A new year makes me giddy. I love a fresh, clean calendar and the idea of all the endless possibilities that lie ahead. The brainstorming of all the things I’d like to do in the new year actually happens in December, so the excitement builds, and by January 2, I’m ready to hit the ground running. But somewhere between brainstorming and being ready to go, there is a process I go through each year. It’s my own little way of closing out the year and starting fresh again.
There are four resources I regularly use for this little tradition, and they’re so awesome I want to share them with you today.
1) Unraveling is a wonderfully thought provoking and beautiful workbook created by Susannah Conway.
Oh, how I look forward to this each year!
The workbook offers space to really reflect on what the past year has brought about–both celebrations and challenges. It invites you to say good-bye to whatever you need to from the year and to consider all that you’d like to have happen in the year ahead.
I love spending an afternoon reflecting and dreaming. Best of all Unraveling is FREE! Thanks Susannah. I can’t recommend this workbook (and the chance to spend some quiet time alone) enough!
2) During the month of December I also spend time thinking about a “word” for the year. Rather than make a bunch of resolutions (that, let’s be honest, are dead in the water by February!) I choose a word that represents several of the things I’d like to work on in the coming year.
I was first introduced to this idea by Ali Edwards. She offers an online workshop called One Little Word® (Jen and I are signed up!) that gives a monthly prompt, usually of the creative sort, to keep our word fresh in our mind throughout the year. Ali provides a video presentation, PDFs, and digital elements for each month’s prompt. The content is truly wonderful! The class is completely self-paced, but also has an amazing online community. Registration is still open, so it’s not to late to choose your word and jump in with us. For more information, I encourage you to go to Ali’s site and check out the One Little Word® video that tells about the class.
Once I have my word, said good-bye to the past year, and thought about “how I want this new year to be different,” it’s time to set some goals–like actual goals with baby steps to get to the finish line of each one. I especially need this with my crafty goals because, honestly? They’re all over the place!
3) The best resource to help me with goal setting that I’ve experienced so far is from Jennifer Wilson at SimpleScrapper.com. Each January she offers the Start Fresh program and planning packet/pages. This packet keeps getting better each year. Jennifer is awesome at listening to and incorporating customer feedback, and the 2015 planner is the best yet!
The program offers 5 days of daily activities, six audio inspirations from Jennifer, the workbook/planner, and more. Start Fresh is offered at $19 for non-members, but it is FREE to Simple Scrapper premium members. If you’re interested, please hurry over there as today is the last day to register for this program.
Jen and I are both members at Simple Scrapper and we love it. (Can we talk about how many Jennifers there are in the world?! Sorry if this gets confusing.)
Jennifer W.has the best resources and ideas for helping crafty dabblers like us stay focused enough to get things finished. But, I must admit, this last year many of the things Jennifer taught the members were useful in ALL areas of my life–not just in memory keeping.
4)The last resource I’m sharing is completely new to me this year, but I wanted to include it because I’m so darn excited about it. I’m talking about Power Sheets™ created by Lara Casey. I started hearing about Power Sheets™ and Lara in 2013, but I didn’t jump on board right away. Then I heard even more about her in the second half of 2014, and I finally decided to order my own set of Power Sheets™. I’m so glad I did! They are gorgeous! The paper quality is amazing, they are already three hole punched, AND they have GOLD FOIL on the divider pages! My packet also came with a few beautiful cards…a nice little surprise. *Please note the book in the photo above can be purchased seperately in Lara’s shop.
These Power Sheets™ are a great tool for goal setting and are designed to be used any time, not just starting on January 1. They also include several prep pages with some journaling prompts to get you thinking about what matters most to you, what has worked for you in the past, what you hope for in the future, etc. I’m super excited to take my time with this packet. I’ll probably start my goal setting in February, giving me the rest of this month to complete the prep portion of the packet. I’m also thinking I’ll use these sheets for most of my personal goals, and stick with the Simple Scrapper packet for my crafty goals (though both sets could be used for either.)
Lara has just released a new book called Make It Happen. I’ve ordered my copy, and I’m considering using the Power Sheets™ in conjunction of the book, though I know it’s totally not necessary. I think I’ll plan a review post of the book and Power Sheets™ for some time in the spring. At least that will keep me accountable. Goodness knows I need all the accountability I can get!
So that’s my process of reflecting and goal setting each year. Thanks for reading & sticking it out for this long post!
How do you close out the year and begin anew? Are you as excited as I am about the possibilities a new year holds? Tell us in the comments!
*This is not a sponsored post. We have not received any free products, services, or money for our review of these resources. Additionally, the links in this post are NOT affiliate links. All opinions are our own.