Slow Living Intentions For 2018
Full disclosure, this post comes from an idea of my mum’s. Not big on resolutions, she’s written a list of 50 things she wants to do this year, which span from the specific (go on a spa day for the first time) to the general (be less scared). I’d planned to write a post about my slow living intentions but I wasn’t quite sure what form it was going to take, so I thought I’d join in with my mum and create a list of things I want to do in 2018.
You may remember from my post What Happens when Your Hobby Becomes Your Work that certainly in the last few months of 2017 I was really struggling with finding a balance between work and life, which was having a knock on effect to the blog because I didn’t exactly have a slow lifestyle to write about. So I’ve tried to keep this list focused on things I want to do in my life rather than in my business (although there is the odd thing sprinkled in).This ties in with my word for the year, Steer (which you can read more about in my 2017 Review). Steer resonated with my because it gave me room to be proactive and reactive in my business, but also reminded me that I am in control, and I’m the one who can choose to let down the anchor and learn to knit if I so wish. Choosing that word was the permission I needed to let in more life.
I hope you find inspiration in this post, whether you want to write your own list or are looking for ideas to embrace simplicity in your life. Some of the items are pretty personal to me, and for some I’ve added a bit of background explanation about why I’m doing it. If you are thinking of writing your own list, here are some things to remember…
What This List Is:
- Things you want to add to your life to improve it, not things you want to deprive yourself of
- A way to set intentions and give yourself permission to do things for yourself
What This List Is Not:
- Something to beat yourself up over – if you’re not doing each and every one by December that’s ok! They’re only intentions
- Things you think you should want to do – if you don’t want to see more of your sister then don’t
My Slow Living Intentions for 2018
1 - Post less on Instagram – this may seem an odd one, but in 2017 I got into a cycle of daily posting I was too scared to break out of, and my evenings ended up being me watching tv and being on my phone (the very thing I started the blog to get away from). Posting less will enable me to do the thigns on this list.2 - Have a working lunch in a cafe once a month3 - Read 12 books – I didn’t read a single book in 2017. I need to change that.4 - Try meditation5 - Take time over my photography – I love taking photos but lately it’s felt very rushed. I want to get back into taking time over compositions and faffing.
6 - Explore somewhere new a couple of times a quarter – we live in an amazing place and have barely explored it at all7 - Practice gratitude8 - Go on holiday (preferably in a campervan) – we didn’t have a holiday last year and I really missed the closeness and camaraderie camping brings to our relationship9 - Knit something – given that I’ve never picked up a knitting needle this is a bigger challenge than it sounds!10 - Complete an embroidery hoop
The next five are all health-related ones. After my back injury in January I barely exercised in 2017 and my diet became appalling after becoming self-employed. I want to focus on building strength and recognising my body again11 - Go on a bike ride twice a month12 - Get into a yoga habit – when I was dreaming of self-employment a big vision was doing yoga every morning13 - Swim regularly again – swimming was always my favourite exercise but after I hurt my back I hurt it even more by getting back into the pool too quickly, and have been terrified to try again14 - Cook from fresh15 - Eat vegetables!
16 - Bake again17 - Make efforts to meet people – whether that’s seeing friends, making an effort in the local community or meeting more people in our industry, I want to remember to make an effort with human interaction18 - Walk more than just with dog19 - Have an open mind to newlifestyle choices – I want to keep an open mind and try all sorts of things that enhance the life others, whether that’s aromatherapy, wabi-sabi or journaling20 - Learn about the plants around us
21 - Make home – keep on top of the chores (although this is unlikely)!22 - Make more of my mornings – I’m not a morning person, so I tend to start work at 11am and go through into the evening, but I’d like to do something more than sleep in my mornings.23 - Do some craft workshops24 - Come to terms with my personal style – at some point this year I completely lost my personal style, and miss feeling good in what I’m wearing. I’d like to get back to that.25 - Learn about bird calls
26 - Save more money27 - Invest in myself as a coach28 - Help more people through the business – by this I mean, find new ways to help more people through different offerings and opportunities29 - Keep track in my business30 - Embrace side projects
What intentions are you setting for this year?
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