personal development – Keeping it creative

Habit formation, Hobbies, intentional living, learning, life hacks, lifelong learning, lifestyle, personal development, personal growth, wellbeing

Discover Fun Hobbies That Boost Skills, Wellbeing, and Growth (a guest post by Linda Chase)

Posted on Jul 16, 2026 by Laura

This week, we have another fantastic article from regular guest contributor Linda Chase. The focus of today’s piece is hobbies which your boost skills and wellbeing and, provide opportunities for personal or professional growth. Linda shares some excellent tips for getting started and maintaining consistency. She also offers thoughtful and honest answers to common hobby related questions. I hope you enjoy reading the piece and that her writing provides you with as much food for thought in relation to different pastimes as it did for me. From here, I’ll leave you in Linda’s capable hands…

Busy professionals juggling work, responsibilities, and a shrinking sense of curiosity often feel the same tension: plenty of interests, but no clear starting point and no desire to add another “should” to the week. The result is drifting into default downtime while the urge for momentum, to feel engaged again, keeps tapping at the door. The right hobbies for adults turn that restless feeling into learning new skills through options that span creative hobbies, physical activities, intellectual hobbies, and lifestyle interests. Choosing well makes free time feel purposeful.

Understanding Hobby Types and Their Payoffs

A useful way to choose a hobby is to sort options into five buckets: creative, physical, intellectual, social, and lifestyle. Each category tends to build a different mix of skills, confidence, and connection. That framing helps you choose based on the outcome you want, not whatever looks trendy.

This matters because hobbies can support mental health, personal growth, and relationships at the same time. Research has found lower depressive symptoms among people with hobby engagement, which makes “fun” a practical investment.

Think of it like building a balanced menu. If work already uses your brain all day, a physical hobby can reset your mood, while a social hobby keeps you from isolating. If life feels scattered, a lifestyle hobby adds structure you can actually look forward to. With clear categories, you can map hobby strengths into real skill pathways that support career momentum.

Turn a Hobby Into a Career Plan With Structured Learning

Once you see how different hobbies pay off in real-life skills, it’s natural to wonder which ones could become something bigger. If you’ve fallen in love with a new hobby or skill, whether it’s something you practice every weekend or can’t stop thinking about, going back to school can help you turn that momentum into a career path. Formal learning can give your passion a clearer direction, strengthen what you already do well, and make your next move feel more achievable.

If you’re starting a business, earning a business management degree can build your skills in leadership, operations, and project management, and a clear reference can help you explore what that coursework looks like. An online degree can also make it easier to keep learning while you balance work, family, and the hobby you’re growing into something more.

Try Beginner-Friendly Hobbies With First-Week Steps

Pick one hobby that fits the skill you want to grow, creative output, social connection, fitness, or career-relevant capability, and commit to a “first-week sprint.” These beginner hobby ideas and practical hobby tips keep the barrier low while still building real momentum you can map to longer-term learning goals.

Run a 7-day “minimum viable hobby” plan: Define a tiny outcome you can finish in one week, one photo set, one stitched item, one song, or one conversation. Block three sessions of 25–40 minutes and write a one-sentence success rule like “I practice even if it’s messy.” This works because repetition beats intensity, and the plan is easy to track if you’re treating hobbies as structured skill-building.
Start sewing basics with a two-seam project: Begin with a low-stakes item like a simple tote, pillow cover, or reusable cloth. Your first week goal is mastering two skills, threading the needle and stitching straight, so you don’t overload yourself with patterns, zippers, and fit. Use scrap fabric to practice three lines a day, then sew the final piece in one sitting so you get a quick win.
Use one photography technique per walk: Take a 15-minute walk and shoot only one subject category, doors, shadows, or hands, to sharpen your eye. On day one, practice exposure by taking three versions of the same shot: darker, normal, brighter. Later in the week, add composition by using the rule of thirds for 10 photos, then review and keep only three; editing your “keepers” teaches faster than saving everything.
Learn a new language by experiencing it first: For the first 3–5 days, listen and read without drilling rules, aiming to recognize repeated phrases you can reuse. The Circe Institute’s idea that the first stage is poetic supports starting with experience over grammar charts, which reduces overwhelm and builds intuition. Finish the week with a 60-second self-introduction you can say from memory, even if the accent isn’t perfect.
Play a musical instrument with a “two-chord + rhythm” target: Choose a single rhythm pattern and two easy chords or notes, then practice switching between them slowly for 5 minutes a day. Add one new element only after you can do 10 clean switches in a row; this prevents the common trap of bouncing between tutorials without mastery. By day seven, record a 30–45 second clip so you can hear progress objectively.
Pick a hobby that doubles as a career skill and document it: If you’re building toward a career plan, select a hobby with transferable outputs, cooking becomes process planning, gardening becomes measurement and iteration, crafting becomes project estimation. Keep a simple log: time spent, what improved, what blocked you, and one “next rep” task. This creates a portfolio-style trail you can use to identify skill gaps and decide what structured learning would accelerate results.

