I tend to think of January as the buffer between the new year and the previous year. It's a time I spend recovering from the chaos of the festive season, a time I slowly ease myself into the new year.

I spend January looking back over the year just gone, and deciding on what I want the new year to bring. Come February the looking back stops and the new year, with all my good intentions, has my full attention.

I read somewhere that by the time January 5th rolls around most people have failed or faltered at their New Year's Resolutions, I had to chuckle as I was still pondering mine.

I don't feel the need to make huge changes in my life. Life is pretty good, but I do think there is room for improvement. So I thought about the ways in which I'd like life to change, it didn't matter how small these changes were, I considered anything that would enrich or improve life in some way, big or small.

I came out the other side with a word for the year. And that word is Better.

Better at:
(in no particular order)

meal planning

making plans to see friends

cooking from scratch

keeping on top of the housework

finishing projects (and doing one thing at a time)

listening

taking care of myself

meditating regularly

regularly practicing yoga

money management

decluttering

gardening

parallel parking

reversing

forgiving

communicating

asking for help

sticking to a routine

not buying books

resisting impulse purchases

using less single use plastic

remembering birthdays

focusing on one thing at a time

getting something out of the freezer for supper the next day

being grateful

The plan is to come up with ways to make these changes stick, to implement new routines, set aside time for specific things. I'll tackle each one, and try to find a better way of doing things.

One of my stumbling blocks is that I crave routine, but when I get it I get bored and want more freedom and flexibility. That's when things fall by the wayside, routines get forgotten, stuff doesn't get done, and then life feels hectic and I feel like things are getting on top of me.

I need to learn to rest and not quit. It's an on going thing. Can anyone say "I don't need to change anything about myself or my life. I'm perfect"? Except, of course, every cat that ever lived.