Living

Resolutions 2016

January 1, 2016

Is that time already? How can it be 2016 when I’ still haven’t met all my resolutions from last year (is there ever a year when that isn’t the case?)… Still, as they say, every day is a like a fresh page and January is no exception. So here goes for this year…

Get Organised

They say everything has its place, but in my pad let’s just say they don’t. This mostly comes down to a distinct lack of space (and a distinct need to move to bigger, newer pastures imminently), but there’s no denying I’m bad at having a spot for things. I put bowls out for keys in the hallway only to leave them in the kitchen; I have a tray for jewellery next to my bed only to find rings and earrings in the bottom of crumb-ridden handbags. Here’s to the end of ‘where the hell are my keys/trainers/scarf/sellotape’ in 2016…

Keep It Simple

The older I get, the more I realise how important the simple things in life are and my wardrobe’s no exception. I’ve definitely been guilty in the past of trying too hard and feeling sartorially outside of myself if that makes sense; it’s taken me a while to understand that you can admire things on others while accepting it wouldn’t work on yourself. Last September at New York fashion week I went to the final couple of shows in vintage jeans, beaten up flat sandals and an LNA tank before heading off to catch my flight home. I walked to and from the shows through the west village and felt like myself every step. I realised then that that’s the most important thing you can do for yourself whether its fashion week or just Saturday night with friends.

As such I’ll keep investing in great black boots, denim of all shapes and sizes and silk shirts that drape and hang in all the right ways and know that they all have their place in my very own uniform.

Fighting Fit

Every time I get into boxing or HIIT classes, I love it and yet forever struggle to keep on top of a routine. I go through such phases; I’ll work out four times a week for a month and then not at all for two. Let this be the year I get into a real habit of exercise and I have the punch bag in my sights to do just that…

Waste Less and Buy Local

A couple of foodie resolutions for the new year. One, waste less which means better planning (don’t buy a whole bag of spinach if it’s just you and you’re out every night other than Monday. It’ll be mush by Wednesday) and the occasional repetitive meal. We’ve all become so bad at this haven’t we? I’m bookmarking a whole load of food blogs in an attempt to break out of my midweek meal rut and make use of leftovers better. So far I’ve got The Kitchy Kitchen, The Healthy Chef and PinchOfYum ready to inspire me into better habits…

Two, in my own little attempt towards being a bit sustainable, I want to eat locally and seasonally. I’m not gluten-free, dairy-free and I eat meat but this is my nod towards better choices that do good both to me and the environment. I love an avocado more than most, but I do feel kind of weird eating them all winter long and contributing to the thousands of airmiles to get them here. At home at least, I’d like to stick to the seasons and locally produced vegetables as much as possible going forward…

Reclaim My Weekends

All too often, my weekends end up being spent working and running errands I didn’t get round to during the week, before ducking under the shower and dashing out to meet people for a catch-up while my mind is still preoccupied with my to-do list. Please say this sounds familiar to some of you guys too… Anyway, this year, I’d love to make more of my weekends (even if given what I do said weekends sometimes have to fall on a Monday) and actually do some of those ‘must-do’ things in London rather than just meaning to.

New Drawers in My Drawers

I have underwear in my drawer that should have been banished a long time ago. Holey bras and knickers no one would want to see in a flat lay… Don’t get me wrong, I have some nice stuff too, really nice actually. Bodas, Agent Provocateur, &OtherStories and Cheek Frills to name a few, but I plan on chucking the old and buying some new this January, for no-one’s benefit other than mine.

Plan Less, Do More

I’m very guilty of spending a huge amount of time making plans, spending hours online looking at hotels, beaches, flight prices, Air B&B and even local brunch spots rather than just enjoying what I’m up to at that moment. Spontaneous weekends away, dinners out and cinema trips with friends that don’t require hundreds of What’s App messages would probably be a much better use of my time that favouriting a cute beach bungalow in a remote corner of Australia that I currently have no chance of actually getting too.

Read The Week, Every Week

Because having an informed an opinion is so much better than just having an opinion…

Less Double Screening

As I’m writing this, I’m also watching TV and flicking through emails on my phone. So maybe that should be triple rather double… Being on my laptop in front of Netflix in the evenings is a necessary evil of being your own boss, so I’m under no illusions that I can cut this out completely. But flicking through RightMove and Instagram during Game of Thrones probably happens a little more than it needs to. Over Christmas I’ve been leaving my phone and laptop upstairs, making movies and even Friends that much funnier and better. If in doubt, watching something with subtitles (The Bridge is my favourite) so you have no option but to focus on one thing at a time is a good first step in the double-screen rehab.

One Bottle At A Time

No not wine, although that’s always a good idea too. Nope I’m referring to my cluttered bathroom and dresser, both of which are laden with half-used potions sitting side by side. There are some products that’ll I’ll always finish and buy again and again, but there are plenty of others that I really like but get overshadowed by newer, fuller models that take my fancy while wandering round Boots and Space NK. In the hope of making my bathroom look like an Aesop store, I’m going to try and stick to the one-at-a-time rule when it comes to my top shelf.

See More of Europe

My bucket list of travel destinations gets bigger and bigger no matter how many I tick off, and yet Europe somehow seems to get forgotten. Costa Rica, Brazil, Langkawi, Namibia, Bahamas (if only for the swimming pigs) are all up there for me, but what about Portugal’s Sand Dunes, Greece’s tavernas, Norway’s Fjords and Spain’s Southern coast. I want to start remembering what’s on my doorstep a little more and doing more ‘little and often’ trips in 2016.

Go Easy on Yourself

I’m impatient at the best of times, but particularly when it comes to myself and my achievements. Why is it we forget the good stuff as soon as its over but remember criticism, be it from a boss, an ex-boyfriend or your mother, for years afterwards..? Time to start being kinder and easier on ourselves and be our own best friends rather than own worst enemies. Let’s stop thinking we ‘should’ (hate that word) look a certain way, be at a certain point in our lives or hate something we actually quite like and just go with it.