PLANS AND GOALS FOR 2021

I'm writing this just as it's been announced that we are back in lockdown (as was expected!) Knowing this, setting goals, or making plans for the upcoming year may seem pretty pointless and I fully get why people won't bother this year. For me, it's a way to be somewhat productive, something that boosts my mood if  I've been feeling uninspired. I'm not making any huge goals this year, many are short term things that should be relatively easy to achieve. I'll revisit them later in the year and make additional ones if necessary!

Choose a university course

My main goal for 2021 is to start a new university degree. If you've read any of my previous posts, you might know I was studying with the OCA and doing a Creative Arts course. Since completing (and passing!) the first course, I realised I want to focus on a more specific avenue, rather than creative arts as a whole. Another reason I want to change courses is so that I'm able to move to a new location and gain new life experiences. I've already applied and received an unconditional offer, but I'm still waiting to hear back from the other four courses, I'm so impatient and keep checking my emails for an update though!

Prepare for university

Once I've chosen the university I want to go to, the next goal is to prepare for September. This obviously includes finding accommodation and setting up student finance as well as the more interesting things like thinking about what I want to take with me or how I'd like to decorate my room! I've not been able to visit any of the universities so I hope to be able to explore the location I'll be moving to before I go!

Exercise regularly 

I always include some sort of fitness goal because I do genuinely feel better when I'm more active, however, consistency is key! I was definitely way better at exercising more often in 2020, especially during Spring and Summer. However, as it got colder and wetter, I found myself feeling less motivated again. This year, I want to create some sort of schedule to make sure I'm doing some sort of exercise 5 times a week. I've already made a list of the exercises I enjoy and will also include some cardio throughout the week, but I want it to be flexible as I find strict routines can become boring and repetitive!

Go on regular walks

2020 was a year of walking and I loved it! It felt great to get outside and explore parts around where I live more, I'm very lucky to live in the countryside with some really beautiful views. Unfortunately, I stopped going on regular walks as much in the last few months due to the weather but I miss getting out and about so it's something I'm definitely want to do more! 

Create a website/blog for photos

One of my favourite things to do is take photos and through 2020 I really focused on this. I prefer taking landscape/nature photos so it meant that I took a lot while out walking! I'd really like to create some sort of online space for some of my photographs as I think it would be interesting to see them develop over time. 

Gain more experience with digital art

Just before Christmas, I began doing some experimental sketches on my phone. It's obviously quite difficult to go into much detail while drawing with a finger on a phone screen but I'm quite pleased with some of the things I managed to create. Personally, I found the iBis Paint app suited me well (a free app) but I'd also like to use my graphic tablet more so will have a look at different software on there. It was really nice to get creative again and I'll definitely be doing more digital drawing this year. Here are some of the quick sketches I've done recently!

Create a monthly blog post plan

As I've finished my course and won't be going to university until September, I want to dedicate more time to my blog. To do this, I plan to create a blog schedule as this will make it easier to stay organised. I've already begun creating a list of ideas and I hope to upload 3 posts a month as a minimum goal but we'll see how it goes!

Develop my social media platforms 

Since I wasn't blogging much I definitely neglected my social media platforms and haven't connected with people as much as I'd like to! It would be great to start joining in with blogger chats and comment threads like I did as it meant I interacted with lots of lovely bloggers! I've also not used my blog Instagram as much as my personal one recently so need to find a good balance between the two.

Morning & Night Routine

Every year I mention trying to improve my sleep schedule and I do for a bit but I quickly go back to late nights. This year I want to focus more on developing a good morning and night routine so that hopefully my sleep schedule naturally improves too. Another thing I want to incorporate into my morning routine is drinking more water, I find that I always feel more refreshed if I drink water when I wake up and there's obviously a lot of health benefits too! My attention to skincare improved in 2020 and I want to ensure I make it a priority for both the morning and night routines. I recently got some new products so will have to see how they work for me!

Have you made any resolutions or goals for this year? If so, I'd love to know some of your ideas! I know January can be overwheming for a lot of people, this year in particular so don't feel pressured to make any just because other people are. Also, you can make plans at any time of the year, a few years back I made some mid-year goals which I found useful!