My 2023 Intentions
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Happy 2023! I hope that your holiday break was restful and that you’re beginning the new year on a positive note. We spent the week after Christmas in beautiful Lake County a few hours from the Bay Area, and came home just in time for a cozy and restful New Years weekend. It’s been cleaning, organizing, putting Christmas away, and lots of reflecting.
I’m not a big resolutions girly, but remember distinctly the instant alignment I felt with the act of setting intentions when it became buzzy on Instagram a few years ago. As a planner, I like having concrete crystallized guidelines for my days without the pressure of inflexible mandates. I shared a little question box on Instagram about readers’ Words of the Year, and got so many thoughtful responses that it encouraged me to share more here on my own thoughts. I’ve always appreciated the inspiration that similar articles have provided me, and hope to pass it forward! Not so unselfishly, I also am hoping that putting this out will keep me accountable- here’s hoping I can write a 2023 Reflections blog post in a year’s time that finds me successful in my intentions.
2023 Intentions
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Improve Physical Health
Maybe it’s the fact that I’m hitting my mid-30s, maybe it’s that 2022 involved a steady spate of health issues, it’s been long overdue that I get back on the physical activity train. I have literally forgotten what it feels like to be strong in my own skin, and am hopeful that 2023 is a new beginning to get back into the healthy body that I liked best.20-30 minutes of physical activity 3-4 days of the week. I’m starting with weights to get the muscles moving and plan to mix in the Peloton and my favorite Pilates workouts soon.
A walk in the sun every day, preferably with my airpods playing a podcast. Even a short stroll in the sun is an instant mood-booster for me, and it’s a win-win if I get to listen to the shows I’d grown to love during my now non-existent work commute. My walks have been restricted to Brio’s walking schedule lately, and layering this on would be a great me-time addition to my days!
Focus on Mental Health
This feels a bit odd to write out again, because it feels as though I’ve spent so much time in my 20s and early 30s already working on getting mentally stronger. And yet, there is so much more to be done.
Some practices that have shaped me over the years-
🌟 Implementing strong boundaries from others’ opinions and judgements
🌟 Seeking out small joys that fuel contentment in daily life
🌟 Compartmentalizing work from non-work time effectively for better balance
🌟 Self-affirmations for confidence building
This year, I intend to work on my attention span and focus, both of which are presently down in the dumps.Meditate every night before bed. My old friend Headspace is no longer offloaded, and I plan to start small with 5’ meditations leading up to longer times.
Using the Pomodoro Technique during focus time. 25’ on, 5’ off. Can it be as easy as it sounds??
Practicing mindfulness. Part of the chaos in my mind is the hare-brained bouncing between random thoughts, and my hope is that being present in the moment will eliminate distractions. It sounds daunting to be honest. We shall see how far I get.
Reduce Screen Time
Between my phone and the TV and the computer and my e-Reader, there are days I feel frustratingly bug-eyed by nighttime, itching to take an off-the-grid vacation the next long weekend on the calendar. Easier and cheaper and all around better would be to reduce my screen time.
Getting organized around Instagram and blog content. In particular, travel content- I frequently get overwhelmed by the copious amounts of photos and videos after returning home from a trip, to the point of not even sharing! Which is a shame because K and I really do try sincerely to capture our experiences in real time. If I were to schedule sorting and batch scheduling time right away, I could maybe get ahead of it next time around?
Develop a hobby that does not involve a screen. I’m so excited about this ahhh! Top three contenders right now- Print crosswords, the ukulele, and puzzles.
Restrict TV time to dinner. I don’t know about you, but we love a cozy TV binge. Shows and movies are a staple pastime in our home, and when left unsupervised, they WILL lay claim to long blocks of our spare time. Taking back control of my time this year. I’ve decided. 😎
No phones during meals/dates/focused tasks. The Moment app and the in-app Instagram time limit have been effective at regulating the amount of time I spend on my phone, but I’ve been needing a way to regulate when I decide to use it. I’m going full brute-force i.e. leaving my phone in another room when I’d like it to not be a distraction. Wish me luck.
Practice a (Abundance + Intention) Mindset
Gratitude journaling before bed. My habit of listing 3 things I’m grateful for at the end of each day tapered off sometime last year and I’d really like to make it a sustainable long-term practice this year.
Expressing appreciation more freely to friends and family. I’ve certainly gotten better with time at verbalizing positive sentiments, and want to continue to practice intentionality in celebrating loved ones. I especially want to break out of occasion-driven behavior patterns, and do more for others ‘just because’!
Making quarterly monetary donations towards causes close to our hearts. I credit my parents for cultivating a service-minded attitudes in my sister and I, leading by example with careers in community- and public health-oriented fields and encouraging us to empathize with people in all walks of life. It’s certainly shaped my career choices so far, but it embarrassingly wasn’t until 2022 that I was able to carve out dedicated time for community work like I had hoped to all of my adult life. It’s been SO rewarding to volunteer my time to the Redwood City Kindness Ambassador program since last Summer! This year, I want to layer on structured monetary contributions, informed as always by trusted data on GiveWell, Charity Navigator and GiveDirectly.
Schedule a monthly relationship check-in with Kushal. The sense of alignment and peace that I feel with my darling husband is a source of daily joy to me, and we’ve built a life that I’m proud of. Reflecting on ten years of marriage in 2022, I’ve looked to establish a way for us to intentionally communicate/appreciate one other, and landed on this idea. I’m still researching the ideal structure to use for our check-ins- this IG post could be a start.
2023 Word of the Year
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Collating everything I’ve described in my intentions and asking myself how I’d want to achieve them, I landed on my own Word for 2023: Progress. Over perfection. For myself. Rather than try to develop an unnatural (to me) competitiveness to excel, I want to follow an incremental path to betterment. I just want to be a little bit better today than I was yesterday.
2023 Fun!
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New things I’d like to learn this year:
Using chopsticks
The Ukulele
Consuming news regularly (not new really, but feels like something to relearn after ~3 years of pandemic news fatigue)
Dermaplaning
Using Keychain efficiently across all of my Apple devices
Photo and Video management so I don’t run out of phone storage every three months
An ambitious travel plan which, if successful, will take us to 4 bucket list destinations and make us new memories with family. Next week kicks things off with a birthday roadtrip across Baja California Sur!
Little luxuries I’m excited about to elevate my everyday:
Drawing baths in the guest bath tub after ~2 years of living here, complete with a candle and book
Fuzzy socks to feel cozy when I’m working
A gooseneck tablet holder + bluetooth page turner for hands-free reading in bed
Hand-written cards for any or maybe no occasion
Drinking coconut water in a wine glass on random weekdays
Wearing my nice jewelry with WFH outfits
Hanging a disco ball where the light hits in the bedroom
Have a great first week of 2023, and as always, thank you for reading!
XOXO Sushmitha :)
