2021 Intentions and Goals

2021 is in full swing, and with 2020 being the flop that it was, this year is feeling generally promising right now. January is the perfect time to reevaluate habits and goals, and while in previous years I have made resolutions for myself, this year I am changing my mindset and instead focusing on my intentions. Lately, I’ve been asking myself “what can I do to increase my productivity and instill healthy habits into my daily routine?”

When I think about who I want to be and what I want to be doing when 2021 is over, three words come to mind: accomplished, strong, and mindful. All three words are what I hope to use to describe both my career and personal life. In order to achieve that, I have a list of seven intentions and goals that I plan on sticking to.

1. Be better about asking for the things I want.

In the past, I have been too shy to speak up for myself and ask for what I want. I know that the worst people can do is say “no,” but I sometimes get too in my head and my nerves get the best of me, even if it’s a scenario like deciding where to get takeout with friends. I intend to break away from this habit and really speak up for the things I want in 2021.

2. Exercise more consistently.

If you read my Daily Accountability blog post, then you know that I was a fitness queen in October. I regret to inform you that I have lost my fitness queen status and regained my lazy person status. Even though I’m not taking dance classes anymore, I want to stay in shape and not completely lose all of the muscles and flexibility that I gained from over a decade of dancing. With that being said, getting back into the fitness swing of things is one of my goals for this year.

3. Learn to efficiently and effectively budget my money.

This goal seems like a handy and beneficial adulting skill to obtain. As I earn money this year, I plan to thoughtfully budget it so I don’t mindlessly spend money on wants rather than needs. By researching budgeting spreadsheets and using my knowledge of expense tracking, I have no doubt that I can learn to effectively budget my savings.

4. Read 25 books. And make some of them classics!

My reading goal since 2017 has been to read 20 books a year. While I didn’t quite achieve that in 2020, I’m ready to step up my game and increase my goal to 25. I have a bit more free time now than I did in college, and one year in high school I managed to read 40 books in a year. I’m looking forward to channeling that energy into my 2021 Goodreads reading goal.

Additionally, I want some of the books I read in 2021 to be classics. Considering that I have an English degree, I feel like I should be better versed in Jane Austen than I actually am (but in my defense, my degree focused more on the grammar side of things).

5. Utilize my local library more.

Going off of the last two intentions and goals, I want to use my local library more this year. Although I love owning my own copies of books, they can be pricey. With that being said, I’m going to reserve books more often at my local library to help combat non-essential spending in 2021.

6. Spend less time on social media.

I have the terrible habit of going on my phone almost immediately after I wake up in the morning, and this habit contributes to a good amount of the time I spend on social media every day. By being more mindful of my screen time, I hope to use my phone more intentionally and use the time I would usually be scrolling to instead be more productive offline.

7. Do more things that scare me.

This intention has been on my list for the past two years, but it’s not on here for a third consecutive year because I failed to achieve it previously. Growing up, I made living in my comfort zone a habit because my social anxiety made it hard for me to step outside of it. But over the past few years, I’ve encouraged myself to put myself out there more often, and I can’t say that I’ve been disappointed with the results.

So, there you have it. I’m committing to these intentions and goals in the hopes that I can confidently say that I am accomplished, strong, and mindful throughout 2021. I know that these are essentially just resolutions, but I’m not one to maintain New Year’s resolutions. I’m hopeful that this different mindset will continuously encourage me to reach my goals, and I cannot wait to see where this year takes me.