Common Hobby Questions (and Honest Answers)

Q: What if I’m “bad” at the hobby I picked?
A: Being bad is the starting line, not a red flag. Choose one tiny skill to repeat (one stitch line, one photo setting, one chord change) and track reps, not talent. Treat mistakes as data you can adjust next time.

Q: How do I make time for a hobby with a busy schedule?
A: Use a fixed, small appointment like 25 minutes three times a week. Put it next to an existing routine (after dinner, before shower, during lunch) so it has a cue. If you miss a day, restart the next day without “making up” time.

Q: Why does motivation disappear after the first few days?
A: Novelty fades fast, so lean on structure instead of feelings. Many people use adult hobbies as a steady outlet, not a constant thrill, so keep the goal simple and repeatable.

Q: Can I balance hobbies with work without feeling guilty?
A: Yes, if you define your hobby as recovery plus growth, not “extra productivity.” Remember that leisure activities can reduce the stresses of grown-up life, which often supports better focus at work.

Q: What should I do when progress feels painfully slow?
A: Shrink the task and raise the consistency: five minutes, one drill, one page, one sketch. Then do a “reset review” by comparing your first attempt to today’s and writing one specific next step.

Build Lifelong Learning With One Hobby and 30 Days

It’s easy to want a hobby for relief and growth, then get stuck on time, motivation, or slow progress. The way through is the mindset this guide emphasized: treat hobbies as playful practice, small, consistent effort that values learning over perfection, supported by simple self-improvement strategies. Done that way, the lifelong learning benefits stack up quietly, personal growth through hobbies feels earned, and the hobby’s impact on wellbeing shows up in steadier mood and confidence. Pick a hobby you can return to, and let consistency do the teaching. Choose one skill today and run a 30-day experiment, tracking tiny wins daily in a note. That’s how inspiration to start hobbies turns into resilience, health, and momentum that carries into everything else.

Final words…

Last month, I made a commitment to a summer personal curriculum which involved learning macro photography across the months of June, July and August. I created a page of aspects of the topic with a view to dedicating around two hours each week to learning. I started off well and was enjoying finding out about this aspect of photography, however, work took over much of my time in June and early July and my photography hobby has very much taken a back seat. I absolutely love Linda’s idea of developing hobby consistency through tracking my daily wins, and that, along with actually getting my camera out of the cupboard, attaching the lens and beginning to explore what I can do based on the theoretical aspects of the topic, should help me to maintain momentum. I’ll be able to record my wins in my bullet journal and this will help me to celebrate tiny achievements across the remainder of the summer months.

Let me know in the comments which aspects of Linda’s article particularly resonated with you and feel free to also share your hobby ideas and intentions for the next month or so. I love to hear what my readers are focusing on in their free time.

amateur photography, beginner photography, Bullet journaling, education, goal setting, intentional living, learning, lifelong learning, lifestyle, personal development, personal growth, planner lifestyle, reflective journalling, Setting goals and intentions, wellbeing

Monday Matters: Creating a personal curriculum by starting small (with just one topic)

Posted on Jun 8, 2026Jun 5, 2026 by Laura

I’ve seen a lot of YouTube vlogs recently about creating your own personal curriculum, and, as I consider myself very much as a lifelong learner, I was eager to give it a go. However, with limited free time, a variety of goals in progress, and a vision board that identifies my priorities for 2026, I wanted to start really small by focusing on just one subject and a particular element I want to learn more about. If, like me, you already have a busy life but want to carve out some time to learn something new (and enjoy benefits such as enhanced brain function, improved emotional and mental wellbeing, personal growth and increased life satisfaction) read on to find out how I designed my personal curriculum for Summer 2026. Also, if you’re not sure what a personal curriculum even is, I’ve also covered this below too.

