Hi there, Happy New Year!
I love the new year... It's so full of promise! Sure, many of those promises won't turn into realities, but that's something for another time. Now we can concentrate on how to make the most of this fresh start, and I have six tips to help you!
1. Decide what you want to achieve.
If you don't know where to start, read this article I wrote last year: Don't Make New Year Resolutions, Set realistic Career Goals.
And watch this short video by Marie Forleo: Setting Goals - Use This 2-Step Process To Achieve More With Less Stress.
2. Take a moment to savor what you accomplished last year.
Read why this is important here: Celebrate your achievements.
3. Find a new creative challenge.
One of my goals this year is to read this book and do the workbook: The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron (link to Goodreads).
It's a bit late since it started on January 1st, but you might still want to do this challenge organized by Tara Lazar: Storystorm, 30 picture book ideas in 31 days.
4. Learn something new.
Find some classes in your town. If you are a writer, take an art class. If you are an illustrator, take a writing class, or learn to sew or do ceramic.
If you prefer online classes, here are some options:
5. Take some time to unplug.
If you social media feels like a chore, if you check your phone too often... basically, if you live in this technological world, you might want to take a break from it all (I know I do). Stop distracting yourself and take some time to hear your own thoughts. I like this article by Caroline Starr Rose: A Digital Declutter for the New Year.
6. Have something to look forward to.
Thinking in terms of deadlines looming in the future can be overwhelming, so compensate by scheduling some fun activities too. Daydreaming about doing fun things is not enough, because life and work will happen and you might not get to do them. Instead, find a date and write it in your calendar.
Disclaimer: I'm quite bad at this, but I'm trying to get better! So far I have scheduled a trip to Spain and 5 museum visits!
P.S: Does the illustration look familiar? I made it for the 2015 Bookmark Literary calendar.
Hola a mis lectores españoles y latinoamericanos, ¡Feliz Año!
¿Qué tal se te da el inglés? ¿Necesitas que escriba en español?
He decido que ya no voy a escribir todos mis posts en español... Traduciré algunos, pero no todos. Si pudiese lo haría, porque traducir me gusta bastante y porque hay mucha menos información online en español (¡y yo quiero que la información llegue a todo el mundo!). Pero las traducciones requieren mucho tiempo y no me da la vida.
Creo que haciendo este cambio voy a poder publicar más cosas en el 2018, y eso será algo positivo.
Si tienes mucho interés en leer un artículo concreto en español, dímelo, y si tengo un rato libre lo intentaré traducir (aunque no te puedo prometer nada... dependerá de cuanto trabajo tenga).
¡Un abrazo!
P.D: Esta ilustración la hice para el calendario de Bookmark Literary de 2015