It is only my second time to choose my One Word for the year {you may read My One Word for 2016 post here} and I am hoping it will be an effective guide on how 2017 will turn out for me. After much consideration, I chose intentional to be my guiding word. In line with this, I resolve to be more mindful of the many aspects of my life so I can shape each of them towards my intentions and aspirations for this year.
According to Google, intentional means:
- done on purpose
- deliberate
It is also synonymous to:
- intended
- planned
- meant
- willful
- purposeful or purposive
- conscious
- knowing
- studied
Intentional With My Time
Time, indeed, is more precious that gold, as time spent can never be recovered. It is, therefore, up to us to make each moment count.
One of the things that I struggle with every day is being conscious of how I spend my time. On most times, I am just spinning like crazy, whirring from one chore to another, desperate to finish something at the end of the day. On most occasions, I was left exhausted and less accomplished at the end of the day. While on other days, I am just my usual lazy self who would rather curl up on the couch with my mobile phone in hand and just browse my day away. It might be enjoyable at one point but becomes a problem as it drags on as I was just simply wasting time, unless I am doing work on mobile, that is.
I previously wrote in my 2017 goals that I will be more mindful of how I spend my time this year, thinking of the many hours I spent last year being idle or thumbing through Instagram for inspirational and beautiful posts. This year, I would just like to be more aware of how I spend my time on a daily basis and make sure I spend them on important and interesting endeavors.
To help me keep up with how I spend my time daily, I printed this Daily To Do List. It is now very easy to plot the things I need to get done in a day. It even has a section for daily menu, as well as a tracker for hydration and exercise, and a sufficient space for any note you might want to add. And since it is very handy in loose leaf, I can simply print a couple of pages for daily or weekly use and pin it on my cork board to serve as my reminder. For the incoming school year, I am encouraging my little to write down his daily schedule, too, and see if we can squeeze in more time outdoors than we did this summer. 😉
Intentional With My Goals
I read once that you have to be specific with your goal-setting in order to make these goals come true. This year, I am sending my specific goals out to the Universe and praying hard that they all come true. Here are some of my goals for this year and how I am working to achieve them:
- Save Up ~ I can never say enough about saving up. Regardless of how much you are making, it really is a must to set aside a substantial amount from that and put it into your savings. This extra money will be handy for those emergencies, for long-term plans and goals, or for retirement. One of my intentions for this year is to work on my financial literacy and keep track of my income and expenses. I am using a notebook to track my income and my expenses. I am also eyeing to download helpful money tracking apps to help me. At the same time, I am also updating my SSS contributions as well as my outstanding salary loan which I have not paid for the past 6 years when I resigned from work and got too preoccupied taking care of my little one. In addition, I am eyeing to finish the 52-week money challenge and shall deposit my savings from this to my account.
- Spend More Time With My Little Man ~ I am surprised at how quickly my little one had grown and I would love to make the most of the time while he was still a child and I am still the center of his universe and make more fond memories with him. Some of the things on my list include watching films together, going out more often, gardening, and playing his favorite games.
- Find A Regular Online Job ~ I gave up my previous online work in favor of focusing on my mum duties and my blogs and I never regret doing it. I enjoyed the time I had nothing else to worry about aside from my son, my home, and my online spaces. Earnings from the blog were good and I was able to save up from my commissioned posts from last year. This year, though, since I intend to save more, I am also eyeing to get a regular and stable online job, aside from earning on the side. I am blessed to have found one and am looking forward to being a productive member of our company.
- Reconnecting With My Inner Child ~ I read somewhere that it is a must that we reconnect with our inner child, that inner girl who used to enjoy playing paper dolls or doodling, or dancing in the rain, or reading books until the wee hours of the morning. It was therapeutic at best and will also allow us to relax and de-stress, especially if life or adulting is making us feel down. Part of my intentions to reconnect with my inner child is to go back to the things that I used to love before motherhood engulfed me. So this year, I plan to hone my creativity by going back to journaling, learning more about calligraphy and, hopefully watercoloring, and working with my hands as I tend to my plants hoping they’d grow and flourish. I have long realized that I am at my happiest when I tinker and put my hands to good use. I despise being idle and I just need something, anything, I can fiddle with.
- Making Our House A Home ~ This year, I would like to be more intentional about doing my housekeeping job. There are far so many things to get rid of but I do not have the heart to simply throw them all out. I am collating old clothes and giving them up for donation or to someone who can still put them to good use. I am also eyeing to de-stash some of my son’s toys and books so we can have less clutter and more room for new ones. I am also hoping to add a few more lovely touches around the home to make it, well, homey. Some of the things I am considering are Himalayan salt lamp, a couple of shelves, indoor plants, and more photo frames!
Intentional With My Relationships
My relationships, whether with my son, my siblings, my friends, or my partner, enrich my lives in so many ways I can never imagine. They make my life worth living and they make each passing day interesting. To make the most of my relationships, I would love to be more intentional with them. I will make it a point to be more open, more communicative, and more affectionate towards the special people in my life. The book, The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman, is a good read on this subject as it offers a number of beautiful insights about different relationships. It also says that different people have different love languages, and knowing your spouse’s or your child’s love language is key to making the most out of your relationships. I guess I know exactly what my boys’ love languages are and I will always consider those whenever I want to communicate my love for them.
Well, there goes my One Word for 2017 and I sure hope it guides me to making this year more awesome. Have you chosen your One Word for this year yet?
:camera: 2nd image from QuotePixel.com