Last year, I took Gretchen Rubin's suggestion to make an 18 in 2018 list, 18 things that I would do that year, most of them fun versus chores. I ended up doing 16 of them, including huge ones like getting our backyard ready for outdoor entertaining and launching my business.
Here is what I learned:
Things took much longer than expected. Having the list made me start on them early, which was good. Otherwise, complex items like taking the family to meet my Great Aunt in England would not have happened.
Put it somewhere visible, so you don't forget it. I also found scheduling a reminder in my calendar once a month to revisit helped.
One-off goals worked better than ongoing. Once I missed the first month of "go on an adventure with each kid each month," I wasn't motivated to fix it.
Just having the list was half the fun. The anticipation of doing all these fun activities made me excited for the year.
Add some easy wins to the list that you can get done immediately to create momentum.
My verdict? I loved this list and am starting mine for 2019. I'm not finished. What's on yours? Would love the inspiration!
