Some notes on goal setting for a new year
A new approach to 2025, separate to any kind of productivity BS.
New year, new you? How do you really feel about goal-setting? I have to say that I’m somewhat on the fence about it.
On the one hand, I reckon it’s great to carve out moments where you think about what you truly want out of life (and noting this doesn’t necessarily need to be at the beginning of a new year).
What you want – not what you believe you should be doing. And then plan accordingly, as it can’t all just be sheer dumb luck.
On the other, I don’t really want to live a life that is that regimented. And I wonder; is goal-setting just more productivity bullshit? And how much more of that do we really need?
I like to spend the last and first day of each year on reflection, then planning and thinking. I write one last entry in my diary, a bit of a summary. I go have some fun for NYE, which is usually a nice night in with my fella and my dog (have done the going to clubs and travelling overseas thing many times, and it’s never as much fun as you think it’s going to be).
The next day, I crack open a brand new diary and pen my first entry for the year ahead. A few years ago I did away with resolutions entirely, deciding to set goals instead.
This year, rather than setting goals, I’m embedding values. It’s something that I tried last year and seemed to work out well.
Values might look like the following:
Relationships – I want to work on deepening the connections I have, and be a good friend, partner and family member.
Health – I want to keep my body and mind in good working order throughout the next year, and embed time in for proper rest.
Work – I want to find a balance where I can take pride in my work, without letting it become my life.
Finances – I want to put x% of my pay check towards an emergency fund, so I’m not caught out when something breaks or an unexpected bill comes up.
Knowledge – I want to learn more about [insert topic of choice here] and acknowledge I am not doing this for future work opportunities; I am doing this for me.
You can experiment with different sections and see what’s applicable to your own life. I have a few more in my own like personal projects, reading, travel, etc.
Another thing you could work into each year, is a set of rituals. For example, I like to begin the new year with a short walk or hike. It allows for some woolgathering moments and is a nice thing to do before I start writing in my new diary.
I also don’t drink alcohol for the first month of January, simply because I value the chance to have a bit of a reset. February, I happily fall back into gluttony.
Another stupid example – I started doing ‘wellness’ cleanses in late November that I could write about on here, which I now look forward to ahead of the madness of December. Here’s the fallout, if you missed them:
I’m also keen to embed a few more daily rituals in the next year; just small ones such as stretching first thing in the morning, which is so hard to do for some reason, yet makes a world of difference.
Life could definitely do with a bit more ritual.
Anyway, that’s how I’m approaching the year ahead. If you want more food for thought on this topic, books are always a good place to start.
And just to note, the start of the year is not necessarily the only time you can set values, goals or embed new habits. Any time is the best time, really. However, there is a seize the day kinda energy to the new year, which can be handy to take advantage of.
A quick update on this newsletter
In relevant news, I’ve been trying to figure out a bit of a balance between how much content to provide for free in this space, and how to support my very precious paying subscribers.
I love producing this newsletter, but it does take time – not only to write, but to research as well. And a gal’s gotta eat, especially if she’s writing about said eatings.
I’m not really interested in putting out even more content. Publishing once a week works nicely and I’m sure that’s enough for you too.
For awhile, I’ve only been paywalling one post a month and that hasn’t quite felt balanced.
Going forward, two posts a month will be available to free subscribers. The others will exist behind a paywall. Archived posts will continue to be paywalled after three months.
A paid subscription is $6 a month; around the price of a takeaway coffee here in Oz. Or pay five bucks a month for a yearly subscription, coming in at $60AUD.
I’ve basically planned out the content on here for the next three months and am very excited about what’s in the pipeline. It’s been interesting to see what does ‘well’ on here; not always what I expect, which certainly keeps me on my toes as a writer.
With the Internet rapidly becoming a mush-pile of AI, Reddit threads and advertising, I do hope if you find value in this work, you’ll consider funding it.
An especially big thank you also to everyone who has recently renewed their subscriptions.
And with that piece of housekeeping aside! Would love to hear about your New Year rituals (if you have any) – or any goals of your own for 2025.
This newsletter was supposed to kick back off on 9 January, but this edition obviously felt timely! Catch ya next week with a bit of a wild and epic tale.
‘Til then, stay well and well-fed.
-Celine
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Very realistic and responsible approach to the new year! The values feel like a great way to ease the pressure on oneself as we go careening into the unknown of 2025, so it's excellent advice!
I love the idea of setting values for the year rather than goals or resolutions! I don't mind a couple of resolutions to kick off the year personally, but I'm strict on making them simple and achievable. This year's are along the lines of - stretch more, read more, spend more time outside.