What is a personal curriculum?

A personal curriculum is a self-designed and self-lead learning plan that enables you to create your own educational journey, developing your skills and knowledge in an area which interests you. Unlike at school, college or university, you play the role of teacher, selecting your own subjects, assignments and, if you wish, learning objectives. You also get to choose how many topics you will cover (I would suggest no more than two or three to get you started), your methods of learning (e.g. books, videos, movies, podcasts, trips, experiences etc.) and the time scale for completion (e.g. one month, one season, one term or one semester). You can also plan study times around other commitments and think about how deep an understanding you wish to have by the end of your ‘module’.

The topics of your personal curriculum can vary greatly but could include academic subjects such as environmental sciences, philosophy, British Classics, Fine Art or Creative writing, hobbies such as baking, photography, knitting or watercolour painting, practical skills such as budgeting, gardening, basic car maintenance or computer literacy, or personal development such as time management, mindfulness, communication skills, learning a new language, emotional resilience or goal setting.

Choosing my focus for my learning plan

I have many, many hobbies an interests which made it difficult to decide where to start and what I wanted to work on. So, I figured that it might be a good idea to make a list of things I enjoy doing in my spare time. These are what came to mind straight away:

Creative journalling and memory keeping
bullet journalling
walking in nature
vegan cookery
drawing
watercolour painting
photography
blogging
fitness related including yoga, Pilates and Zumba

Some of these topics, I feel like I know quite a lot about already and so I’m happy with my current explorations of them and how much time I dedicate to them. Others, I want to learn more about but tend to explore them every now and then when I feel like getting creative (e.g. watercolour painting and drawing. The topic that I decided that I really want to focus on learning about right now was DSLR photography. However, as I’ve done a beginners course focusing on basic techniques and Photoshop, I wanted to explore a very specific type of photography which would uplevel my skills. I know I would love to concentrate on wildlife photography but I’m very aware that suitable zoom lenses and a camera upgrade would be required and I don’t have the finances for this at the moment (if ever!). What I do have though, is a macro lens which I really haven’t got the hang of yet and a love of photographing insects and flowers so I’ve opted for a module on Macro Photography as a good starting point.

What do I want to learn?

I grabbed a piece of paper and brainstormed all of the things I wanted to learn about the topic of macro photography. Then I worked in my bullet journal to made a spread called An Introduction to Macro Photography finalising my ideas by identifying a rough order of action points. I started with the theory behind this style of photography, including tips and tricks, then moved on to practical experiences and opportunities to evaluate my learning and progress. I kept it pretty simple, using stamps and black ink, but if you wanted to, you could set out learning objectives or expected outcomes at each stage and go to town with the decor.

Photo credit: Laura Jones for Keeping It Creative

Finding resources to support my learning

There are plenty of resources online about macro photography so I made the decision to stick with web-based information for the whole of my ‘module’. I don’t want to buy books on my chosen topic as these can quickly become outdated or might involve equipment which I haven’t got (e.g. the newer mirrorless cameras) and, although I could go to the library, I like the idea of dipping in and out of online resources when I have a spare few minutes and don’t want to carry heavy books around with me.

To ensure I (almost) always have access to the wealth of webpages, blog posts and YouTube videos I’ve come across, rather than writing them down in my bullet journal, I’ve opted to paste the links into Notion so I can click on them whenever I want, and as long as I have my phone or my computer accessible (which is pretty much all of the time), I can do some self study. Now, I’m not an expert on Notion, so it’s not a fancy set up with items pertaining to different aspects of my curriculum but the titles in the links are enough for me to gauge what the pages or videos are about helping me to establish when they might be useful, and that’s enough for me!

