I usually start a new year by mapping out my goals and intentions for the year. When I thought about doing that this year it made me cringe. Honestly, the absolute last thing I need right now is to write down goals for a year that started with my toddler’s school being closed for at least a week, maybe more. It’s ok, we’ll be fine, but it’s been two years of living through a pandemic and if I’ve learned anything it’s that so much is completely out of my control.
When Marin started daycare in the fall I thought it was going to be a total game changer for us. Craig and I had so many plans for the blog and other business ideas. We were wondering what we would do with all of our “free time.” Since September, Marin has only made it through ONE full week of daycare. It took me a while to recognize I had to accept our reality. Having a kid under 5 right now is really challenging. We are also very lucky and I fully acknowledge that. Some days are still really hard. Marin is going to be 2 in less than a month. The last two years have absolutely flown by and while sometimes the days feel so long, our time with her has felt so short.
My only goal for 2022 is to take the pressure off. I have spent too much time putting pressure on myself to do more, be more successful, be a better mom, reach the next goal, achieve the next big thing. The definition of success is subjective. What if what I’m doing is already enough? What if I am enough, as is? We’re all doing the best we can, and that’s more than enough. I hope, whether or not you’re setting any goals for this year, you give yourself permission to take the pressure off too.
My Only Goal in 2022
What’s To Come This Year
I am very excited with the direction of the blog and my business. Since I’ve decided to move away from Instagram it has already given me so much mental clarity. My creative juices are flowing again. It’s such a good feeling. Less time on Instagram means more time for other things that I’ve wanted to do for years. Here’s what you can expect this year.
more on the blog and a new contributor!
Starting this week, there’s more content coming to the blog with 5 posts a week, and our longest running series Click. Read. Love continuing on Fridays. I’ll be sharing daily outfits, beauty content, home decor and renovations, recipes, personal essays, and more. I’m also thrilled to be welcoming a new contributor! Kelley is a Woodstock native and URI journalism grad. She has a teaching background and is also working on a yoga certification. Kelley is a great writer and I know you are going to love her enthusiasm and what she brings to the blog. Look out for her first post this week with tips and ideas for how to start a morning ritual. Caylin is still on maternity leave but will be back to contribute to Click. Read. Love. when she’s ready.
a new and improved newsletter
This year the newsletter will be changing from bi-weekly to weekly, delivered to your inbox every Friday. Newsletter content will be unique and exclusive for subscribers. The design is also getting a fresh makeover. I will be changing email marketing platforms, so make sure to check your SPAM moving forward if it’s not in your inbox. You can subscribe here.
youtube is back
I’m bringing back my YouTube channel! I really enjoy having a video component to my content, and the feedback I’ve heard is overwhelmingly supportive of this move. I’ll share more about this decision in the coming months, but as I move away from Instagram you’ll be able to find my videos there. I’ll be doing styling and outfit ideas, home decor and renovation content, beauty and more. One of my favorite things about YouTube is you can enjoy the videos at your own pace and anytime that’s convenient. It’s also a search engine as opposed to an app which means it’s easier to find the content you’re looking for.
another fashion collab
I’m so thrilled to share I will be partnering with ABLE again for an exclusive fall capsule. We started planning and designing towards the end of 2021 and I am looking forward to sharing a bit more behind the scenes this time around. I am planning a trip to Nashville at the beginning of March to meet with the team, review samples, and finalize designs. It’s going to be really good and I can’t wait to share more.
the woodstock guide
This spring, stay tuned for a new and improved Woodstock Guide. Modeled after The Newport Guide, it will have even more recommendations and travel tips, with an easy to use mobile design and tons of filters for planning a trip to Woodstock and the surrounding area. I will also have Kelley adding her best tips and recommendations as a local.
Disclosure: if you buy something through the links on this blog, we may earn an affiliate commission. We only feature products we would personally recommend. Thank you for your support.
Yes to all of this! My son will be 3 next month and I honestly feel like shouting from the rooftops to anyone who has a child under 2 (especially working parents) “IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE SO MUCH EASIER THAN THIS, I PROMISE!” I am so grateful I had one year of “normal time” parenthood under my belt of working full time and having dependable childcare- it has given me so much perspective into just how messed up (read: f word) this situation is for parents of young children. I just hope we get back to that place at some point in the next year or so. I can’t live without that hope!
