Goals

2025 Goal Talk + Taking My Own Advice!

December 17, 2024

It is December 17th and I am a bit stressed about the number of things that need to get done in the next few weeks. Most of these things are writing-related, but some of them are other things that are becoming more and more urgent, such as dealing with some back-end blog stuff (my least favorite activity EVER!) or ordering holiday cards (not 100% necessary but we do like to send New Years’ Cards and pretty soon they will be Happy Mid-January Cards. Which would be okay, but not ideal!)

This morning I compiled it all into one list for the time frame and while I feel slightly better, I am still anxious because . . . well, it’s just a lot of things. But I *think* it’s doable. My last day of clinic is Friday so at least there will be a rest from that side of work. I’m anticipating/hoping for some very productive plane flights to and from Montana!

2025 Goals: Overview

I recorded my annual goals ep with Laura and am about to do an equally detailed one for Best Laid Plans — so I am feeling more committed to my goals for 2025! I have decided I will do a series here where I go into each of them in detail. Today I’ll share the framework/list that I will be drawing from.

Do I have a lot of goals? YES! I always do. I don’t always meet them all, and for me this is expected. If I aim high and reach even 50-60% of what I’m working towards, it’s great (which I would definitely say holds true for 2024).

My Hobonichi Weeks is starting to fill up with these ideas and it feels like I’m ready.

the Weeks is the one on top. Getting broken in now!!

Note: I had a few people ask for the link of my Planner Stack YouTube, as it wasn’t in my initial post. It’s here!

PERSONAL

FITNESS: Strength, aging well, injury prevention, and body comp in my 40s

FITNESS: Running fast and creating an enjoyable running calendar for our climate

WARDROBE/CLOSET: Editing, organizing, and style

READING: A Process Habit Approach

MEDIA: Curation, tracking, music / TV / movies

INVISALIGN: Okay, this is an add-on, but I’m considering it. I had braces for many years but college/20s me was unfortuntely inconsistent with my retainer. I dislike how my bottom teeth look and even feel. (If anyone has seen My Old Ass there is a humorous reference of this phenomenon!)

WORK

BOOK PROJECT: Enjoying the process (as much as possible!)

SHUTDOWN: Cracking down on a hard stop and adequate processing rituals on my creative work days

SUMMER: Treat summer like something different – craft a summer sabbatical of sorts

RELATIONSHIPS

REPEAT GOAL: Embrace 1:1 opportunities (their sports events / solo excursions / 7 year old trip somewhere with G)

DATE NIGHTS: Fun restaurant quest + 2 short trips with Josh

NEIGHBORHOOD: Revive book club + have casual neighborhood hang in the winter

SEEK OUT FRIEND TIME: Meetups with college + other friends in the works!

HOUSEHOLD

ORGANIZING FOR REAL THIS TIME: Eliminating the excess room by room (!) – hoping 2025 is the year this comes to fruition!

READING: Cultivate a reading routine in our house on weekend afternoons before screens

REPEAT GOAL: Sunday dinners + discussion of the week ahead with kids

Will go through each of these (1-2 at a time) as we lead up to 2025!

9 Comments

  • Reply Raquel December 17, 2024 at 1:45 pm

    I always appreciate you sharing your goals as they serve as inspiration. May I ask, where do these goals live (your Apple Notes, your Hobonichi Weeks)? Also, do you fulfill these tasks before 5pm before you get back home?

    • Reply Sarah Hart-Unger December 17, 2024 at 1:49 pm

      Hi!! Which tasks are you talking about, specifically? Writing I usually do on my nonclinical days plus often on weekends. Reading I usually do before bed and in the early AM. Exercise usually early AM (before work + driving kids) or lunchtime/afternoon on work from home days.

      • Reply Sarah Hart-Unger December 17, 2024 at 1:49 pm

        And this year they are in my Weeks (Annual and Seasonal) but I also take a pic and throw it in Notes for safe keeping šŸ™‚

  • Reply Grateful Kae December 17, 2024 at 2:25 pm

    Love all these and am tempted to just basically copy you. šŸ˜…šŸ˜… jk. Also YES on the bottom teeth thing… I know we’ve talked about this before, but I have same issue. I also can feel it and it’s yuck. I don’t think this will be the year though yet for me- we currently have 3 of 4 of our household in braces! So I will probably wait until a couple people cycle out…

  • Reply Elisabeth December 17, 2024 at 2:45 pm

    Do the Invisalign! I did not have braces as a kid (single mom, not in the cards financially). At 27 I decided to get braces for myself. However, my bite was too bad for Invisalign and metal didn’t bother me. And I also had a retained baby canine. The adult tooth was up in my palate and an oral surgeon opened it up, attached a chain, and it was slowly pulled into place with the orthodontia. Unfortunately I ended up with 3 rounds of braces from age 27 to age 39 due to continued shifting with my terrible crossbite, but the third time finally took. They’ve stayed where they were put for 3 years now! My friend did Invisalign in our 30s and had a great result. I’m sure you would too since you’re not starting from scratch (and she was).

  • Reply Sophie December 17, 2024 at 3:12 pm

    Love that you share your goals here- Iā€™m just about ready to write mine down for 2025. I also write a lot and Iā€™m happy if I progress a big chunk, but not all. What layouts do you use in the Hobonichi Weeks for your goals and lists? Iā€™m curious because it sounds like a weekly planner?
    Iā€™ve also got crooked bottom teeth after not using my retainer enough as a teenager. Iā€™d never considered envisalign, will be interested to hear if you decide to go ahead!

  • Reply Sara December 17, 2024 at 3:38 pm

    I did Invisalign in 2021 (during the pandemic – perfect time for this!) I also had braces when I was younger, but stopped wearing my retainer after a while. I was noticing my teeth looked noticeably crooked in pictures compared to other people and just wanted to look more ā€œput togetherā€.

    Itā€™s a pain, but worth it!

    I like your other goals, too. Organizing (for real) and incorporating consistent strength training into my routine are my key goals. And Iā€™m starting a graduate school program in January (while working full-time). I might be crazy for doing this at 42, but I also want to do something new šŸ˜Š And I know is can be done (thanks to you + LV!) even if it does require some deprioritizing and/or outsourcing.

  • Reply Lisaā€™s Yarns December 17, 2024 at 4:17 pm

    I love seeing others goals even though I donā€™t set any goals for myself! Itā€™s fun to see what others are looking to achieve in 2025! I am debating doing 25 in 25 this year and making it mostly fun things and nothing too taxing. Work continues to challenge me to my limits and my RA isnā€™t great to if I feel like a list of fun things will be good to reference throughout the year, especially now that the kids are getting to more manageable stages.

  • Reply Sesb December 17, 2024 at 7:09 pm

    I did Invisalign in 2021 to straighten my bottom teeth and they look much better now. Two things: 1) they glue nubbins to your teeth to help straighten them (which I didnā€™t know about), 2) and it took about a year for a minor adjustment. Still worth it, but I live in perpetual fear of a retainer breaking and my teeth moving again before I can get a replacement lol. That last one may be a me problem though haha!

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