When choosing your resources, it’s important to firstly establish what type of learner you are. Learners can be broadly categorised into the following (bear in mind that you’re likely to be more than one type):

visual learner – prefers images, diagrams and charts
auditory learner – learns best through lectures, discussions and audio materials such as podcasts and audiobooks
kinesthetic learners – prefers hands on learning through physical experiences and practical activities
linguistic learner – excels in reading, writing and verbal communication
logical learners – enjoys solving problems and logical reasoning
social learners – thrives in group settings and prefers to learn through collaboration
solitary learners – prefers to study alone and is self-motivated to learn, keen to independently reflect on own learning

Should I record my learning?

Whether you take notes on what you read or explore is entirely up to you, but for me, writing and journalling is part of the fun, so I absolutely want to do plenty of recording even if it’s just me writing that I spent ages trying to get the perfect shot of a butterfly and just as I fully depressed the shutter it flew off to pastures new and left me feeling a tad frustrated. Also, as a stationery lover, it was the perfect excuse to go notebook shopping! I got three slim notebooks for £3.50 and as long as I ignore (or get over) the fact that the word ‘notes’ is slightly off centre (grrr), I’m sure I’ll enjoy using one of them for my Macro Photography learning!

Now I just need to decide which design to use. I’m thinking the bright and sunny yellow colour?

Top tips for keeping it fun and interesting

Now you’re no longer studying at school or college, you get to choose exactly what you focus on and the pace of your learning. To ensure you have fun and maintain interest in your personal curriculum, I have the following suggestions and tips which should help:

embrace fluidity Whether your employed, run your own business, or are currently not working, there will be times when you have lots on your plate, times when you have a lighter schedule, times when you’re full of energy and times when you simply need to rest rather than adding more to your to do list. For your personal curriculum to be successful, I think it’s really important to ‘go with the flow’, accepting that your learning can and should flow with the rhythms of life rather than being a rigid set of actions to be completed at a set time or by a set date.

give yourself grace Similarly, if you do carve out a specific time to do a specific activity such as reading a chapter from a book, watching a video or making notes on your learning, if it doesn’t get done, don’t be hard on yourself, instead, spend time considering and questioning why. Maybe you got distracted by social media. Perhaps a more exciting opportunity presented itself that you didn’t want to miss. Or maybe you had low energy that afternoon and didn’t think it was a good time for you.

release perfectionism Strive to do your best with your personal curriculum study rather than demanding flawless results. When you were at school or college, you had particular grades to aim for and may have felt like other people were placing high expectations on you. However, you were probably also told that ‘as long as you try your best, that is all that matters’. Embrace the present and recognise that you are doing the best you can with the energy and resources you have available and that is totally okay.

avoid comparision The term ‘personal curriculum’ is a bit of a buzz word or phrase at the moment and there seem to be plenty of people talking about developing one and often sharing theirs on social media. I’ve seen examples where individuals have picked about four or five topics in a single month and set around six learning objectives or foci for each. Just the thought of doing this, my part time work, housework and spending time with family and friends (which is also a big priority of mine) stressed me out. But, then I came to realise that, although looking at what others are up to can get your creative juices flowing or give you ideas about the scope for your self study, it can also be pretty dangerous for your own wellbeing to compare yourself to others. If, like me, you want to start slowly and dip your toe into setting yourself a personal curriculum, you could try picking a single topic of study and a small part of what might be a vast and open-ended subject. It’s also worth remembering, that these same people who have been sharing their in depth curriculums, might not have done half of what they set out to do, and might be drowning in their own self-directed learning program behind the scenes and wishing they hadn’t set themselves such lofty goals! Remember, learning in your adulthood should be fun and light-hearted and if it stops being these two things, it might be time to reconsider your choices.

Ultimately, when designing your personal curriculum, ‘you do you’ as the saying goes, choosing your own resources and learning styles rather than adopting ideas from others that you’ve seen on social media. And remember, the beauty of learning as an adult, is that you can always tweak bits along the way or completely miss out parts where you feel like you’re not enjoying yourself or that it’s all getting a bit too academic (or formal) for your liking!

Wishing you lots of happiness in your learning, whatever you choose to do,

goal setting, Habit formation, intentional living, personal development, personal growth, Setting goals and intentions, wellbeing, wellness

Steps to Enhance Your Wellness with Easy Habits and Lasting Focus (A guest post from Linda Chase)

Posted on May 1, 2026May 6, 2026 by Laura

Today, I bring you an interesting and informative blog post written by regular guest poster, Linda Chase. In her article, she shares tips, tricks and easy to implement habits for enhancing your wellbeing and developing consistency in doing so. I hope you enjoy reading and find the piece as beneficial and thought provoking as I have.

