So, this is it, the final year of my life before I reach a quarter century! Let’s talk about my goals for my 24th year of life.

24 is going to be a pretty big year for me. I am moving out of my parents’ house and going back to school…Hey, wait a minute…this sounds a lot like being 17 again! Well, maybe this is 17 revamped, because this time I am not just moving out, but moving to a new state entirely, and school has been upgraded from Bachelors to Masters.

Feeling pumped for this next step of my life, I started typing up this list of goals:

GOALS FOR 24

• Hike once a week
• Fly home to visit my parents every two months
• Read a book each month
• Maintain a part-time job
• Write a post for Career Contessa a month
• See my boyfriend every two weeks
• Travel to three new places during the year
• Apply for scholarships
• Work out four times a week
• Call my grandparents once a week
• Continue Wednesday Night Cocktail Challenge 
• Write two blog posts a week
• Maintain a 3.0 GPA quarterly
• Challenge myself to do something or go somewhere new once a month

But as I looked at this list, I began to feel anxiety about how I could possibly achieve these goals continuously. Honestly, moving to a new city and going back to school after three-years outside of academia is hard enough…why am I putting all of this extra pressure on myself?

Well, simply put, because everything on the above list is important to me. Each goal is an aspect of me and cutting down even one or two would be denying who I am and, more importantly, who I want to be. I love to read, so I can find the time to read. I love to travel, so I will find the money to travel. I love my family, so I’ll call, Facetime, visit and text as much as possible. I don’t want to lose myself in the busyness.

Maybe the way to ease my anxiety about achieving these goals is quick and easy? Maybe, it is just the way I am viewing my list. Maybe, it is just my framing.

I have talked before about flexible to-do lists (read here), so maybe now is a good time for me to invent something similar: a flexible goal list.

I am going to keep it simple. In fact, I am going to keep it so simple that I will only have one goal for 24:

MAKE TIME FOR THE THINGS I LOVE

Each day, I will make time for the things that are important to me. One day that might mean reading before bed. Another might mean calling my brother. The next might entail trying a new restaurant for Cocktail Challenge. The point is, by the end of that week, I will still have accomplished much of my original list, but without the anxiety to achieve all of it.

They say, “Where there is a will, there is a way” and I believe love, passion, interest, and enjoyment are the best descriptors of will. So, as I enter my 24th year of life, I will make time for the things I love.

-TM

How do you make time for the things you love? Let us know below.