New Years Goals You Should Make To Kickstart 2021

7 min readDec 28, 2020

Happy New Year! I know just a year ago, we had no idea what was ahead. In fact, I think a lot of us expected 2020 to be the best year ever and that was a mistake. No matter the circumstances, we shouldn’t expect the year to be great. We need to expect ourselves to be great. Even if this year has obstacles ahead, we need to be set up to handle them and be the best we can be regardless.

This year, I plan on making a whole series on how to be the best you, you can be. But for now, let’s focus on the 10 goals you should strive for to kickstart 2021. These are goals that I’m also setting for myself, so we can keep each other accountable! I want to know each of you outside the blog so comment below and make sure to follow my socials listed below so we can connect!

Keep A Planner and Use It Daily!

Even if you’re staying at home often these days, I cannot stress getting a planner enough. I don’t know what I’d do without mine. I’ll be honest, when I was first furloughed, my first thought was “well, what do I put in here now?” Then a lightbulb went off. You should always have something to put in your planner. Even if it’s a simple, “clean kitchen.” It’s very motivating knowing there’s something to always check off for the day.

Of course, if you juggle multiple projects and businesses as I do, go get a planner right after you read this. I promise you, your year will become just a little bit less stressful and more organized. Personally, I have an Erin Condren planner and highly recommend it. There is also a detailed post about the planner on my blog if you want to check it out!

Focus on Your Mental Health

If I learned one thing in 2020, it’s that it’s so important to focus and improve our mental health. I know this topic is a bit vague and it’s more complex than anything I can fit into a couple of paragraphs but I’m going to go into more details on each of the bullet points listed below. Mental health is something I’m passionate about for personal reasons but here are some ways you can get started on improving your mental health!

Practice positive affirmations daily
Start a gratitude journal
Drink more water
Stay active
Find your strengths
Take a break

Make Friends and Connect With Others

This will sound so Gen Z of me, but I cannot imagine going through this pandemic without the internet. Because of the internet, we’re still able to stay connected and make friends. Even if you’re not tech-savvy, I highly recommend going on social media and following topics you’re interested in, and connect with others.

Facebook:

The easiest place to do this is Facebook! There are groups for almost every interest out there. And the chances of you connecting with people are better than the two other options below. I’m part of plant lovers, dog lovers, blog tips, and more various groups on Facebook! I’ve connected with people personally and even for business-related things!

Twitter:

You can search for accounts related to your interests and follow them! What I love most about Twitter is how nice everyone is. Depending on who exactly you follow anyway. Although, I’ve made so many friends on Twitter who engage with my posts and chat with me regularly!

Instagram:

A feature that I love on Instagram is that you can follow certain hashtags and then posts with that hashtag will pop up on your timeline! For example, I follow the hashtag #beauty so occasionally I’ll get posts related to beauty and end up finding awesome accounts to follow! Depending on the account size, that account may or may not see if you try to connect with them but it’s always worth a shot.

Start A Side Hustle

In the past year, so many people have discovered how easy it is to start a side hustle but most importantly, from home! Whatever it is you enjoy doing, you most likely can turn it into a money-making side hustle. I will also be blogging about this topic a lot this year, so keep an eye out!

Here’s a list of side hustles I’ve done and recommend trying this year:

Blogging (Click to read 5 things you should know before starting your blog — will be updated soon but still educational!)
YouTube Whether it’s just vlogging your day or educating your audience on something you’re good at, YouTube is a fun and creative way to eventually make some money.
Online Store (I’m opening my own store very soon so I’ll have lots to share on my blog about the experience!)
Selling your used clothes on apps like Poshmark. I actually did this for a couple of years and made some extra money!

Put money in your savings — keep it there!

Becoming financially stable is always a smart goal to have. A very important step to this goal is to put whatever you can in a savings account and don’t touch it unless it’s an emergency. Even if you start out putting $5 in your savings, you’re starting good money habits and that’s totally better than nothing.

Learn a new skill

What’s something you’ve been wanting to get better at or start learning? Whether it’s a new language or something creative, we should never stop learning. Expanding your skillset is exciting and can be rewarding.

Start by making a list of skills you want to learn or improve on. Then pick one or two that you want to make your priority for the year. Next, start googling online courses you can take for that certain skill. I’ve taken multiple blogging/social media courses in the past year that has helped me greatly.

Do something out of your comfort zone

You know what they say, necessary change happens outside of our comfort zone. We all have fears that we know we should overcome. The biggest reason why we stay inside of our bubble is that we’re afraid of failure. First, accept that nobody is perfect and there’s going to be mistakes made but it’s part of learning and growing.

Identify something that you want to overcome this year. Let’s start with just one thing. For me, it’s going live on social media. I know it’s small but I really want to connect with my audience more.

Drink More Water

It seems like drinking water is always something I’m working on. If you think about it, it’s kind of silly that something so simple seems so hard to accomplish. Our body needs water to function but it’s often always being put on the back burner. Here’s a list of a few common problems a majority of us suffer from and it’s likely due to dehydration.

If any of those symptoms sound familiar, ask yourself when the last time you drank enough water was. Trust me, I’m guilty too.

Create A Workout Routine

Get in the habit of working out and you’ll reap the benefits, I promise. Even if your body doesn’t start changing right away, the way it makes you feel is worth it. Did you know that exercise has been scientifically proven to help decrease anxiety and depression? Among other mental benefits. Even if you do a simple workout for a half-hour a few nights a week, you are doing something good for your body and mind.

Try New Recipes Each Week

I’m going to be honest here. I got into a nasty habit of ordering food very often during the pandemic. We’re talking multiple times in one week. Although, I felt good about supporting local restaurants, we have to start cooking meals again.

My favorite place to look for new recipes is Pinterest. That is the only place I really look for food ideas anymore. You can create a “Dinner Ideas” board and pin all of the recipes that intrigue you. Then just try at least one new recipe each week. You’ll be sure to find a new favorite dish!

Like it? Pin it!

Let’s Do This!

Will you be working on any of these goals in 2021? I hope you found a little bit of inspiration to make this an awesome year full of growth. Just remember that the biggest goal you should have in 2021 is to just be the best you, you can possibly be. Don’t forget to subscribe to my blog so you don’t miss all of the helpful content coming your way! We’re in this together.

Originally published at http://itsamandaburnett.com on December 28, 2020.