Last year, I started something. I wrote a post about what I wanted more and less of in 2014. Truth is, I’ve never been good at setting “resolutions.” I’m still a planner and a SMART goal-setter, but I really liked the way 2014 turned out when focusing on what I want more and less of in my life.

So, as many of us to during this time of year, I reflected. I think I did pretty well at integrating more intention and spontaneity into my life. I cut out unnecessary television (I don’t even remember the last time I watched Law & Order), and I feel like I’ve gotten better at identifying why I’m doing certain things and making sure I have a clear intention when doing them. The Boyfriend and I have been working on being more spontaneous. He’s definitely winning, but I’d have to say that our anniversary was most definitely one of the more fun, spontaneous times this past year. When it comes to more patience and more time, I’m still working on those. I worked hard on having less mindlessness and crap in my life. I pretty much stopped playing stupid iPhone games which was a big win! As for the crap, I feel like i’m always cleaning something out (the other day it was my scarves and purses). I’m working hard to not buy unnecessary things (The Boyfriend put the kibosh on any new cookbooks…), but there’s always room for improvement on that front. And I’m still working on the whole anxiety thing.

Last year was a good year. It was a year of digging in. New job, new blog, more creativity. And for 2015, I want even more and even less.

More patience. 

I’m still working on this so it’s getting transferred over into this year’s “more and less.” I am not a patient person. I snap at people I love. I want immediate results and when I don’t get them, I give up or get frustrated. I am constantly in a rush. I’d like to slow down a bit more and be patient with the world around me.

Less iPhone. 

For those of you who know me, you know this is a challenge of mine. I am pretty much always attached to my phone. This year, I’d like to spend less time on that little device and more time in the real world. No phone at dinner. No phone while having a conversation. No phone while out and about having real life experiences. (This does not include the occasional photo documenting said life experiences). Basically, I want to be more present in my life experiences.

Less multi-tasking.

This past year, I cast a pretty big net when I said I wanted less anxiety in my life. After being very cognizant of my levels of anxiety over the last year (yes, I struggle with real, scary anxiety), I’ve determined that one of the constants contributing to my anxiety is multi-tasking. At any given moment during the day, I’m doing at least three separate things (checking email, waiting for a website to load, talking to someone on GChat). While sometimes multi-tasking can help with efficiency, other times it prohibits me from getting things done which leads to me getting anxious at how many things need to get done, then I try to do them all at once (see, there’s a lovely circle involved in this multi-tasking anxiety problem). So this year, I’m going to work on multi-tasking less and…

More focus.

In addition to multi-tasking less, I want to have more focus in what I’m doing. I’d like to be better about blocking time off on my calendar to accomplish tasks. To sit down and focus on a project for an hour, or 90 minutes. I’d like to turn off notification so I’m not distracted and focus. Really focus on whatever I’m working on. I feel I’ll see a great improvement on my happiness and the quality of my work when I’m dedicating energy specifically to that one thing.

More reading and writing.

I didn’t read enough this past year. Period. I tend to get into bed at night, start reading a book, get three pages in and fall asleep. I’d like to dedicate time every week to read. As for writing, towards the end of the year when I started making changes to the blog, I started writing more. And I can’t even begin to tell you how amazing it feels to be writing again! Honestly, the changes I’ve made to the blog have been so rewarding and I just want to keep that going. I also want to get back in the swing of writing in my journals. I have several that have been neglected, but every time I sit down with them, I feel so much better. I believe this will help with that little anxiety issue as well.

Less crap.

This one’s definitely coming back this year. I still want to put less crap in my body. I made good strides with this last year, then fell off the wagon (so to speak). I’m back at it in 2015 — watching what I eat and making sure I’m feeding my body nourishing ingredients. Plus, that means I get to cook more! I also spent some time in Mint setting budgets for spending. I’ll admit, I’ve never been great at budgeting and watching closely where my money is going. I’m hoping this will help me purchase less unnecessary crap and not clutter the house with it.

More saying “no.”

I want to say “no” more. I want to say “no” to unnecessary meetings, to cocktail hours with strangers I just don’t feel like attending, to extra projects I don’t have time for or really don’t have interest in. I want to stop saying “yes” to absolutely everything and then feeling spread too thin, too tired, too uninspired to ever be truly present or focused on any of them.

Less lunches al desko.

I eat lunch at my desk almost every single day. I’d like to do less of that. It just can’t be good for me. Instead, I’d rather eat with a colleague or in the park.

More exercise.

I want to move. Last fall, I joined a corporate co-ed soccer league with some colleagues. I’ve been having a total blast and want to exercise even more this year. I’d like to do as much exercise outside as possible — urban hikes, walking around the neighborhood, outdoor bootcamps. I have a reminder set on my phone to walk around the Adobe building every afternoon. I just want to move more.

I know it seems like a lot to set out to do, but I’m really looking forward to 2015. This will be a great year.

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