I’ve been debating whether I wanted to put together a list of New Year’s resolutions 2022. After the last couple of years, I feel like I’d be foolish to make any plans. But I’m a goals person, and I’m starting to come around to the idea that this uncertainty and things changing in a flash is our new reality. I don’t think it makes sense to just sit and wait it out anymore and see what the world looks like when Covid is over. I mean wishful thinking it will end, but it sounds like it’s going to become something we live with and we’re going to adjust to a new normal. I’m okay with that. I think I need to make some decision about how the future will work, and I think it’ll probably be one of living with uncertainty and constantly evaluating risk of doing versus not doing. I don’t know. I’m not an expert, but I’m also ready to move forward with life and my goals. So I’m going to set my intentions for the New Year and share my New Year’s resolutions 2022 so that they are out in the universe and that hopefully helps me manifest them and keeps me accountable.
I like to look back throughout the year on my resolutions and see how much progress I’ve made. I also look at them as I form my monthly goals. Last year, I kept my resolutions for 2021 pretty general. It was more of a mind shift, but also, I honestly wasn’t in the mood to make goals after everything we experienced. But this year, I’m ready to be a bit more specific and start manifesting the life I want moving forward. I am feeing like we’re opening a new chapter in our lives. We’re welcoming a new baby, work looks different, life looks different, and we’re going to sell our home and move. It will be a lot but also an opportunity to start on a new path, which I’m looking forward to. That uncertainty excites me — I love the possibility and setting goals for what I want it to look like.
So as we embark on a new year and one that will inevitably bring much change, here our my New Year’s Resolutions 2022.
Start Newsletter
This is happening this year and so I’m making it one of my first New Year’s resolutions 2022. No more excuses. Let me know what types of content you would want from my newsletter. Also, for anyone who has created one — any advice on MailChimp versus Flodesk?
Be More Present with My Children
In other words, I am going to try very hard to put down the phone in the mornings before school, when they get home from school for at least 10-15 minutes and from the time I get home/finish work until they go to bed. I also want to spend less time on my phone on the weekends. This is really hard for both my jobs and let’s be honest, I’m addicted to scrolling like the rest of us, but I think it’s really important for my family. I want to be the mom who fully engages and is present for her children, not looking at her phone and showing what’s on there is more important than my kids and what they’re trying to show me. Any tips? I think a major part of this will be putting my phone away and out of arms reach when I’m with them and for those set times of day. This is probably the most important of my New Year’s resolutions 2022 and honestly, it’ll be the hardest to keep, but it’s something that’s really important to me.
Be More Mindful About Meal Planning and Eating Healthy
I have gotten in a bad habit of being so rushed in the mornings and evenings that I’m eating Luna bars or cereal for breakfast or dinner even instead of an actual meal. I really don’t like doing that when pregnant, but in general it’s just not good. It’s not the fuel I need to get through these crazy days, it’s not giving me all the nutrients I need to fight things like Covid and the flu, and it then leaves me hungry and snacking at night. Plus, I just kind of feel gross about it. Like what am I in college? If I can find the time to prepare or obtain healthy meals for my family, I can certainly do the same for myself.
Exercise 5 Days a Week
I know it’s trite to make eat healthy and workout my New Year’s resolutions 2022, but haven’t we learned by now that health is wealth, right? I exercise as much for my mental health as for the physical benefits. I often dread it. I hate the gym and workout classes, but I’m always so happy after I do it. I want to make it a goal to workout at least five days a week. I know it’ll help with easier labor and getting back in shape after baby, but it’s also me time that I need. As I enter my third trimester, this may mean a long walk but I’m also hoping to get back into tennis (maybe even paddle) and I have been doing some Tracy Anderson classes that are low impact enough that I feel comfortable doing.
Make Time for Monthly Date Nights
We have been really great about getting sitters to go out with friends and to go to parties. We haven’t been so great about doing 1:1 dates. Since we’ve been working from home more in 2021, we have managed to squeeze in tennis or lunch dates during the days, and I think those definitely count. My goal for the new year is to do at least a couple Andrew and I dates. Now don’t ask me how this will work when the baby is here, but we have a few months to enjoy date nights until then…
Grow My Blog Audience
I really want to focus more on growing this community and blog. It’s what I own (versus social media), and I want to put more time into optimizing it, updating the site, and creating regular content for the blog. My goal is to quadruple my daily users by the end of the year. I know that’s a lofty goal, but I think I can do it. As part of this, I also want to grow my affiliate business, so I look forward to sharing more on my Reward Style page and on the blog as well. Basically I am putting a huge focus on this community and side business of mine and it’ll be one of my biggest focuses in terms of my New Year’s resolutions 2022.
Grow My Social Media Following
I know that in addition to consistency, which I worked hard on these past few months, this will require making more Reels, Stories and video content. I haven’t had the time to really invest in these areas, but I’m going to make time in 2022.
