Yay for my third Resolution post! My planner and I live for this.

Last year was a bit crazy in our household. While some amazing things happened (our student loans and cars got paid off!), some out-of-the-blue things happened as well (emergency home repairs, deaths in the family, job insecurity).

TBH, it was a season of life and a change that was due to come. So now instead of a clear, long-term view, I can’t really see past the next couple months. But we keep going and make changes as needed.

So with a renewed flexibility, here are my 2024 Resolutions:

Drastically cut screen time

This is probably the first year where I actually have a real problem to fix. I am low-key embarrassed of how many hours I’ve spent on IG and TikTok, all because I was bored or stressed and wanted to zone out. I’ve never been one to watch my screen time before, but I saw how easily I could waste an entire night scrolling. Then I saw how that one night scrolling became consecutive nights. WTF.

I did look up how I could block off certain apps after a cumulative time period but unfortunately, those apps are pay to play and I don’t want to go there yet.

On a bright note, I saw a huge drop in social media screen time when I was actively traveling. I wonder if I can translate that into an efficient habit.

Rechargeable

My girls recently checked out a book from the library called The Rechargeables. The story is a little clunky, but it tells kids that our bodies can recharge their energy throughout the day through food, exercise, and sleep. The people in the story who don’t recharge their bodies turn into grey, dead robots. Some nice imagery there…

After my Asia trip in December, the jetlag got me for about a week. But when I should’ve been reverting back to normal, I found myself just drowsy and tired and I slept an ungodly amount of time. Like an amount of time that goes way past recharging your body and into “I may be narcoleptic.” So let’s get out of that.

We’ll take a very easy rechargeable method for the month of January: eat lighter, get consistent movement, monitor sleep. This annually is a problem for me in the winter months, but I have another Asia trip coming up and I can’t really revert back to being The Walking Dead when I get back.

How I want to feel

Mary shared this in her resolution post but I originally got this idea from influencer Amber Rae. She has a great book on choosing wonder and exploring emotions; and for one of her journal prompts, she encouraged us to approach resolutions based on how we want to feel rather than what we want to accomplish.

So I may want to save money or pay down my credit card, but behind that I want to feel more financially responsible and secure. While a perennial goal for me has been to be at a healthier weight, the underlying goal is really because I want to feel better in my clothes. So while the number on the scale may be hard to monitor week-to-week, I can still make positive choices every day that get me to my goal (drink more water, restyle my closet, walking, getting things tailored, etc).

With this approach, I now have many different ways I could attain these feeling goals, so I’m not boxed into just one method or one tunnel-vision number on paper. I can appreciate the journey a little more and I can make personal progress day-to-day.

Other things I want to feel this year: Together, Good at my job, Thoughtful when it comes to others, Proactive, Resourceful.

Annual professional existential crisis

A year ago, I couldn’t have predicted that my company would be sold and I would be out of a job by March. When something that big happens, you expect this huge, earth-shattering change, depression, wallowing, etc. But we’re parents. We have a schedule and life moves on whether we’re emotionally ready or not.

For the majority of the last year, I’ve been on part-time contract. This contract could end by the end of this month. It could end at the end of June, or it could be renewed and the whole cycle starts all over again.

Is this my favorite employment set up? Definitely not, even though I know I have an amount of privilege and security that lets me have a part-time position without any serious financial challenges. I feel like I am in a constant cycle of what I’m going to do next, am I doing the right thing, and what am I even good at? Didn’t I already have to grapple with all of these questions a year ago?

So while I’m not looking forward to the potential existential crisis again this year, I have a little bit more armor and can be ready for it. I renew my resolve to invest in myself and know that my job is only one part of this machine.

Word of the Year – Continue

This word came to me on Instagram on one of those “screenshot for a resolution” posts. However, it was definitely fitting. I really like this groove I’m in as a parent, as a partner, as a friend, and personally. My plans go to plan, so to speak, and I don’t think I need to make any big moves for the time being. So while there are many projects and goals happening from year to year, I just want to keep moving at this pace. To Continue.

I can feel and see the personal growth. I can see the systems and habits I put in place and how they are working. My girls are progressing so well, and look forward to planning an epic road trip with them this summer. Travels, house projects, friend groups, hobbies; I’m going to enjoy them and continue moving along.

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Speaking of travels, I am off to Korea and Indonesia for the next two weeks so Child(ish) Advice will be taking another blog break. However, we won’t be radio silent. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook as we put our Resolution plans into action. Using a little bit of will power (and social media for accountability), let’s see how long us Millennial parents can take to form a positive habit.