For adults seeking wellness improvement while balancing work, family, and a busy mind, the hardest part is rarely knowing what’s “healthy”; it’s staying consistent when life gets messy. Common wellness challenges like stress eating, skipped workouts, low energy, and a stalled creative spark can make wellness self-improvement strategies feel like one more project to manage. Beginner health habits work because they lower the pressure and build trust in small wins. With simple stress reduction techniques, wellness starts to feel calmer, clearer, and more doable.

Quick Wellness Takeaways

Start with small daily habits and build lasting motivation through simple, repeatable routines.
Choose practical wellness strategies that fit real life, so healthy changes feel achievable today.
Focus on actionable self-improvement tips that support both wellbeing and creativity in everyday living.
Use quick wellness insights to pick one clear step, then expand as your confidence grows.

Choose Your Starting Point: 10 Beginner-Friendly Upgrades

When wellness feels big, it helps to pick one “upgrade” that matches your energy today. Use this menu like your 60-second action map: chose one small move, make it easy, and repeat it often.

Do a 2-minute “nervous system reset”: Try one stress management method you can do anywhere: inhale for 4, exhale for 6, for 10 breaths. Longer exhales nudge your body toward calm, which can make decisions and cravings easier to handle. Keep it “tiny on purpose”, this is about consistency, not intensity.
Upgrade your sleep with 1–2 changes, not a whole routine: Pick one or two new sleep hygiene practices to test for a week, like a fixed “screens off” time or dimming lights 30 minutes before bed. Small shifts are easier to keep, and better sleep supports mood, appetite, and motivation. If you wake at night, avoid problem-solving, write a one-line note and return to rest.
Build a “balanced plate” you can repeat: Aim for a simple formula most days: a protein + a colorful plant + a fiber-rich carb + a healthy fat. Example: eggs + spinach + whole-grain toast + olive oil, or beans + salsa + brown rice + avocado. Balanced nutrition habits reduce energy crashes, which makes other beginner wellness tips easier to follow.
Add hydration with a visual cue: Put a full glass or bottle where you’ll see it during your first daily anchor (coffee/tea, morning meds, or sitting at your desk). Drink half before you do anything else, then refill once. This removes willpower from the equation and can reduce “mystery fatigue” that’s really just under-hydration.
Try a 10-minute “minimum movement” session: Choose something gentle: a brisk walk, an easy mobility flow, or dancing to two songs. The goal is to create a repeatable win, not to “make up” for anything you ate. When motivation dips, the minimum keeps your identity intact: you’re someone who shows up.
Start a creative hobby with a low-stakes prompt: Set a timer for 5 minutes and do one prompt: “Today I notice…,” “If my stress had a color…,” or a quick collage of words/images that match your mood. Starting creative hobbies gives your brain a safe place to process emotions without needing the “right” words. Keep supplies visible so it’s frictionless.
Practice one mental health basic: name it, then choose one need: When you feel off, try: “I’m noticing , and I might need .” Needs can be simple, water, food, movement, rest, connection, or quiet. This turns overwhelm into a doable choice and supports healthier boundaries in daily life.

Micro-Habits That Keep Wellness Moving

These habits work because they rely on rhythms, not hype: they lower friction, protect your energy, and give you quick feedback. Use them to make simple wellness and creativity feel doable even when motivation dips.

Morning Anchor Check

What it is: Pair water with one fixed cue, like coffee, meds, or opening your laptop.
How often: Daily.
Why it helps: A stable cue turns wellness into autopilot instead of a decision.

Two-Song Movement Break

What it is: Move for two songs: walk, mobility, light strength, or kitchen dancing.
How often: Daily or 5 days weekly.
Why it helps: Small reps build daily fitness routines without needing a perfect workout.

Five-Breath Pause

What it is: Take five slow breaths before snacks, scrolling, or replying to a tense
message.
How often: Per trigger
Why it helps: A quick mindfulness exercise creates space for better choices.