Write a Book (!!!)
Yep, I’m not messing around when it comes to my New Year’s resolutions 2022. This is crazy ambitious, especially as I welcome another child into the mix. But I’ve been talking about this for way too long. It’s time to jump on this and write the damn book already.
Find Our Next Home
Yes, we are moving (more on this soon). But where? We don’t know. We are selling the home we renovated and transformed. As I’ve mentioned before, we always knew it wasn’t our forever home. It was a project and labor of love and we have loved it, but the market is hot where we live, and our family is growing, and I’m ready for my next project (hehe), so it’s going on the market in January. What does that mean for us? We need to find our next home! Of course I’m in the market for a project too, so we’ll see where it takes us. I am being surprisingly chill about it. I think houses are fate. What’s meant to be will happen. If you had seen our place when we bought it, you would have called me insane. Even my husband couldn’t believe what it has turned into — and he poured just as much blood, sweat and tears into it as I did (perhaps more). I think we’ll know when we find the place, and I want to be settled before James starts kindergarten in the fall and I return to work, but we have time to find the right place. I’ll be sharing more on our house hunting journey. We’ve already started looking and bidding but nothing has panned out, so I’m hoping we’ll find something in early 2022 and this is probably top on my list of New Year’s resolutions 2022 because well, we need a place to live! And of course, I am thrilled at the idea of being able to renovate and decorate a new place to call our own and will be documenting it all along the way.
Plan More Adventures with the Fam
This one fits into my larger New Year’s resolutions 2022, which includes making special memories as a family. I really made a concerted effort to plan some fun adventures with the kids throughout our fall weekends and it made such a difference. Whether it was a trip to the city or to the zoo or museum, we had a great time and made memories and didn’t waste our weekends fighting over what to do or getting antsy inside. I think this is especially important during the wintertime when it’s harder to get out of the house, but in general, I like going into our weekends with a plan. I have already set up ski lessons for James on Sundays and skating lessons on Saturday mornings to help bring structure and activities to get out the energy but I also plan a list of fun things to do each month and some bigger excursions. On my list are Legoland, a family vacation this spring while I’m on maternity leave, Bronx Zoo (a favorite), Natural History Museum, Aquarium, Playland, a hockey game, Katonah Farms… What else should we put on our list? Debating if Disney is a this year play or if wait until the kids start begging to go…
Work on Regulating Myself
I have really been focused on a gentle parenting approach, but when I’m stressed and everyone’s melting down, I find the kids can really trigger me and I end up yelling or just not being the parent I want to be. I know it’s more about me than their behavior. I really want to invest this year in taking care of myself so I am not always exhausted and stressed (easier said than done, especially with another on the way). But I know I can be better about asking for help and going to sleep earlier and as I mentioned above, eating better. I also want to work on taking a breath or walking away before yelling, and just trying to react more calmly even when I am feeling triggered — like when James punches his sister or Charlotte throws my phone across the room or when everyone is screaming and asking me for things and melting down and I’m trying to deal with a work situation and it’s just chaos. Sometimes I think yelling is unavoidable and we just have to do what we can to get by in the moment, but it’s really not something I want to do often as a mom, so I’m going to work hard on my patience and deep breaths and working through the things that trigger me. I think it’ll help us all.
Make Time for the Hobbies I Love
This is mainly tennis but also paddle, which I’ve grown fond of. I didn’t make it a priority since getting pregnant for a variety of reasons and it’s something I really want to make time for this year. Happy mom = happy family and I think that’s an important add to my list of New Year’s resolutions 2022 for the entire Kennedy fam.
Order Less takeout
While I refused to let myself bad about the amount of takeout we ordered this year, it has become a habit and I want to cut back this year. Not only does it add up, but honestly, I know it’s not the healthiest. This year, we were often in survival mode, especially as we dealt with returning to work, school and activities ramping up, and sometimes spotty childcare. Not to mention being pregnant and exhausted. (And exhausted even when not pregnant.) But this year, I’d like to start making more of our own food myself. I’m not going to make learn to cook one of my New Year’s resolutions 2022 because I think that’s setting myself up for failure. But if I order out less, it’ll force me to prep our own meals, whether or not they’re full home cooked, and I think we’ll all benefit from it even if the kids will miss the $11 bowls of plain buttered noodles.
Shop More Mindfully
I always like to include this since this is the heart of what this blog is all about. I have gotten so much better about my shopping over the years and really only invest in things I’ll wear for a long time. But I have fallen victim to the Amazon bargains of the day and crazy finds on Instagram and found myself shopping a little less mindfully at points this year. I really want to do a better job of not just clicking to buy because wow it’s a $30 sweater on Amazon and looked so cute on Sarah. I know easier said than done, but I’ll be sharing more about how I’m doing here on the blog, and more tips for how you can spend and save smartly.
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