22 For 2022 & My Word
I started doing this last year. In lieu of the dreaded “New Years Resolutions” (loathe) I read about the concept of making a list (love). It goes like this:
22 For 2022. Inspired by the woman who “relentlessly explores human nature to understand how we can make our lives better,” the (genius) Gretchen Rubin. I devour her content: books, podcasts, blog - all of it. Twenty-two things you want to do/accomplish/become/complete by the end of the year. They can be easy or ambitious, one-time undertakings or habits that stretch for years. Think about what you want the new year to hold for You. Get the things out of your mind and onto paper and this list becomes your compass for 2022. When you feel lost or adrift, you have a place to go to course correct. A tangible body of words that will guide you back to the driver’s seat, because at the end of the day, no one else is responsible for your life. Empowering and terrifying, I know. I feel it, too. Do not be a deer in headlights as the calendar pages turn wondering what just happened? where did time go? what did I do with 2022? (we’ve all been there). I can speak from experience, having this roadmap made me happier, healthier, more productive and more creative by year’s end. Bonus: it created the snowball effect - the more I did, the more I wanted to do and the easier it became.
Here’s my list from 2021. Some of it I crushed. Others, I would give myself a C, and some, a big F. But you guys, I learned a lot. About myself, about where I like to put my time and energy, about what I want to do versus “what I think I’m supposed to want to do.” I know you know. Based on what I learned in 2021, I tweaked a few things.
I added a word of the year. An over arching theme. An umbrella that holds everything together. A North Star.
I added an accountability partner, my sister. She will hold me to the fire. She will ask me tough questions and remind me of my Why. She will also make it fun, exciting, and empowering. She will help me make the list come alive in my life rather than something that collects dust.
I printed out this “22 for 2022” worksheet from Gretchen’s website. I made a strong cup of coffee, sat at my desk with the sun shining in and put pen to paper. I infused it with positive energy and hung it on the bulletin board by my computer where I see it, read it and DO IT everyday.
Okay, here’s mine:
Word of the Year: MONOTASK
Doing ONE thing at a time. For me, multi-tasking = burnout and chaos and never actually accomplishing anything truly fulfilling to completion. No bueno.
Time Block 2 hours every weekday to write. no restrictions, no editing, no perfecting. put it on the calendar & protect it.
Write a monthly, for no reason/out of the blue/unexpected Thank You note. On paper, hand written, snail mail. Write a list, keep track.
Get personalized stationary. Shop local, be crazy detailed about the font/colors/paper. Get something that inspires me to use them (often).
1x/week do a 60 minute yoga practice (in studio, online or self practice)
Go to 1 yoga inspired retreat/learning experience
Get up at 5:30am daily
Read + Meditate + Pray every morning before kids get up
Learn. Take classes that inspire, interest and educate me on topics I want to know more about.
Read 2 books/month. Keep track. Have a list of 24 books read by the new year.
Go to one place on my Wellness Wanderlust List
New workout clothes. Ditch all the old ones/anything that does not inspire me to put it on and sweat
Have an out-of-the-house date night 1x/week with My Man. Plan ahead or it won’t happen.
Stay up to date with photo/video project for Sienna + Aster: prints/yearly books/video/memory boxes
Write a personal manifesto
Sign up for the Hoffman Process - and if a space opens, Go.
Stay with the booze free thing. I feel better (like, WAY better).
Redo our closet & donate/ditch/give away stuff that I don’t love. Consign. Deal with pile to repair/tailor.
Swim more with Aster - arrange swimming lessons
Teach more Yoga
Be better at nurturing my friendships - reach out for a walk/coffee/phone call/dinner
Wild Card - add as the year unfolds
Wild Card - add as the year unfolds
It seems simple, but for me simple is what works. My go-to list to ensure that I don’t let 2022 pass by in a haze of WTF? I have my compass. When I feel lost or adrift, I go to it. I let it lead me back. It’s taped to my bathroom mirror, next to my computer, tucked into my daily planner. I will be the driver of this year. I will wake up every day and run my day, because the opposite is a recipe for stress, burnout, reactivity.
I keep a separate list of how I am going to make each of these items happen. I break it down to a micro level and flush out/brainstorm all the little actionable details. This is what will get you from thinking about doing the thing to doing the thing. And this is a living list. It can breathe and grow and change. But the things will not do themselves. They need action, energy, strategy.
It looks like this:
Write a Personal Manifesto
*This was on my 2021 list and I didn’t do it, truth - I intentionally avoided it. Why? Because I didn’t have a plan, a strategy to get it out of my head and onto paper. To make it a tangible thing that could shape my life in positive ways. It (I) was stuck. It’s why I’m using it as an example here - so I eat the frog first - action vs. thinking.
Gather manifesto inspiration from people I admire/who inspire me. Google it.
Do a brain dump of what a manifesto means to me. What are my principles, core values and intentions? What words and questions come to me? Why do I even want to create one?
Think of it as a Life Manual, a way to tap into direction when I need to remember who I am and how my authentic Self operates. Big version of Me (intentional) vs. small version of me (reactive)
Progress over perfection - this is for me. Not something to be judged/graded/criticized. It’s an inside job.
Start now. Make your list. There are no rules, just put whatever comes to you down on paper. You are not being graded, this is not a contest. This is for YOU. Be the driver. When you control your days they add up to weeks, months, years. They add up to your whole life. Open a blank Google doc, a fresh sheet in Pages or simply tap it out in your Notes. But take action. Remember that physics class you basically slept through in high school? Yeah, me too. But. One of the most powerful laws of life lives there. The Law of Motion. An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion. Get in motion. Act. You are worth the time & energy it will take to create this list - invest in yourself you are worth it. Share the first thing that comes to mind with me right now in the comments or @sandycocos. Promise to share a mid-year progress report. Join me, we are better when we do things together.