The few days between Christmas and New Years are some of my favorite of the year. I love spending time reflecting on the past year and strategizing for the year to come. Last year I followed Modern Mrs. Darcy's lead and reflected on what worked during the past year and what didn't and I'm here doing it again for 2015!
What worked for me in 2015...
1. Podcasting
Beth Silvers and I launched Pantsuit Politics this year and it has been so. much. fun. I've loved learning this new world (and sharing it with our Executive Producer - my husband!) I'd had the idea for a political podcast for a while but realized I didn't really want to do it by myself. Adding Beth and our "meet in the middle" format has been fantastic! We've been getting really positive feedback and just got major love from iTunes which has been so exciting.
2. Reading more
As I shared last week, I've doubled the amount of books I read this year. What worked for increasing my reading load was deadlines and audiobooks. Deadlines either through reading with friends OR by reading library books that I know have to be returned. I've used the heck out of OverDrive, an app that allows you to check out audio books and e-books from your library and I LOVE it!
3. Roomba & Chores
The Roomba is my MVP for 2015. I love it SO much. I realized I felt like my house was messy when my floors were messy. Now, even if my counters are dirty and my shelves are dusty, the Roomba keeps my carpets clean and I feel like I'm winning at life. This year I didn't just offload vacuuming. I also re-arranging my kitchen and my life to allow my kids to help with chores which has dramatically decreased my household load and my stress.
4. Capsule Wardrobe
This fall - using unFancy's guidance - I built a capsule wardrobe of 37 items to carry me through the season. I bought a few new items and worked with several I already own. I LOVED it. I loved really thinking through items I could combine in different ways. While I liked having options, I really liked having fewer choices over all. I get decision fatigue very easily so not staring at a closet full of items that I didn't love or didn't fit or didn't go together stressed me out. Now that I have one season under my belt, I'll post more information and pics in January!
5. KonMari
I've said it before and I'll say it again - this book really is life-changing. Having fewer but better options - from my underwear drawer to my bookshelf - has made my life so much calmer and simpler and BETTER.
What DIDN'T work for me...
My One Little Word
Last year I chose vairagya and, while I still like the meaning of the word, a word in another language was hard to keep in the front of my mind. Going back to English this year...
Exercise
Ugh, I'm so bummed to have this on my didn't work for me list two years in a row. I tried squeezing in exercise where I could this year but I need to go back to my yoga classes - I do better with a outside schedule I have to stick to.
Playing it by ear
With a new baby in 2015, I know I didn't have much a choice but to let Felix (and his sleep or lack thereof) predict much of our schedules. However, it left me scrambling and frustrated so much of the time. I realize I need to set an alarm and get up and set goals even if Felix woke me up in the night. Luckily, he's getting bigger every day and easier to take care of. So, here's to a more structured 2016!
