Things I Want To Do More In 2018 & Things I Want To Do Less In 2018

Writing about the things that I want to achieve in the next 12 months seems like a given right now but something that isn't spoken about all that much is everything that we want to stop doing. I'm always wanting to push myself further and achieve more and more but there are always things that I'm pretty desperate to stop doing as well. And I thought it might be an interesting twist on the cliche [but fascinating] posts that are always floating around at this time of year.

things i want to do more of

read

I've not read anywhere near as much as I should have this year and that really saddens me, in-fact I think I've only finished a couple of books. I absolutely adore reading, it's one of my favourite ways to escape the world as well as maybe learn something new. And something else that reading allows me to do is to broaden my vocabulary which in turn helps me so much with writing. It's always something that inspires me so much and getting lost in somebody else's world is one of my favourite things to do even if it's just for 20 minutes a day. I'm determined to make it a priority of mine in the next 12 months.

explore

This year I really tried hard to explore more of the area that I live in and I've successfully found routes off the beaten path that I've come to adore. I live in a really beautiful part of the country, something I'm constantly reminded of through kind comments on my social platforms and it's not something I take for granted. I walk out of my doorstep straight into miles of countryside and stately homes and that's not something a lot of people have. In 2018 I really want to go a little further afield, especially into the peak district as that isn't too far from us and as I can drive now I can take Josie out to explore on my free days.

love

I suppose this is a little bit of a strange one but next year I want to be a lot more free with my feelings. I'm quite a guarded person, I fear being hurt so badly that it holds me back and it can come across as quite cold which I don't think is a nice trait to have. Telling people you care about them and being there for them is free, it doesn't cost us anything so why not be more open and giving with our feelings? It is hard and it's scary but I really want the people who I absolutely adore in my life to know that as it's so important and I truly believe it's one of the most amazing things you can tell somebody.

time

I'm sure getting better with time management is something that we all strive for but it's never that simple, or at least for me, it doesn't feel that easy. Working from home is, of course, an incredible honour and privilege but setting in place a good routine when every single day is different is something that I've found so hard. Especially in the past year when I've been busier than ever, I've found it so hard to manage my time well, it just seems impossible to do it all. I try my best to embrace each day and the different things it has to offer. But I cannot deny that sometimes I just really miss having a set in place routine as it's something that brings so much peace to my life and my mental health.

things i want to do less of

worry

I've written about being a chronic worrier and over-thinker so much over the past year, which weirdly has helped me worry less. Seeing the comments roll in from people who understand the same funny things my brain does to me on a daily basis has been such a huge comfort. And it's not easy to suddenly worry less, it's not as simple as just telling yourself not to and I don't think I'm ever going to be a super carefree individual. But I would really like worry not to consume so much of my day. I've come such a long way from what I used to be but I figure it's always something I can try and work on.

care about people who don't care about me

I realise that might sound incredibly selfish but sometimes I put far too much weight on is what other people think. So often people who clearly couldn't care less about me and don't have anything polite to say. And what's the point in wasting our time on people who don't care for us? There are so many wonderful people out there who deserve my time and space in my brain that it's much better to focus on them.

create waste

I wrote a post on little ways to live more sustainably a few weeks ago and it was something that I enjoyed putting together so much. I made big steps this year to create a lot less waste and it's something that I want to do over the next year too. For so long I buried my head in the sand about what I was doing to the environment and thought 'well I'm just one person it doesn't matter'. And I think it's so easy to think that way because we're such a small part of the world but all it takes is a small ripple to make big waves with these things.

judge

Something that feels far too easy to do is judge other people, it seems almost ingrained in us but it's something that I've strived so hard to stop doing. And it feels all too easy, and even if I do judge somebody else learning how to handle that judgment in a kind way and immediately distinguish that thought has been a step in the right direction. Because even though I'd never share my negative judgement onto anybody I don't even like to think that way about somebody else. It's all too easy to preach about how unkind it is to judge others but it's so easy to do, without even thinking most of the time.