One-Line Boundary Script

What it is: Write and use one sentence based on establishing your limits.
How often: Weekly practice, then as needed.
Why it helps: Clear boundaries protect time, sleep, and emotional bandwidth.

Weekly Reset List

What it is: Make a short Sunday list: rest, meals, movement, connection, and one
creative hour.
How often: Weekly.
Why it helps: Planning reduces decision fatigue and supports practice consistency.

Wellness Habit Questions, Answered Simply

Q: What are some effective daily habits to reduce stress and improve overall wellness?
A: Start with tiny, repeatable actions: a glass of water on a cue, a 2-minute stretch, and a five-breath reset before reacting. Keep one “minimum version” for hard days, like a 3-minute walk or one calming song. Consistency matters more than intensity, so make the habit easy enough to keep.
Q: How can I start and maintain a fitness routine when I have a busy schedule?
A: Choose a time you already have, like right after lunch or before your first meeting, and make it a non-negotiable 10 minutes. Research shows time management moderately related to wellbeing, so scheduling even a short slot can pay off. Track “days moved,” not perfect workouts.
Q: What strategies help improve sleep quality naturally without medication?
A: Pick one anchor: a consistent wake time, dimmer lights after dinner, or a 10-minute wind- down routine. Keep screens out of bed, and use a simple brain-dump note to stop mental looping. If you wake at night, focus on slow breathing instead of checking the clock.
Q: How do I create a supportive environment by surrounding myself with positive influences?
A: Curate what you see and hear daily: tidy one small surface, reduce doom-scrolling cues, and follow people who model realistic habits. Ask one friend to be your “check-in buddy” for weekly wins and gentle accountability. Positive influences should make your goals feel normal, not extreme.
Q: What steps can I take to incorporate healthy lifestyle changes when using a wellness app or self-improvement program?
A: Set one clear goal and one “minimum” action, then log it right after you do it. Evidence from a meta-analysis of over 19,000 participants suggests monitoring progress can improve goal attainment. If apps feel noisy, make a printable habit grid and check off just the basics; you can even print posters online to help you keep reminders visible.

Build a Healthier Rhythm with One Simple Daily Habit

When life is full and energy is uneven, wellness can feel like one more thing to manage, and missing a day can drain personal growth motivation fast. A supportive wellness mindset keeps the focus on small, repeatable choices and kind course-corrections, so the habits fit real schedules instead of fighting them. With that approach, emotional wellness encouragement becomes practical: you notice progress, recover quicker from setbacks, and strengthen your healthy lifestyle commitment through consistency. Small steps, repeated kindly, create lasting change. For the next seven days, you can choose one consistent self-improvement step, your minimum version of movement, hydration, or a short creative reset, and do it once daily. That steady follow-through builds resilience and trust in yourself, week after week.

Final words…

Thank you so much to Linda for her wonderful article. There are so many great ideas here for small, actionable steps which you can build in to your daily routine. I’ll certainly be giving some of them a go over the next few weeks with a view to creating helpful micro habits that last. As suggested, I’ll be starting small, with a view to implementing tiny changes which together, are sure to make a huge difference to my future health and wellbeing.

goal setting, mindset, personal development, planner girl, productivity, Setting goals and intentions

Monday Matters: Taking simple goals and turning them into SMART goals for the month – a mini guide with real life examples

Posted on Feb 3, 2025Feb 3, 2025 by Laura

For the last five months, I have been setting a number of monthly goals which I aim to have met by the end of the month. Today, I thought I’d share my process using my actual list for this month as an example. I also want to explain how I make sure that each of them are SMART, even if the original goal is rather loose and unspecific.

Before I share my goals for February, here’s a quick reminder of what the letters of the acronym SMART stand for.

S – Specific

M – Measurable

A – Achievable

R – Relevant

T – Time bound

Now, obviously, all of my goals are time bound as I aim to have achieved them by the end of the month, but how do I make sure my goals meet the rest of the criteria? Well, here’s an image showing my simple goals laid out in my bullet journal and I’ll pick out two of them to consider in detail so you can see my thought process and actions I take to prepare.

My actual goals for February 2025

Image credit: Laura Jones for Keeping It Creative

Let’s take the first one:

Learn how to use my diffuser to create ~~perfect~~ nice curls.

