We’re a few days into 2024 now so it’s time to break down my annual goals into more manageable chunks, i.e. monthly goals. Yearly goals can be overwhelming so by creating an action plan to achieve them, they don’t seem so daunting. First, I’ll recap my December goals before starting with my 10 goals for January 2024.
DECEMBER GOALS RECAP
Get prepped for 2024
DONE. In fact, I’d say I took most of December to do so as well as this past week of January. When I prep for a year, it’s definitely not a five-minute job. It takes me weeks to get all set up with my planners, both digital and paper, so I’d rather ease into it, rather than rush it. I’d rather take the entire month and sacrifice my December goals!
Have a digital declutter
I did try to do this but in all honesty, I tried to not be on my laptop much over Christmas. However, I have done the odd bits and bobs over the break. I’ve unsubscribed from just about every newsletter, sorted through some photos, and tidied up my Canva account.
Set up winter capsule wardrobe
DONE. I love winter clothing but equally, I spend 95% of my time at home. Loungewear and comfy clothing is a high priority for me but I also knew I wanted some new additions. I got four items for Christmas but also managed to get four items from Vinted. I’ve also got a new waterproof coat for my birthday in a couple of weeks because my outerwear was severely lacking.
Watch as many Christmas movies as possible
DONE! Because I watched so many in November, I didn’t watch quite as many in December. I genuinely think I have a limit to watching so many because they’re not exactly stimulating for the brain! However, they’re good background noise on lazy work days from the sofa.
Finish the Vampire Diaries
DONE. I managed to finish it on the 27th December but I’ll be honest, I was only half watching the last two seasons. Elena isn’t my favourite character but I thought she was definitely missed. I’m still pissed that Bonnie did most of the work and didn’t get her happy ending with Enzo. Also, not a fan of Stefan and Caroline as a couple.
Declutter the spare bedroom/home office
I started this but still haven’t finished it. It’s a job that I need some help with because half of the stuff in there is mine but the other half is my dad’s stuff. I don’t want to get rid of something important!
Read 10 books
Massive fail here. I managed three books to take my 2023 total to 43. I was aiming for 50 but I just couldn’t get into the reading mood. Oh well, I’ll try again next year.
Get ahead with December/January blog content
Well, I’ve got most of it planned out. But none of it is scheduled. It’s a goal of mine for 2024 to get a week ahead so it’s what I’m working towards now.
Reboot TEE Instagram
Urgh, does anyone else have a love/hate relationship with Instagram? I love using the app but I hate it as a blogger. I’ve got zero photography or video skills so it’s not my forte. Maybe I’ll work on it in 2024.
Start working on updating my business website
Oh dear, another no. I think this goal will be on my list until the end of time!
DECEMBER STATS RECAP
12 – TV series watched (DCC MTT s3-4, 6-8 + 13, The Vampire Diaries s6-8, Strictly s21, Mamma Mia I Have A Dream, Body in the Snow)
18 – Films watched (Kinky Boots the Musical, Ice Age, Ice Age 2, Toy Story 4 and 14 Hallmark Christmas movies)
21 – Blog posts written
18 – No-spend days
3 – Empties
3 – Books read (The Christmas Wish – Lindsey Kelk, Always, in December – Emily Stone, Baby It’s Cold Outside – Emily Bell)
1203 – Pages read
JANUARY GOALS
Read 4 books
My aim for 2024 is to read 52 books, which works out at 1 per week. Ideally, I’d love to read 6 books in January but I’ll stick to one a week for now!
Go to the cinema 4 times
There are so many films out in the first couple of months of 2024 that I’ve decided to get an Odeon Limitless membership. You only have to be signed up for 3 months so whilst tickets are £9.99 and it’s £17.99 a month, technically I only need to see 2 films a month. However, it’s cheaper to see films at Vue so I’m aiming for 4 films a month. Who knows? Maybe I’ll see more!
Get back into morning workouts
My health is a main priority for me this year, meaning I’ll be focusing on it in Q1. When I worked in retail/marketing, I would wake up at 6am and workout for 20-30 minutes before getting ready for the day. Whilst I won’t be getting up at 6am anymore, I’d love to get up at 7.30am and fit in my workout then. I’ll be rebooting my morning routine each season so this is an aim purely for winter right now.
Aim for 20 NSDs
20 no-spend days seems like a lot but I’ve worked it out around my schedule. I’ll be pushing it if I leave the house on an extra occasion though! However, other than my health. saving is a huge goal for me in 2024. With plans to move out and buy a car, I need to get on top of my spending first.
Stick to January budget
For this, it means reaching my income goal, saving £500 as well as the 20 no-spend days as I said above. 2024 is the year I really take hold of my finances and become an abundant queen (abundance is my word for the year FYI). My 30s is when I finally become an adult with proper savings and a thorough budget.
Pay tax bill
And because I’m self-employed, January is tax bill time! I filed it back in April as I always do but I need to actually pay the bill now. I’ve decided to pay it as late as I can because HMRC can wait for my money.
Try deep work for 3 hours a day
This is something new for me that I’m trialling in January. I’ve been treating freelancing as a 9-5 job for too long when that’s one of the reasons I left regular work! Instead, I want to try working for 3 hours a day but fully focused in that time. I’ll use Toggl to track my time too and hopefully, I’ll be able to get more work done than ever before!
Plan Q1 content
This is quite a big goal but I just really want to get my content set up for all 4 websites and stick to my newly-set content schedule. I need to start making room in my weekly schedule for my blogs and treat them each like a separate client! It will help to have the plans in place so I’m never stuck on what to write!
Get 1 week ahead with blog content
If I want to post 6 times a week, I can’t just be writing and posting on the day. It’s not sustainable and quite honestly, I don’t have that time every single day. Getting ahead and scheduling in writing time should help me to get ahead. This is the plan for the end of the month because it’s definitely a work in progress right now!
Enjoy my birthday month!
Is it really a goal? Probably not but January is usually a sucky month for most people. For me, it’s hard to balance getting back into a work routine and having fun and relaxing for my birthday on the 14th. 30 was a tough year for me so I want to enjoy turning 31!
That’s all of my 10 goals for January 2024. I love setting monthly goals and they definitely feel much easier to achieve. I’ll continue to share them on my blog too to hold myself accountable. If you’re someone who sets annual goals but often struggles to achieve them, consider monthly goals like my 10 goals for January 2024. It might seem like a faff to begin with but once you get the hang of it, it takes an hour or so maximum to set yourself up for the next month.
If you enjoyed this post about my 10 goals for January 2024, you can find my other goals posts right here. Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter and Instagram for more daily happenings!
