It’s after 12th night, so Christmas is over, and I can start thinking about my 2024 intentions*

*aka, I’ve been too tired to blog yet this year!

Anyway, looking back on my 2023 intentions, I was more successful at some than others.

In 2023, I wanted to write 52 blogs, and I wrote 61! I’m going to aim for 65 blogs in 2024, with regular Weekly Check-ins and shorter blogs on different themes.

I wanted to read 52 books, but I managed 44. I’ve discovered Monopoly Go, which is fun but has meant less reading when it’s bedtime. Plus, Sophia is at an age when she tends to want the same book 6 times in a row, rather than 6 separate books, so I read fewer new books with her in 2023. This year, I’m going to aim to read 50 books.

Last year, I was trialling a new way of working, with a full day dedicated to retreat/forward planning/admin/housework every week. Well, it never happened. The whole year was all much more by-the-skin-of-my-teeth than I would have liked!

But I did have a few retreat days. One notable one was when I sat in my study and spent most of the morning shouting at God. It wasn’t what I had in mind, and I don’t necessarily recommend it, but I ended up feeling loads better, and in the long term, the particular issue I was shouting about did get sorted much faster than I imagined!

Anyway, this year, I am aiming to take 12 retreat days and a short residential retreat. And in order to feel more on top of things, I’m going to write a sermon every week that I’m working so that I don’t end up feeling as rushed at Christmas and Easter as I did in 2023.

In 2024, I’m also aiming to up the exercise. I would like to exercise twice a week. I’ll carry on with Sweaty Mamas and try to run once a week. I’m aiming to run a marathon before I’m 40, so I’d best get cracking!

I’d like to continue to have 5-7 as family time. 98% of the time, I’ve been pretty good at this, but sometimes I had meetings which meant I needed to leave the house closer to 6. After much wrestling, I’ve decided to drop those commitments. Family time, and even that 2%, is just much too precious.

On that note, I’m going to try to go to bed earlier. Fitbit tells me that I averaged 5 hours 55 minutes sleep in 2023, which just isn’t sustainable for me longterm. It’s also fat worse than 2021 or 2022 by over half an hour, so I can’t blame it on Sophia! It’s because I just work late or clean late every day, and then I’m on my phone for a bit. I think it if cut out the doom scrolling, I can do better.

Finally, I’m going to stop putting off difficult conversations, both in my personal and professional life. Instead of thinking, ‘I must mention x to person A when I get the opportunity’, I’m going to ask to meet to discuss whatever it is. I do like to have the chance to think things over and process before I respond. I do not apologise for that. I’m allowed to reflect and consider my response to things. But I think I need to be more active in addressing things.

I’ve already got one meeting lined up, I know when I’m going to raise one issue, and when I get back off leave, I’m going to ask for a meeting about another. And those are just 3 conversations hanging over from 2023! I’m sure there will be more to come, and I need to stop them lingering in my brain for weeks and months.

So they are my 8 intentions for 2024. As always, thanks for reading! And please do gold me accountable for this stuff.

Much love x