Jersey Girl

I've gotten to thinking about New Year's resolutions. I know most of the time, they are forgotten by February, but I've really taken a few and ran with them. My last year's resolution was really successfully undertaken in my opinion. I vowed to use gift cards immediately upon receiving them. It worked! I really was committed to this after receiving a massage GC from a friend for my birthday in 2009. I ended up calling to use it within a month, and the place had gone out of business. I was irate! So needless to say, that got me to commit to using all of my gift cards immediately.

I didn't get many gift cards this season, but I do have a TJ Maxx card from my physical therapist (hip) and a Massage Envy gift card (for max actually - he won't use it). I will try to use them both in January. That's a start, right?

Also on my list of resolutions - have a more regular work schedule. Map out two days per week - I will say Tuesday (half) and Wednesday (full). Then I will do some catch-up on Friday to make two full days. Mondays are usually dedicated to some work, but errands, food shopping and meal planning, with a touch of work - both paid and home maintenance. I think I need a more regularly planned work schedule to make the most out of my work time and to minimize stress. Most of my holiday season stress came from not getting things done in a timely fashion. I also need to scope out time for my business planning and PR. That is something I don't do enough of.

I want to develop my new website in January - not sure if this is as much of a resolution as it is a necessity. However, I do plan on doing this in a timely fashion.


Finally, I really have been thinking a lot about updating my surroundings. I really want to finish creating a more workable family room out of my present utilitarian family space. Our basement (finished) is more of the kid area with the mini-gym (treadmill and stairmaster) and our comfy couches, big TV and video games. I also have a sewing corner there too. But upstairs I want to create a more current, upscale TV area, complete with several seating arrangements and some more well-thought-out artwork. Definitely something on the agenda for 2011. These are a few resolutions, or more like works in progress. I want to create a plan for myself that is do-able. Spending gift cards = doable. So with a plan like that, I'm less likely to disappoint myself. Now to go enjoy some much-needed relaxation time.

xoxo

A new year is coming, time for some thought. This year I wanted to pull in my blog with my etsy, with my Facebook, with my twitter, but that didn't happen. I think consolidating would make updating easier, and bring some consistency to my social lack of networking....since I find it more haphazard than networking.

I read someone's list of things she wants to do this December, but I'm thinking more of a list of things I would like to do or accomplish during 2011. The first thing....bringing my business and blog together. Sounds easy, but it's not....for me.

I want to start with top ten.
1. Make cookies with Royal Icing (yippeee!! Did this today, but it's been on my list a while now).
2. Link my etsy with my blog with my facebook, and resurrect my twitter... that is, if I have anything left to say, which most likely I won't.
3. Take more photos of myself.
4. Establish a more regular work schedule. Structure can help my workflow, and reduce my anxiety about not getting things done. So far so good with this into January. I'm not behind (but then again it's slowed down).
5. Make time for ME...I mean some sort of creative time...even if all my work is creative, I still need time for hobbies, at least a little time.
6. Streamline my gift storage area. I stock hostess gifts, tween gifts for birthday parties and small trinkets for friends. If I had a more organized area to keep the stash, I would not be struggling to find it all the time, and would know where those picture frames are, or the pink headphones!
7. Get my physical therapist's Okay to run on flat ground, instead of just hills. I won't go into the reasons I can only run on hills (muscles activate that relieve the strain on hip flexors). I've started this and it's HEAVEN!
8. Get better at meal planning Mon-Thurs. So far, so good on this. I know I have a long way to keep it up, but doing okay!
9 & 10 will come later. I want to really think about what I want to accomplish. Not just a superficial list of things I wanna do, but I real list of stuff I really think a lot about that I want to do - even little things like MAKE BLUEBERRY JAM. This past July I did go blueberry picking, and ended up making some delicious stuff, but not the jam I wanted to make. That will appear on this list! Food for thought, and I'm getting a jump on the 2011 list, seeing that it's only early mid December!