I’ve made this goal specific by explaining exactly what I hope to achieve by learning to use my diffuser. I haven’t just said ‘learn how to use my diffuser attachment’, I’ve also stated what I want to use it for.

My goal can be measurable as I’m currently clueless on how to use the diffuser correctly, whereas when I’ve achieved my goal I should be able to use it to create nice looking curls. I’ll deem them to be nice enough if I would be happy to leave the house for the day with them looking like they do!

The goal is achievable as I have the resources required to work towards it, i.e. I own a diffuser attachment for my hairdryer and I can select video tutorials on YouTube to watch to learn the techniques involved. And, you’ll notice I’ve crossed out the word ‘perfect’ – this was intentional as I’m saying that the curls don’t need to look as perfect as they would when I step out of the hairdressers, but need to look nice enough to show them off with confidence.

The goal is a particularly relevant one for me as my hairdresser has been curling my hair with with a wand or straighteners and, although they look beautiful at first, I’m always frustrated with the way they drop out in less than an hour so, I’ve armed myself with curling gel which should help to hold the curl better. Also, I’ve always wanted to be able to create bouncy curls so this is a good objective.

Now, I know I said earlier that the goal is time bound, but, for me, saying I’m going to get all of the above goals ticked off by the end of February leaves too much opportunity for failure, so, I like to get super specific and dedicate a block of time to each project, activity or task involved in my monthly plan. For example, I might decide that on Wednesday 12th February in the morning, I’ll watch a couple of tutorials on YouTube that have been liked by lots of viewers (more likely to be good quality) and then have a go at curling my hair in the afternoon. I’ll also dedicate another 2 or 3 hours to perfecting my new skill until the curls look nice enough to go out with.

I also want to talk about the very last goal in my list:

‘Do two watercolour exploration exercises’.

I’ve picked this one to explain about, because I had something similar for one of my January goals, but I didn’t achieve it. In fact, I didn’t achieve a single part of it because I wrote ‘Do some watercolour exploration each week, using ideas from Painting Calm’ and, although I did a small amount of watercolouring just before the end of January, it wasn’t using ideas from my new book (which I have barely looked at yet) and it certainly didn’t happen every week!

To be completely honest, my goal was far too ambitious as it demanded a lot of time, something that I didn’t have enough of, especially with all of the other goals I’d set for that month. Therefore, it didn’t fit the achievable element of a SMART goal. So, this time, I’ve reduced what is expected of me, and I’m going to write into my monthly BuJo calendar, exactly when my watercolouring sessions will take place. I’ll also pre-pick the ‘watercolour explorations’ I’ll be doing so I can get prepared before I start. They can also be activities from my new book or ones I see in social media if I fancy trying them instead (they’re specific but not too ridged).

So, for my final goal (i.e. the one at the bottom of my list), although ‘Do 2 watercolour explorations’ might seem a bit vague, it can easily be developed as a SMART goal. It is specific as it states the kind of art I want to do and explains that they’re explorations so basically just me trying out a couple of techniques. It’s measurable as I’ll be able to see the evidence of two exploration style activities on watercolour paper or in a sketch book. It seems to be much more achievable – as long as I don’t get COVID again! It’s relevant, as exploring with watercolour is on my vision board for 2025 and it’s time bound as I plan to do both activities before the end of the month with my sessions identified on specific days (recorded in my BuJo) and time blocks drawn up on the actual day, based on how long I would like to spend doing them.

Final words…

I hope today’s post has been helpful for you and will assist you in turning your simple goals into SMART goals to increase your chance of achieving them. I see so many examples of incredibly unspecific goals when people share their monthly spreads and then, when they come to review their progress, they talk about how they only achieved a small number of them or, more often than not, had forgotten what they had said they wanted to do! As well as making your goals SMART, you should also remember to check back in with them on a regular basis. This way, you can pick out two or three for each week of the month and then outline your plans, first in your monthly set up, and then in your weekly.

I would wish you the best of luck with your goals, but really, what’s required is hard work and paying attention to what matters to you so I’ll just say I hope you’re ready for action and are focused on what you want! Go get em!

