It’s that time of year again. Time to see how last year’s resolutions measured up, and to make some plans for the new year. I know some people hate on resolutions, but I’ve always enjoyed making them and tracking them. I like lists, and resolutions are the ultimate lists.

So, here’s how we did last year before diving into this year:

  • Organize, organize, organize! This is The Year of Getting Myself Together. I want to develop a home management and a work management plan to help juggle this insane roller coaster of a role that is Working Mom. I’m tired of ironing piling up, my desk piling up, my To Do list piling up, forgetting about dinner until the last minute. Adam is an amazing help, but only if I can tell him what I need help with. Mommy Brain prevents this. And last fall I was so exhausted after work that I squandered the precious time I had to get things done because I couldn’t focus enough to decide what needed doing. So my first goal is a fool-proof plan for keeping all our family ducks in a row. Just a little life management overhaul, nothing TOO ambitious. Uh uh.
  • Time management. This is really an extension of my first goal, but in addition to actually keeping life organized I need to plan my time better to keep it that way. I’m working on a plan that will help me with both of these: getting me organized and helping me manage my time better. Meh, not so much.
  • Redesign this blog! My fifth blogging anniversary is coming up in April, and in honor of that I want to really take a look at what I’ve loved about blogging for the past 5 years. I also want to look at what needs improvement. Nope. Hasn’t happened yet.
  • Work my side hustle. I finished my first commissioned quilt just before Christmas, and I loved the whole process. This year I want to explore how to build my Orange Room Empire *insert evil laugh here* while balancing my librarian career. This may take a backseat until summer, but if my Big Life Plan helps get me on track I may tackle this one sooner. And I’m going to need to call on my friends (I’m looking at YOU, Kathy!). So, my side hustle kind of became The Only Hustle. I started writing for GeekMom and BuzzFeed. I did not advance any of my crafty goals, though. But the entire year took an unexpected professional turn, so I don’t even know if this one was accomplished. I’m certainly not balancing life as a librarian with everything else, but this one was telling of my future nonetheless. Maybe I just needed a kick to get started on the Big Life Plan, who knows?
  • Be a more present friend and relative. Remember birthdays, send cards, spend more time. H is getting old enough now that I don’t feel guilty being away from her for a few hours, so I need to try and get some of my own identity back. I think I’ve actually been pretty good about not falling into the Void of Motherhood, where my own self completely disappears. But I could be better. I actually think I did alright with this one in 2013.
  • Ask for help!! I really want to see if I can find a mother’s helper in my neighborhood, for starters. And the next time I want to head into the city with friends for the afternoon (or even just to get a haircut), I think I’ll be giving Nana a call for some grandbaby time. Obviously Adam is fine hanging out with the baby, but he kind of needs his solo Dad time, too. I actually think I was 100x better at this in 2013 than I’ve ever been before. And I’m so appreciative of all the help.

Okay, here are the 2014 resolutions. It’s going to be kind of an ambitious year, so I’m making TWO lists of resolutions.

Here are my more concrete, measurable goals for this year. Most of them are professional, but not all:

  • Sell at least one quilt.
  • Start writing for at least 2 new outlets.
  • Actually redesign this blog (since I’m taking the courses to do it now).
  • Get a quilt tutorial published.
  • Organize my scraps.
  • Do more stash-busting. I didn’t buy much fabric in 2013, but I didn’t use much up, either.
  • Find a playgroup for H.
  • Try designing my own fabric (after the Illustrator class).
  • Create a system for keeping track of writing/crafting/blogging projects, pitches, etc.

And now my more holistic, abstract goals:

  • Figure out my new career, and my new identity. Ideally it would give me the freedom to work at home and be around for H. I’m really loving that right now.
  • Strike a better balance with work/home/play. Sometimes I can only find time to deal with work or home, and everything else takes a backseat.
  • Create more. Just, more. Write, sew, craft. Start painting again.
  • Keep striving to organize and time manage. This is a perennial wish, and one that I will never stop trying to achieve. I don’t know if anyone ever gets it right.
  • Take better care of myself. Walk, get fresh air, take time out, do something for me occasionally. It’s hard to take care of the family if I’m not taking care of myself, and this is a classic mom oversight.
  • Get back into reading. Just for the joy of it, not for the job of it.
  • Go somewhere new.
  • Put more positivity into the world. In links I share, things I write, thoughts I have. Cultivate new friendships, reach out to people, tell them when they’re important. It’s nice to know when someone is thinking about you, even in small gestures.
  • Continue to be grateful and open, even in the face of a completely unknown year. I’ve got the support of my family and friends, so I need to cut myself a break and trust that things will work out exactly as they’re supposed to.