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.

I've been working for myself for five years now. Over the last few years the work has settled to a slow pace meaning that I work approximately two days a week. And for months I felt embarrassed by this. I wasn't concerned by the lack of work. I wasn't looking or hoping for more work, and yet I would make excuses, 'it's usually quiet at this time of year' I'd hear myself say if anyone asked if work was busy.

But recently I realised that I didn't want to take part in the game of Let's See Who's the Busiest anymore. I'm not interested in working all the hours of the day, and rushing from A to B without a moment's rest in between. I'd equated being busy with being successful, with living a full life.

And then I realised that was utter crap.

I decided to stop being embarrassed about working part time, and decided to figure out what success really meant to me.

I know that I am very fortunate not to have to work full time. But it's not just about work, it's about all the things we choose to do in life.

And that's the important bit. We have a choice.

I often hear people talking about how very busy they are, they seem to wear it like a badge of honour. I call it The Glorification of Busy. But what's so great about being rushed off your feet all day, everyday? Are you achieving more? Are you happier if you've never got a spare minute?

I know I wasn't.

Now when someone asks if work is busy I say no. I tell them I'm only working about two days a week. They often look blank. Or assume I'm worried and ask about what self promotion I'm doing. When I tell them I'm not concerned I get more blank looks. It's like they're asking me 'what do you do with all your time then?'

I rarely sit around doing nothing. I have lots of plans, lots on my to-do list. Working part time isn't the same as having nothing to do.

I'm able to take my time over work or anything else I do. The pace of life is slower and it's wonderful. I literally have time to 'wake up and smell the roses'.

I don't have to rush. I have the time to plan, to be fully prepared, I have the time to be spontaneous. I have the time to start a task and finish it. I have the time to spend with family and friends. I have the time to try new things, to look after myself. 'Me time', the holy grail for some, but for me it's essential, it's self care. If you don't look after yourself, you have little left with which to look after others.

I can spend time on things that are important to me. I can spend a day with my family at a moment's notice. I have time to keep the house clean and tidy, and I have time prepare meals from scratch. I have time to do yoga every morning. When I sat down and asked myself what was important to me, what made me happy, these things were at the top of the list.

Nurturing relationships, improving my surroundings, and taking care of my husband and myself are the things that bring me the most happiness. Everything else comes after that including work, success, money, and material possessions.

Time is precious, it goes by so fast that I don't want to waste it by being too busy to enjoy it. We never know how much time we've got. So I work part time and spend the rest of my time doing the things that help to create a happy and calm existence, and that's not something I'm prepared to be embarrassed about.

What would you change (or what have you changed) in your life to have a little more time? What are the things in life that bring you the most joy?

I wasn't going to write a resolutions post, especially as the start of the new year seems like ages ago. I hadn't planned to make any resolutions at all, but the dawning of a new year turned my thoughts to a whole year stretching out before me and all the possibilities it brings. There are so many thoughts and ideas that have popped into my mind that I wanted to get them down before they become a forgotten memory.

I've incorporated some of these into my winter list already, so apologies for the repetition, but adding them to seasonal lists might give me a greater chance of success. Maybe...

I want to grow strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries, and maybe build fruit cage, I love the idea of eating sun warmed berries straight from the plant. Perhaps this year I'll just try my luck with bushes planted in pots, and see how I get on...

As for the garden I want to plant a eucalyptus and a spindle somewhere, and a cherry tree, and an apple tree in pots.

Rather than using our greenhouse to just store my tools and the BBQ, I want to grow a few veg. Spring onions, leeks, potatoes, and salad leaves... for a start.

When it warms up I want to create a bee bath. I found a number of drowsy bees last year and revived them with sugar water. I'd love a beehive one day but have no idea where to begin. In addition I'd like to plant some bee friendly plants. They love the thyme I have in the front garden but I could do with some more.

I'd like to improve my flower arranging skills, either by going to a class or relying on online tutorials, I'd like to progress from dumping stems into a vase and hoping for the best.

Embrace natural cleaning, I decided that this would be the year I finally get round to swapping out my chemical cleaners for more gentle options, I've been thinking about it for too long.

I want to cook a veggie meal once a month, Andy really enjoys vegetarian food but I rarely make veggie meals.

We've got into a terrible habit of eating in front of the TV, mostly because our dining room was drafty thanks to an old wooden window and door frame, but now we have a sparkly new double glazed french doors, there's really no excuse not to eat at the table. I'll start with at least once a week.

I have so many ideas for home improvements I want to make, I drive Andy nuts with my constant musings. One thing I can do though is decorate, the more skilled stuff will have to be left to the professionals, but I can daub paint on the walls, hang pictures, change lampshades and generally make things look prettier.

Last year I realised the importance of looking after me, it's a shame that taking some time to focus on your own needs can be seen as selfish but it's so important. I now have a regular head neck and shoulder massage to prevent a re-occurring problem I have with my neck - thanks to sitting at a desk everyday - but I also need to make time for exercise, and time to just sit and be, and to do things just for me.

Some days can feel very ordinary, some days can feel like your just living the same day over and over again. I'd love to keep a detailed journal but it's beyond me, believe me I've tried, so I want to write at least one positive thing in my diary every day. So far, so good.

My word to sum up 2016 was Crystallise, this year I want it to be Change.