiction etc then it is likely that you can change. Not perfectly at the beginning of course but like anything, it takes practice.
My relationships have suffered from my cancelling and not making an effort so this is something that I am really determined to change. I have made plans with everyone whether I expect to be hungover or not whereas before I wouldn’t have made any plans due to being hungover.. I needed to get a grip. If you can’t deal with hangovers, don’t drink simple as.
2. Being lazy
This is very similar to the ‘Being Productive’ point in my ‘ins’ but basically I don’t want to rot anymore. Even if I am having a lazy day, there is no need to be completely lazy. If washing up or washing needs to be done then just do it. Obviously deep cleaning is banned on a lazy day but some tidying is ok.
One thing I like to do to avoid getting overwhelmed is just moving one thing. If I walk past a mess, put one thing away – the pile or mess will be gone in no time.. much quicker than what it would have been if you didn’t do this little hack. You will find aswell that the one thing you want to move, will be going in the same place as some of the other stuff so you can move them all in one swoop which is an even bigger bonus!
3. Spending money spontaneously/pointlessly
I am the QUEEN of spontaneously buying stuff without much thought. Mostly clothes (although I have curbed this habit slightly & got rid of loads which has meant that I need to buy more which I suppose is ok) and weekends away.
I love a weekend away, I just can’t help it!! I think I’ve got at least something every month until June, possibly until august. I love everything about it – researching, booking, going.. it’s the best. My problem is though that I still spend money the same amount of money that I normally would in a month even after booking/going on these holidays which is my downfall. Takeaways & eating out, buying random things from shops that I pop into (probably pyjamas it’s an unhealthy obsession that I can’t quit!!), and buying more-expensive items than I need are all things that I need to stop or reduce at least.
4. Being in debt
To be fair, I am not in a lot of debt. I have about 2k on my credit card at the minute but some is getting paid off every month (it’s 0% for 18 months). I am also always in credit card debt and my overdraft at the end of the month but these are both paid off on pay day.
I can’t wait to pay that 2 grand off and then I can start being serious with my money & I won’t be in my overdraft every month (hopefully). I’m not too worried about it though to be honest, I never struggle and I will be in a good place at some point. I am just not ready while I am living my life in my 20s to be stringent which is probably the wrong idea but hey ho!
Let’s have it – 2024
2024 is going to be THE year. It’s going to be the year that things change for the better because WE are changing for the better.
Happy navigating 2024 all! x
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