I made goals earlier this year, steering away from waiting for the typical January driving force that pushes us into starting over and making all kinds of promises to ourselves.  I made a HUGE list of all that we want to accomplish in our home, and believe me, this was not a "to be completed in 2014" list.  That would be amazing, but impossible when we both work full-time and we like to do things like eat and sleep.  So I'm making a specific set of resolutions for myself and the blog.

Yesterday I shared with you my one word for 2014 - consistency.  This is going to play a big part in how I make resolutions, you see, because I want to accomplish them all - that's part of being consistent, no?  So let me share with you in more detail some of the things I'd like to accomplish.

2014 Personal Resolutions

• spend more time with family.  I really should make it a point to call my parents more often and I'd like to make an effort to spend even more time with them.
• invite more people into our home.  I LOVE the idea of entertaining, but the thought of preparing for it and being the perfect hostess paralyses me.  Remember when I wrote about being a better hostess?  I need to take my own advice and just BE one!
• take better care of myself.  I mentioned this briefly yesterday, and I need to listen to my body more.  I feel like I'm pretty good at that, but there's room for improvement and I can certainly use some help in the beauty department!  I'm not exactly great at keeping a routine.
• invest more into my friendships.  It can be easy to become a reclusive person and the comforts of home are far too tempting sometimes - I need to say 'yes' more to being around people.  As someone who strongly dislikes talking on the phone, I need to make greater efforts to reach out to those dear friends who don't live close enough for regular visits.
• apply a few 'band-aids'.  This means rather than waiting until we can spend large chunks of money on projects around the house (like our main bathroom that needs new tile and vanity), spending small amounts to put a band-aid (like with paint and new accessories) on it until the big project.  Do I sound crazy?  Ok well Young House Love calls this "Phase 1" Projects, and they make a great case for why they are beneficial.
• appreciate my home more.  After taking down the Christmas decor it felt like I was seeing my house with new eyes.  You may remember the photos above from recent Instagram posts... Well I have been looking at our home with a new perspective and I like it!

2014 Blogging Goals

• plan.  So simple, so important.  I often find myself wanting to have a real schedule on a real calendar, but I usually fall short.  I did use a very specific plan for my 31 Day posts last year and it worked SO WELL!  Now I need to keep that up the rest of the year!  I'd like to post 3 times a week, every week.
• learn.  This year I want to learn a few things to make my blog better.
  • Photoshop: I have limited knowledge.  I'd like it to be less limited.
  • Sponsorship: how it works and how it can work for my blog.
  • HTML: because coding is oh so important!
  • Graphic Design: for better graphics in my posts, on my sidebar, and in a potential future newsletter.
  • Photography: because I need all the help I can get!
• quality.  Bring it up and make it my focus for every post, even if that means breaking my 3 posts per week goal.
• more High/Low.  I've said before I want to make this a monthly series, and I will!  I will also create a better logo for it!
• collaborate.  Working with other bloggers is so rewarding and so much fun, and I want to do more of it!
• attend another blogger conference.  I know I'll attend Blog Podium again, but I'd ultimately love to attend Haven to meet some of the American bloggers I have come to love and admire!
• revamp my sidebar.  This is broader than it seems because it may include the sponsorship thing.  I'd just like to redesign it a bit to make it cleaner and with more quality images.

I think that's all I have... and it's probably more than enough because I just know more things I haven't planned for will come up, as they always do.

Oh and in case you're curious about last year's goals, I did manage to accomplish some, like finishing the studio (posts to come soon!), sprucing up the basement washroom, and improving kitchen storage, which turned out to be my 80's wall unit turned hutch.  Yet to be completed: landscaping, painting my desk and figuring out the entry.  But those WILL all be completed this year.  It's already in the works!

Now excuse me as I go print out this blog post and pin it up all over my house so I don't forget everything I just planned!

What are your goals and resolutions for 2014?