New Year Planning Guide

At SignUpGenius, we love helping people get organized! With better planning, life is more productive — and enjoyable. Take on the new year with these ideas for getting healthier in every aspect of your life, while creating space to invest in the people you care about most. With these tips, you can plan a year to remember! 

Focus on quality 

Set goals for the upcoming year and create resolutions you can actually accomplish. 

• Find routines that allow for moments of reflection, rest and the ability to be fully present. Become more productive in the morning and see how it impacts the rest of your day. 
• Choose to simplify your daily schedule in order to create margin for things like family game nights, impromptu shopping trips and lazy Saturday mornings. 
• Practice self-care. Invest in your emotional and mental health through counseling, church retreats, journal prompts or mindfulness exercises. Increase your self-awareness by taking personality assessments, conflict resolution workshops or simply a day away for solitude. Plan one day a month with nowhere to be and mark it off as a day of rest or spontaneous fun! 
• Resolve to ask for help. Don't hesitate to ask friends to stop by and hold the baby so you can fold laundry or clean the dishes. Manage your finances so that you can start to outsource needs in certain areas. How can you improve your family's budget so that you can hire that housecleaner or date-night babysitter once a month? 
• Plan to give back on a regular basis — it makes life so rewarding! Organize service projects in your community and invite friends and family to join in. 

Organize your calendar 

Planning ahead helps to reduce the frantic feeling and stress of last-minute planning. Try to get in the habit of scheduling out activities months in advance. 

• Add daycare, school, work and church schedules into your planning tool so you can see where they overlap. Think about Super Bowl parties, PTA/PTO meetings, booster club fundraisers, Girl Scout cookie season, soccer practices and neighborhood potlucks. Make a note of how far in advance you'll create sign ups for each of the events you plan. 
• Does your family love football season? Prepare for the fun and festivities by planning your tailgate parties early. Figure out who’s bringing what so you can have a blast on game day! 
• Shop online or stop by the store to buy generic gifts to send with your kids to those last-minute birthday parties. Store gifts away in a closet until you need them. 

Add healthy routines 

Health and fitness are key factors in your quality of life. Between work, family, and juggling other responsibilities, it can be tough to commit to a routine. Regularly practicing healthy choices for 30 days helps turn routines into a habit – making it easier to stay consistent! Focus on fitness and nutrition to start the year off strong. 

• Create a plan to integrate a few new healthy practices into your routine. Make sure it is a realistic and straightforward plan you will stick to. Find accountability partners or a personal trainer to help keep you motivated and on track.  
• Schedule doctor check-ups and dentist appointments now for each family member. Think about your pet care needs and vaccinations. Reserve days and times that work for you — it'll save you stress later. 
• Drink more water and get moving! Staying active can be as simple as walking the dog, running around with your kids or starting a walking club.  
• Take charge and set up a recurring sign up for your friends to join you at a local park for an early morning boot camp to increase your energy. If you hire a friend to instruct the program, collect registration fees on your sign up. 

Take one step toward better organizing, and you can spend more time on what matters this year. Remember, if you set your intentions early, there’s nothing you can’t accomplish! 

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