Every year I pick three words to help guide me through the year. This year’s choices are:
- Focus
- Now
- Invest
You can see all the previous years’ choices through my archives.
What I did with an hour of downtime
I used to joke that my idea of taking a break is to do work that isn’t on my “critical” list. It was only sort of a joke, because when I needed to recharge my brain I’d end up taking an hour to do something like:
- “processing” digital photos to choose which to post on social media,
- clearing out my queued RSS feeds to bookmark new content for reading or sharing,
- responding to people on social media to thank them for RTs
Today what I did with my hour of downtime was install a new theme onto this website. Isn’t it pretty? (And I won’t even get into the fact that I carved out an hour on which to do anything but work.)
SandraSays.com is the second-oldest online property I own. It’s gone through several redesigns and I’ve reconfigured the content and use several times as well. Since my life has changed significantly over the last few years, I decided it was time to roll out a new look. I also include info about transitioning SandraSays Media into Big Oak Tree Media and I provide more information about the project projects on which I contribute (Hispanic Houston and The Little Radio Show).
There is more to follow, I hope. But I haven’t quite figured out what I’m doing with this site now. Stay tuned!
My 3 Words for 2017: Focus. Move. Balance.
Happy New Year! For many of us, a new year gives us a great opportunity to wipe the slate clean and start over in different aspects of our lives. Some might approach this through resolutions (which I used to do as well). Some of us pick themes or words to help guide the next year.
I choose three words to represent areas where I want try to improve or in which I would try to make changes. You can see the previous years’ choices through my archives. This year’s words are (once again) a revisit of some I’ve used in previous years.
Focus. For the third year in a row I’m making “Focus” one of the important themes for the year. I’m still letting things distract me from what’s important, from the goals and objectives that I really want to achieve. Focus is something that’s an ongoing challenge for me. Some years I do better at this than others. But I still don’t think I’m doing this well enough to take this off my list of words.
Move. This year I’m going to make an effort to stop overthinking things and just doing them. I have the bad habit of planning things out for a long while and then implementing them. I’m going to adopt the “fail fast” theory and just try new things — if they work, great; if they don’t work, then it’s a lesson learned. Either way, I’ll have actually ticked off items from my lists.
Balance —”Balance” is one of those words that has made an appearance in my yearly choice on more than one occasion. I need to make more time for fun, family, and friends. I need to go out and do things because it’s hard to be creative when you never go out and do creative things. And it’s important to refuel my spirit and mind.
What are your goals, objectives or words for 2017.
My 3 Words for 2016: Focus. Comfort. Creativity.
A few years ago I gave up on New Year’s resolutions. Instead I adopted a practice of choosing themes for the year, areas where I would try to excel or in which I would try to make changes. So every year I pick three words to help guide me in the upcoming year. And I try to make that year all about those themes.
Unfortunately, most years my themes suffer the same fate that resolutions would: I lose sight of them by the mid year. I’m working on making sure that doesn’t happen in 2016, but I say that every year too.
This year’s words are (once again) a revisit of some I’ve used in previous years.
Focus. I need to stop letting distractions… well, distract me from the things I really want to achieve. Focus is something that’s once again become a challenge for me. I’m hoping to make some progress in that this year.
Comfort. I want to push myself out of my comfort levels and take more risks personally and professionally. I’ve just begun to do this and I’ve seen improvements in my “product.” I’m hoping to do more of this and to see its effects on my life.
Creativity. The ability to create (write, photograph, complete projects ) is one of the reasons I want to focus.
Let’s see how I do this year. Wish me luck!
My 3 Words for 2015: Balance. Focus. Create.
Three Words
It’s become a tradition (or a habit) now, every year I pick three words to help guide me in the upcoming year. I do this instead of writing out resolutions or personal goals. I’ve been much happier with the results of this practice, instead of telling myself that I’ll lose weight or save more money.
This year’s words are actually revisiting some I’ve used in previous years. What that tells me is that these are areas that need more work.
Balance — I need to make more time for fun, family, and friends. I need to go out and do things, instead of reading about others going out and doing things. As I stated two years ago, it’s hard to write about interesting things if you’re not doing interesting things.
Focus — I need to stop letting distractions… well, distract me from the things I really want to achieve. Focus is something that’s once again become a challenge for me. I’m hoping to make some progress in that this year.
Create — the ability to create (write, photograph, complete projects ) is one of the reasons I want to focus. Let’s see how I do this year.
What did you plan for 2015?
Blogging Goals
By the way, I decided not to create new blogging goals for 2015. Mostly because I got distracted from the ones for 2014 and didn’t achieve them to my satisfaction. I will simply be adopting last year‘s again:
- Create a style guide
- Pay attention to the editorial calendar
- Master analytics
- Go mobile
- Add an email component
- Be visual
Wish me luck!
image source: geralt / Pixabay
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Related posts:
- 2014: My new three words — Comfort. Honesty. Growth.
- Blogging goals for 2014
- 2013: Looking forward and three words — Reduce. Balance. Invest.
- 2012: My 3 Words for 2012 — Simplify. Focus. Create.
An unintended hiatus
Last year I started the process of taking a step back from many of my extracurricular activities — I stepped down from board positions and away from volunteer committees, I stopped doing pro-bono work, I (mostly) stopped attending professional lunches and dinners, and I paused some of my projects. Basically, I started to reduce the activities that were cluttering my schedule and making me lose focus. The intent was that it would free up space and attention for the things that were truly important.
It hasn’t quite worked out that way.
I did free up a lot of time, but somehow it’s been taken up with unscheduled, unexpected and (quite frankly) unwanted items. Family situations that cannot be avoided (and for which I’m very glad I had the time to be away); lots and lots and lots of overwork that’s threatening to leave me burned out of every achat en ligne casino iota of creative energy; and many other things that just weren’t planned.
Halfway through the year I find myself baffled by my complete deviation from this year’s plan. Did the new distractions pop up because the old ones were eliminated? or would they have popped up anyways?
One of the things I’ve seen is a massive decrease in a blogging schedule I was finally happy with, and which was getting me the results I wanted. I’ve had to decline on speaking engagements and opt not to pursue projects and opportunities I had planned for this year.
I’m hoping that some of this is going to start correcting soon. And for that to happen I have to stop saying “I’m too busy,” and start saying “I choose to do this.”
And, I think I need to start seeing people in real life again.
How’s your mid-year review going?