You might feel like there’s a lot of pressure at the beginning of January to really hone in on your ambitions for the new year. For some, it’s the perfect time for reflection and goal-setting, but for others, it can be overwhelming and stressful. Maybe you’re just not sure what needs changing, or maybe you just need a little more time to plan. Well, since yesterday was the Lunar New Year, or Chinese New Year, it seems like a great time to check in with what worked and did not work for us well in 2021!
Instead of succumbing to the pressure of big, life-changing resolutions, we thought it would be nice to take a different approach to the new year, so we created a worksheet to print out and work on alone or with family and friends. On one side, you can list out your “New To-Do”, the experiences you’re hoping to have, goals you want to accomplish, something you are looking forward to, small changes you could make to improve your health, happiness, or productivity, and anything else you hope for in 2022.
On the other side, is your “Let It Go” list, which is just as important as “New To-Do”. This is a perfect way of setting boundaries and trying to keep yourself from repeating negative experiences. For this list, look back on the year and think about hard times, mistakes made, or anything that wasn’t helping you achieve your best self and was not making you happy. Look back at the actions, events, or relationships that were adding stress, complications, or distractions into your life. These can range from anything like “staying up too late at night”, to “negative self-talk”.
We’ve included an example I made for myself that you can look at for inspiration. If you don’t fill it up all the way, that’s okay! That just means you have room to add more if you think of any at a later time. Have fun with it, decorate it, use creativity, and make it as fun as you want it to be.
Happy New Year!
Example:
Blog written and researched by Communications Associate, Lauren Maley