Blogging, crafting, creativity, Cricut, goal setting, Health and Nutrition, Home cooking, intentional living, life hacks, lifestyle, manifestation, mindset, personal development, Planning and journaling, reflective journalling, Setting goals and intentions, watercolour painting

Setting up my 2025 Vision Board

Posted on Jan 22, 2025Jan 22, 2025 by Laura

Last year, for some unknown reason, I think I must have decided against making a 2024 vision board. I’m not sure why, but maybe I didn’t feel up to it or perhaps I had a variety of commitments at the beginning of January and decided it was too late in the month to work on one.

For 2025, I decided that, for me personally, it’s not really important to have the board finished in super quick time and it doesn’t matter if I’m still working on it towards the end of January. I wanted to have a slow start to the first month, really pondering over what I would like the year to look like. I found it helpful to revisit a couple of old blog posts of mine in which I’d talked about key questions you could ask yourself to prepare your mind and what to actually do to improve your chances of manifesting everything you’ve visualised for the year.

I decided to create a larger display, rather than using two pages in my bullet journal as then I can have it on my craft room / office wall to look at all year round. I also chose to combine images, motivational sayings, affirmations and a few cute decorative elements to make it visually appealing. I’ve spend days thinking about what I truly want this year, flicking through a huge stash of Psychologies magazines, answering deep questions from my previous vision board posts, journalling my thoughts and closing my eyes to visualise things. I’m so glad I put lots into the preparation as my 2025 vision board is now complete and turned out exactly how I wanted it. I can’t wait to share a photograph of the finished product!

And here it is…

My main categories

Diet – The plan this year is to eat more plant-based goodies than ever before. We’ve made so many healthy and delicious vegan dishes this Veganuary and we’ve also found a cafe that has a range of vegan friendly cake options. It’s getting easier and easier to eat a plant based diet and my husband and I have already made a number of changes over the years such as soya milk on our cereal and oat milk in our hot drinks, vegan spread on our bread, lots of plant based alternatives to meat such as soya mince, veggie sausages, VLTs etc.

Creativity – I want to develop my watercolour skills even further this year, whilst also engaging in mindful and calming activity after busy days. I got a gorgeous book for Christmas which provides exploratory activities and projects with a nature theme. I want to incorporate a weekly slot of time to experiment and develop a range of techniques.

Blogging – I want to spend more time promoting my blog posts so that I develop a wider readership. I used to consistently post pins on Pinterest but I’ve let this slide over the last few years. I get plenty of readers but I want to reach individuals who do not have their own blog as well as those who are keen bloggers.

PCPI work – I thoroughly enjoy my work at the university but it’s really important to me that I’m making as much of a difference as I can to the students. I particularly want to develop my feedback skills for medicine sessions, particularly with young adults who are in the initial stages of their uni course.

Kaizen – I recently started a short book called The Little Book of Kaizen – The Japanese art of transformation, one small step at a time. I’m enjoying reading it and doing the exercises at the beginning. The idea really appeals to me, so, to make sure it’s a focus for me this year, I’ve added a photograph of the mini book on my vision board with a view to working through all of the chapters. I’ve even pick out a cute notebook to use to jot things down and I’m using my fountain pen to write beautifully inside.

Cricut – As you probably already know, I’m obsessed with making stickers and cutting them using my Joy Xtra. However, I also have the smaller Joy machine and also invested in the EasyPress 2 when it was on offer at a discount. I have lots of vinyl and HTV as well as some iron on papers so I want to spend time this year getting creative and using them all up. I have so many ideas but I now need to schedule time to actually get making things. I added a Cricut bug sticker to watch over me and remind me to have more fun playing with my machines.

Getting organised – We have a lot of stuff in our house and some of it needs purging. As well as trying to use up craft materials before buying any more, I also want to re-organise our home so it’s easy to clean and keep tidy.

Final words…

That’s everything on my vision board for this year and to ensure that everything on the display comes into fruition, I will be checking in with it at the beginning of each month and using the different aspects to set mini monthly goals. I’ve developed pages in my bullet journal to list my goals and I’ll make sure at least some of them relate to things I want to manifest throughout the year.

I hope you enjoyed seeing my board and that it’s inspired you to have a go at creating your own. It doesn’t matter if you don’t get around to it for a few weeks – there’s still plenty of days left in the year to take action.

Good luck!