On another note, I’m so inspired by your goal to leave Instagram. I downloaded Feedly as per your recommendation and it’s already cut down so much on my scrolling habit. Definitely prefer reading blog articles over scrolling my explore feed, which wasn’t doing me any favors.
Thanks for always speaking your mind and following your own path!!
Thank you Emily! I am with you I really hope we can get back to a little bit of normalcy, whatever that means, over the course of this year. Vaccines for kids under 5 would really help, I hope.
Yes!! I’d love for more content creators to go back to blogging and less Instagram. The amount of ads we have to “eat” everyday just to see content that will disappear is just not worth it. Excited to see what’ll you do here!
This! For someone who has been a voracious reader her whole life, I’m embarrassed by how little reading (literature, periodicals, blogs, etc…) I’ve done the past 4ish years. Working on changing this in 2022 with a few small tweaks each month. Feedly is a great start! I’m also whittling my IG follows each week this month. Zeroing in on family/friends and only other accounts that directly feed my interests and hobbies and/or social justice and political alignments.
I love this goal! I’m not sure if you follow the blog “Lovely Indeed,” but she recently wrote a really beautiful end of year reflection post about making tough decisions about her business to stay small and intentional. It was really interesting and might strike a chord with you, too. Excited to continue following in 2022!
https://lovelyindeed.com/2021-in-retrospect-highs-lows-whats-next/
Excited to see what you do in 2022. As a blogger myself, I really do love reading blogs so I always love to hear that people are going to be writing more. Makes me so happy!
xo Jessica
an indigo day
Very exciting! Is it possible to post the Youtube videos to the blog too? I almost never go on Youtube it’s a black hole time suck even more than Instagram for me, but I’d hate to miss your content!
Yes! I also would appreciate links to the YouTube videos on the blog because I don’t otherwise use it. Love this whole new direction – it’s making me rethink what’s serving me on the internet and what’s not also.
I totally understand I will see what I can do on that front!
This is my main “goal” for the year too! I also sat down and wrote out the things I was already doing for self care, connection, and healing. It was nice to give myself credit and recognize what I want to keep up, rather than being punitive in my intention-setting for the year.
I love that what a great idea.
As a mother of an almost three year old and a four month old, going back to work next week, I keep asking myself, “how am I going to be as good at my job as I was before my recent maternity leave?” And I finally decided, I’m probably not and that is okay for this season of my life. Your goal of taking the pressure off really encapsulates that acceptance.
Yes! That is a great attitude and something I wish I had embraced sooner after becoming a mom.
Yes to all of this!! ?? My son will be 2 in April and everything you said just resonates so much with me. I downloaded Feedly and am so excited to be reading blogs again and not just getting sucked in to scrolling mindlessly. Thank you for being yourself on this platform. It’s honestly such a breath of fresh air.
Thank you so much Amanda.
So excited for all that is to come! And so proud of you for doing what right and best for you and your family. I love your reminder that we are enough and doing our best and to take the pressure off. That’s definitely something I struggle with. I will miss you on IG but I’m excited for YouTube videos and everything else coming to the blog!
Xo, Serene
Thank you!
Even though I follow you on Instagram, I’m an OG blog reader and still make the blog my first step, so I’m excited for all the new content. Not a big Youtube user, but open to following along there too.
Thank you Sarah!
This is seriously exciting news. I can’t wait to read all the new content and big claps for the YouTube channel.
Thank you!
I love this post! I also really changed my approach to the New Year this year for something with a lot less pressure. I think the past couple years have really stimulated a change in perspective for a lot of people and I hope it leads to a lot more empathy moving forward!
xx Ashleigh
http://www.fashioninflight.com
Me too!
Totally agree, can relate so much to your thoughts on the upcoming year! I’ve been going back and forth deleting Instagram as well. I see how much time and focus can be wasted while scrolling. Your post really put what I have been feeling in to cohesive points and has pushed me to stop using the app.