Truth be told, I was anticipating the New Year more than the Holidays. While I love decorating my house for Christmas, this year the anticipation to dive into 2019 was the greatest I’ve ever felt. While 2018 was amazing- we launched a product, started a YouTube channel and collaborated with some amazing brands- I have some lofty goals personally and professionally for the New Year. I couldn’t wait to get started on accomplishing these goals which means I needed a plan on ho to stick to my resolutions.
My New Year resolutions are pretty simple: get back into shape, save money to buy a studio, and organize everything. To make sure I can stick to my resolutions, I had to make sure they were SMART goals: specific, measurable, achievable, relatable, and timely.
If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.
Get Back Into Shape
Once I left my corporate job, I got off track from my typical workout routine. I let excuses of starting a business fuel my lunch break instead of the 2-mile run you’d typically find me on.
Fitness goal for 2019: Do cardio at least two times a week and push myself to complete a 5K once a month for the first three months, then increase to every other weekend for the rest of the year. Participate in two strength building exercises per week.* Concessions will only be made if I’m physically unable.
Save Up to Buy a Studio
This year, I want to save more so that I can buy a work property for the Darling enterprises. Now that I’m engaged (EEK!) I want to have my own place separate from our future home to produce stories in and have a place where my team can gather to work.
Buying a place is my preferred option and I really want to make the process as simple and as affordable as possible which is why I love using Opendoor. Opendoor enables you to buy and sell a home (with or without a realtor) and you can tour any for-sale Opendoor property without an appointment. Using the Opendoor app as your key, you can visit homes any day of the week, between 6am-9pm. Plus, Opendoor owns the properties you look at, so if you’re ready to buy after your personal tour, you can make an offer immediately through the app!
They have truly simplified the real estate process, here in Atlanta and in almost 20 other metro areas, and looking at all of the options through the mobile app or convenience of a user-friendly mobile site makes me really excited to purchase some property for Darling Down South. Opendoor is going to help me minimize the cost of buying a place with their option to buy direct. Since there are no realtor fees involved, Opendoor is often able to share those savings with their direct buyers.
Saving Goal for 2019: Save twenty-five percent of all income, and cut back on frivolous spending (that means saying goodbye to my post workout cappuccino).
Organize Everything
I mean EVERYTHING. I have 4 closets in my apartment and as you move deeper into my apartment, the more chaotic the closets get. So in tune with my word for the year, simplify, I’m getting rid of a lot of frivolous things and then going to organize everything into baskets, bags, and containers. If you have any organization blogs that you like, please let me know because I would love to follow them and learn their ways!
Organization Goal for 2019: Organize one space per week until all spaces are organized. Once the organization is complete, maintain organization by cleaning up after each project and placing items back in their proper place.
As I said earlier, if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it. The best way to stick to your resolutions is to break the big goal (save $10,000 for a studio), into smaller weekly or monthly goals (save $200 a week) so you can check in on your trajectory to success!
How do you stay on track with your resolutions?
Thank you to OpenDoor for sponsoring this post. While this post may have a sponsored element, all opinions and thoughts are my own. Thank you for supporting the partnerships that help Darling Down South bring you content year round.
Photos by Dasha Crawford Photo
