Happy New Year everyone!
I’ve been a little mia on the blog last year. After really struggling to readjust to being back in Sydney towards the end of 2023, these feelings and thoughts continued on into 2024. I started working again full-time and had no annual leave. It was just the grind. I hadn’t really given this blog any thought until I started getting emails over the past few weeks that I needed to renew my domain. I hope to blog a bit more this year but we’ll see!
Townsville, Queensland in 2024 on a work trip
This year, there are few things that I want to change in my life.
I’m journaling in a new way this year in the hopes that I can better organise myself. It’s basically an empty journal with goals and day journaling together so that I can better see how I’m going on my goals and break it down better.
I want to consume less media. I am so easily distracted by youtube and always find something new to learn and watch. It just takes so much time away from me actually doing things. So I’ve unsubscribed from channels and have almost turned it into a language learning tool.
Sydney International Airport ceiling
I want to decrease my screen (phone) time. Last year, I think I did very well and got it to under 1hr most days. I’ve put the timer on my apps so that it kicks me out. I’m also so close to bringing myself from uninstalling facebook.
Lastly, I want to become more active. I work from home most of the time so I actually have to make some effort to be active and try and add in more incidental exercise in my day. I live in an area which is typical of western countries with houses. Everything is a drive away so I can’t duck down the road for groceries or coffee. I already have a habit of going for a walk everyday (almost everyday) and have, as of this morning, created a set of exercises with weights to work on my strength (hello, bad shoulder from 2024 still not completely healed).
If anyone has any tried and successful tips on any of the above, let me know. Wishing you all a lovely year ahead filled with good health, joy and nature.
Lingo in Transit 
Hey Sophie, The wfh scene changes so much. A large part of our social interaction occurs at work during our work hours with our colleagues and even though we can be in contact with them over the internet – working from home makes that process less natural and much more isolating. There’s no incidental conversation as you pass the person in the corridor on the way to the bathroom anymore or in the lunchroom I think we were all much poorer for that.
But it is what it is.
Good on you for reducing your screen time to under an hour. I’m struggling with that but when I get involved in a project say writing a story- I can do it for hours in that ‘flow’ zone. I think the secret is breaking that habit and once it’s broken it’s easier to step away from the undesirable things. Its a bit like blogging – if you blog all the time, you can continue to post all the time. If you step away from the blog it’s harder to go back and you don’t miss it. Things that possibly could be helpful for you might include setting a blogging schedule, diarising time to write up your goals, or active time: home exercises – start out with 10 minutes a day and then increase. I found yoga worked for me and tai chi. Are you interested in starting or joining a local walking group or a community club? Is there some activity that you enjoy like bush walking or charity work with an bushcare or interest group? Is that what you are looking for?
Hi Amanda! I do love working from home but yes, you definitely miss out on the social aspect. I couldn’t do full time at the office though. My screen time is only phone screen time. I’m on the computer most of the day. You are completely right that it’s breaking of a habit and conversely building a new habit for things you want to do. I go on a walk most mornings. I did join some Sydney walking groups last year which were ok but I didn’t really stick with it due to time. So far, I’ve been getting up early so that I have time to do exercises and hobbies before starting work.
Good for you. I like exercising early before the heat hits. I can’t wait for summer to end.
I can’t wait for summer to end either. We’ve had a very muggy week until this storm and cooler winds rolled in!
That storm sounded so nasty.
I deleted the Facebook app from my phone and it was life-changing – it’s such a liberating feeling to be able to breathe again. I was constantly checking my notifications and news feed, waiting in line at the grocery store, pumping gas, and at the doctor’s office. Wherever waiting was involved, I’d be on Facebook or Instagram. I’d panic if I didn’t have a signal. I slowly started to see how much oversharing my Facebook friends were doing. I began to ask if I even really knew all these friends if they would come to my aid if I were facing an emergency, if any of them would miss my absence on Facebook, and the answer was no 🥰 Disconnecting from social media made such a huge difference for me. I didn’t see how addictive and time-consuming Facebook and other social media were until I took myself off it all. Thanks for sharing, and have a good day 🙂 Aiva xx
So great to read that it had a positive effect on you. Going back to being in the present this year!
🥰🥰🥰
Happy New Year! Glad to see you back on the blog. Life happens and, to be honest, blogging takes a back seat in order to take care of business, so it’s completely okay to take your time and come back to writing when you can and are inspired to. Work sounds busy (although the work trips sound like a perk!), and I hope you have a solid and healthy year ahead! Cheers
Thank Rebecca! Work trips are definitely a nice perk.
Good job getting phone usage under an hour. I’ve cut back but am well behind you. You’ve given me something to strive for. Nice to see you back on the blog.
I’m using the app timers which have been great. I’ve also seen some apps that change your phone to black and white to make it less appealing. Thank you!
Ahh Happy New Year and it’s nice to see you pop up on my feed again 🙂 I think everyone goes through peaks and troughs with blogging, it’s hard to be consistent all of the time, and life is just much more important. It sounds like you have some great ideas this year – I deleted my FB account in 2020 and haven’t once regretted it, my true ‘friends’ are in touch anyway. Who cares what someone I knew 15 years ago is eating for their dinner?! hehe.
Too right- no point forcing any writing. Oh that is great that you’ve deleted FB. It is exactly that and there’s more ads than ever now. I’m not sure I’m ready to delete my account yet. Baby steps.
Happy New Year! It is okay to take a break from blogging or to put it in the back seat at times. In the end it is mostly a “should” that we impose on ourselves and it is good to be flexible with it if the schedule we imposed ourselves doesn’t work for us at some point.
I love your goals for 2025 and I have very similar ones! I am especially focusing on being more active and trying to find some form of exercise that I enjoy and actually look forward to, so I’ve set myself the goal to try 3 new workout classes, and maybe I’ll find the one! I’m thinking of keeping this goal for the beginning of the year, and maybe slowly adjusing it during the year if I wish to. This allows for more flexibility and I hope it will work out better than the past years for me!
I wish you a wonderful new year and lots of happiness!
I’m also notorious at trying to stick to my “shoulds” and need to work on that. Hoping we achieve our fitness goals for the year and that you find some fun classes.
Re: screen time. Tell me about it! I want to significantly reduce mine too. I believe it’s a matter of replacing and not forgoing. But I can’t find an activity that I truly like yet. Here’s to more blogging in 2025!
Definitely- I am trying to replace it with reading. Yes to more blogging in 2025!