Happy New Year — Now What?

So, 2022 has come to and end, and for some of us that means highs and lows, which is okay, because that’s how we learn and grow.

It also means new year resolutions and a clean slate. While it’s good — healthy even — to reflect on what you’d like to do differently or continue to do more of, it doesn’t mean you can only restart on the first day of the year. You can start whenever, even if you don’t think everything is perfectly lined up. It’s okay to start making better choices, and that — better choices — is my first goal for 2023.

I, for one, am aiming to do more of what makes me happy and be accountable for what I do while still giving myself grace when I fall off the wagon, because we’re human, and things happen.

To be more specific, my goals for 2023 are:

• Make better choices – Higher protein and lower carbs. H₂O is the way to go
• Be more Active – Take more steps; explore more thoroughly. Overall: spend more time outdoors!
• Post regularly right here on idkjacklyn.com & my YouTube channel. Feel free to check it out and subscribe if you want to be notified when I upload new adventures to YouTube (button below).

• Read – 52 Books in 2023 (a book a week) is my Goodreadsr reading goal
• Apply for a Doctoral Program for my future goal of being a professor

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While I do have a planner that I use to keep track of deadlines and appointments, I also use my planner to keep track of my progress. Not so I can feel like I failed myself, but for motivation to push myself just a little more when I need it by checking off a box, adding another book I’ve read, or to just look at and be proud of all that I have accomplished!

Some helpful resources for tracking and researching I use are:

• Planner – I usually have a simple weekly appointment book that I buy on Amazon every year for about $15, but my awesome Team Leader bought us all custom Erin Condren Planners, so I’ll be using that gift this year.
• Google Calendar – I recently made the switch to Google calendar vs my stock Apple calendar because while I do have an iPhone, iPad and Macbook Pro, my husband is the exact opposite with Samsungs. Also, at work we use PCs, and our main desktop setup at home is a PC — and I found that the Google calendar could be better to use across all of our devices, which is nice to be able to add attendees to events as well as have the option for AJ and I’s calendar be synched, when necessary.
• MyFitnessPal – The free version is helpful, but I did pull the trigger and purchase the annual subscription to help me better track my macros. This app lets me scan barcodes of items, build recipes, duplicate meals, add water intake and a bunch more. The app is very user friendly, and the premium features make it even more versatile. It’s also available on iPhones & Android.
• Garmin – Now this is the same for any sort of smart watch with a tracker for the most part, but my Garmin watch and the Garmin app allows me to track my steps, and it syncs with the MyFitnessPal app. So as long as I make the decision to either get outside, take the stairs at work, or jump on the treadmill, my steps are getting tracked for me.
• Goodreads – If you’ve never heard of it and are a reader, or want to become one, Goodreads is a free app that allows you to search books, add them to ‘shelves’, and track what you’ve read, are reading or want to read. What’s also pretty cool is that you can follow friends, and see what they’re reading, what they’ve recently read and what they rated it, and what they’ve added to their want to read shelf which helps you pick your next read! They also have an annual tracker, which allows you to enter an amount of books goal you would like to read, and the tracker tells you how many books you have to read per month, and as the year progresses, it’ll tell you if you’re ahead or behind your goal pace. Goodreads desktop version also has a section where you can enter to win free book giveaways which is a fun way to get books on a budget (free). – Searching for book suggestions? Follow my Goodreads account: Jacklyn ACD
• Google Docs – This has been a fave of mine, and I will continue to advocate for it. Google Docs is amazing… It allows me to keep track of my finances on an excel sheet, draft files, keep track of addresses, and the list goes on and on. Best of all you can access on your computer or phone, and it saves in real time. Plus pretty much everyone nowadays has a Gmail, so they have google docs, and it’s free.
• For our trips – I book through my Independent Travel Agency. Since I get commission from all my bookings, including my own trips, at no additional cost to the consumer, I will continue to do so for 2023. With that said, if one of your 2023 goals is to travel more or make extra money, feel free to reach out for more information!

What are some of your goals for 2023?