RESOLUTIONS

What better way to return to blogging from the Christmas break than with a list of all my good intentions? My mother-in-law-to-be wisely pointed out you should never start resolutions on New Year's Day. Instead this was dedicated to fry-ups, Pretty Woman, The Sound of Music, Mamma Mia and Pink Champagne.

Easing ourselves in during the first week seems a more realistic approach. So here are a few resolutions I'm hoping to keep in check this year.

GET ORGANISED

It’s a good feeling when you’ve nailed it, not so good when lack of organisation gets on top of you. On the work front, having things filed and stacked on shelves sounds simple but requires discipline. I'm currently on the hunt for a desk for our flat and a bookshelf is set to go up on the wall after we've doused it in its last coat of paint. Similarly having a clean desktop and downloading backlogues of photos from laptops and phones to hard drives is something I'm guilty of not getting around to, generally leaving it until my devices are grinding to a halt before I take action. Boring, but worth it.

DO IT STRAIGHT AWAY

The little things that is. Whether it’s replying to a quick email, doing the washing up or writing a thank you letter, procrastination is out. Getting these things done before they even need to find their way onto a do-to list will free up time and headspace for the bigger things. Plus keeping everything tidy at home, physically and mentally, is key for a happy living environment.

BE MORE ZEN

Cheating a bit here as I started trying this a month or so ago. A pal at Glamour mentioned that she did a short yoga session every morning and, after a little research, I’ve discovered twenty minutes of yoga daily has proven to be more effective than a longer session once a week. Sometimes the odd day is missed. More often than not Luna is on the mat with me. But the twenty minutes of slow time might just be making all the get-up-and-go time easier. There’s definitely still room for an instructor-led hour of sweating and fast-paced flows in a studio too, if only for he unbelievable deep sleep that follows after.

THE GLOVES ARE ON

Boxing – my wildcard. And to be honest, I don’t know the first thing about it. But since Olly fought in a charity boxing match two years ago, I’ve witnessed first hand someone getting the bug. Plus it seems like a good Yin to my yoga's Yang. (Balancing out core and fitness work that is.)

READ MORE

Since I was treated to a shiny new Paper White Kindle this Christmas, this is going to be made all the more easier. I’ve christened it with Jennifer Egan’s A Visit from the Goon Squad (which I've since discovered is sitting on my parents' bookshelf at home) and curling up for a few pages has become my go-to January escapism. Plus, Shantaram and any 800+ page books can now be (re-)tackled with ease, rather than discarded from my bag every time I leave the house because they're like carrying bricks around.

PAIRS

I'm notoriously bad at keeping things in pairs. I received some gorgeous new earrings from Tada & Toy this Christmas, as my mum noticed I don't own any other set of two matching earrings anymore. Despite colour co-ordinated heels and toes, my black socks can still never seem to find their correct other half either, and there's a growing pile of odd socks at home (which Luna loves, which obviously doesn't help). I will be forcing myself to make sure they are out of the washing machine and onto the drying rack with their true partner from now on.

And for all those resolutions we fail on, there’s always spring around

the corner for another injection of motivation.

Images taken by me or via Pinterest.