I love the new year.  A fresh start, new beginnings, and goals!  Wait.  Didn’t I mean “resolutions”.  Nope.  Personally, I’m not a huge fan of resolutions.  Why not, you ask?  Well, I feel that they beg not to be completed just by setting them, and I haven’t proven to be very successful at reaching my resolutions.  Goals on the other hand?  Now those I can get on board with.  In order to set goals that are worth completing, a few things must be true of them.  First, a goal needs to be specific.  For example, if your goal is to eat less, that can easily turn into eating less of everything, putting you at risk of deprivation and binging (a weight loss goal sabotage!)  Instead, having a specific goal can keep you on track.  I.e. Eat only one dessert a day.  Or Eat 3 servings of vegetables a day.  Be specific and you will know exactly the goal you are trying to meet.  Second, a goal needs to have a time limit.  A goal without a time frame is, well, a lot like a resolution.  When you give yourself a time frame, you set the parameters to push yourself. Imagine if the goals above were just Eat one dessert.  Or Eat 3 servings of vegetables.  Without a time limit, those goals wouldn’t hold much purpose (unless you are my 6 year old, then I would take eating 3 vegetables. ever. as a goal!) Third, a goal needs to have a reason.  This is what will push you, especially if the goal is a difficult one.  If you don’t need a reason for your goal, then stick it on a to do list and call it a day.  Let’s go back to our goal from before.  Eat 3 servings of vegetables a day so that I can be healthy for my daughter’s wedding in June.  What about eat one dessert a day so that I can reduce my intake of sugar, feel much better, and even lose weight for that vacation we are taking over Spring Break?  Those are much more attainable with a reason behind them!  Now that we have laid the ground work, let’s apply that to my Top 5 DIY goals for the New Year.

Goal 1: Get organized

Nope. Not gonna do. How about: Organize my desk by the end of January so that I can keep my new business running smoothly by having a space dedicated to my business materials while keeping my personal items separate. There we go.  Now, how am I gonna do that?!?  Well, it wouldn’t be a “Top DIY Goals” post without a little DIY, now would it?  For this goal, I am going to need to build some shelves (much like the ones in this dining room post).  I will also need to build a bigger desktop that will allow for more activity and items to be stored on top.  Right now, I am using a small writing desk with three shelves above me, a leaning bookshelf to the right of the desk, and a file cabinet on the floor on the floor to the left of the desk.  My plan will be to build the floating shelves that will span the entire wall (leaving just enough room for a window treatment).  Build a desk that is bigger to fit the space and perhaps house my printer, while incorporating the file cabinet into the desk like this one found on Ana White’s site here.  This is actually a great space for a corner desk, so perhaps a corner shelf would be in order as well.  That’s a tall order.  Maybe I should push that timeline to the end of February. 🙂

Goal 2: Spend Less

Seriously?  Okay, okay.  Build a sideboard by April instead of buying a new one, and save at least $300.  Much better.  This has actually been on my list for about 6 months now.  But now that I have made it specific and put a time frame on it, I have a MUCH better chance of actually completing it.  I love this plan by Ana White, executed by Shanty2Chic that will go perfectly in my space beneath those floating shelves I mentioned in my first goal.

Goal 3: Learn Something New

Hmmm.  I think I can handle:  Learn how to use my new circular saw PRONTO so that I can build a sideboard from plywood that doesn’t have to be precut at the lumber store (sometimes the cuts aren’t as exact as I’d like them to be and I am KIND OF a control freak!).  Yes, “pronto”, in this case, is a completely legitimate time line! :). The point is LEARN SOMETHING!  It is so empowering to do something new, and especially to do it well!  So get that PDF, you tube channel, or good old fashioned manual and get to work!

Goal 4: Lose Weight/Tone up

I know better than that by now!  Build once a week and consider it toning when I am lifting 2x4s and sheets of plywood, drilling and cutting, and GIVE MYSELF A BREAK (and get some cardio in 3-5 times a week because it’s SOOO beneficial!)  I have so much scrap wood in our garage, I really need to stop staring at it and DO something with it already!  This goal will allow me to do that, AND clear some space in our garage.  A win/win really!

Goal 5: Stress Less

Did you know that having a space for creativity (whatever that means to you) helps with stress?  For me, that’s DIY’ing, building, creating something physical. Maybe for you that’s writing, music, working on automobiles, the list goes on!  That’s why my last goal is to do one nice thing for myself a week.  This will be something that falls into one of the above 3 categories.  If I am doing something nice for myself, I am rejuvenated, refreshed, and cherished (and everyone else will benefit as well!)  With everyone and everything vying for my time, if I don’t do anything, something will inevitably take it over.

What about you?  What New Years Goals are you setting this year?  How will you accomplish those goals?  I’d love to hear all about them!

Until then, Happy New Year!  Here’s to many Blessings (and goals reached) in 2018!

XOXO,

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