Goodbye, January! | January 2023

January has been a steady start for the year. I took the first two weeks off from social media, which was a good way to limit some distractions and focus on setting up for the year. While there are several things I had hoped to accomplish this month and did not get to, overall, it was a good month.

A writing break.

After finishing Project: Leaf Pile just after Christmas, I took a writing break that lasted the rest of December and into part of January. Definitely a nice creative reset.

Working on a short story.

It’s actually a story that I wrote in December and hadn’t initially intended to do anything else with. But I picked it up this month and have gotten through one full set of revisions and halfway through another. If things go according to plan, this one will be available in February! (Probably here on LW, but I’m still working out the details, so stay tuned!)

Brainstorming the year.

I’ve been a bit nervous going into 2023, since it seems like when I made any sort of ambitious plans for the past couple of years, they get derailed a bit (which I try not to freak out about too much, but I do like having a general plan to follow, hehe). So I wanted to keep my plans and goals attainable, but also try to step out of my comfort zone a bit. I’m pretty happy with the goals I’ve set!

Starting a bullet journal.

I’ve used a planner for the past ten or so years, but when I was shopping around for one for 2023, none of them really caught my eye as The One to use for this year. I’d purchased a bullet journal but hadn’t yet decided it’s purpose—so 2023 became the year of bullet journaling! I’m enjoying it so far, and figuring out what works for me and what doesn’t. (I’ll probably have a post about it on the blog sometime…)

Anxiety management.

Since January tends to be one of the more difficult months when it comes to my anxiety symptoms, I was already thinking of ways to be more proactive about dealing with it. But I’ve been so, so thankful that the month was actually very easy on this front! I’m keeping a guided journal for tracking my mood, gratitude, and other wellness thing, as well as continuing an anxiety medication. I think it was also helpful that the weather has been milder and pretty for January, which is always a great mood booster. :)

How was your January? What are some of your favorite parts of starting a new year?