So this is the new year…
…and I don’t feel any different! Actually, that’s a Death Cab lyric… I guess I feel a little different! Today we packed away our Christmas decorations, took down the tree and had a bit of a declutter. I also had a big day in terms of a rebrand (more on that below) so it’s a been a bit of a DAY all in all.
Whenever we pack away our decorations for next Christmas, we write ourselves a little note to read in 12 months time. Usually we just write how we’re feeling and that we hope our future selves are happy, but today I wrote a longer note. Today it was announced that Scotland is back in a full lockdown, so it’s been a bit of a heavy day. I also feel reflective in general, but the overall tone of my note was similar to the below; I just want a happy year for us all, I want to achieve goals but I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself. I know from this year that just surviving is enough.
So with that in mind, here’s a few goals I’m hoping to tick off this year…
01. A rebrand. It’s time to say goodbye to Kate La Vie! I have been in the process of switching my handles over to Kate Spiers for a while now, but I wanted to wait until I felt it was the right time. With Scotland’s Home Of The Year and other projects in the pipeline, it made sense to use one name (my real name!) for everything, so I was easier to find me online. This won’t change much for you guys, my content will be the same and for the time being, I’ll still have katelavie.com as my blog – although I may eventually change this too. It just feels like the right thing to do, so look out for some new social handles in due course – you may have noticed I’ve just made the switch over on Instagram! Ahh the end of an era.
02. SHOTY success. In a few months, Scotland’s Home Of The Year series three will hit your screens and I’m already excited! I really think this is our best series yet, we had so much fun filming it (despite the many, many, many COVID tests we had to get through), so I’m hoping it will be well received and maybe even nominated for a BAFTA again. A girl can dream, right?
I’d also love for the show to be recommissioned so we can get out and film series four – I’m not asking for much here, am I?! Fingers crossed for a good year for the show, I really think it deserves all the praise it gets. I love our team so, so much and I appreciate all the support from you lovely lot too.
03. A slow return to normality. I know this slightly unrealistic but I do hope we can see some return to our old lives soon; I miss gatherings with friends, going to gigs, dinners out, trips away, sleepovers with my besties and of course, the pub! At some point I’d like to see my family in New Zealand but I know that is extremely unlikely, so I’ll lower my expectations and hope to be reunited with my closest friends instead!
04. Be a bit more unreachable. 2020 had me feeling overwhelmed on the regular, with notifications popping up constantly, messages and emails and WhatsApps always waiting for a reply… it was a lot!
I’ve always prided myself on being someone who is there for my friends, always the listening ear and available for a call at the drop of a hat, and I don’t want that to change – I just don’t want to be so attached to my phone this year.
I adore every message, comment and email I get from you guys too and I do dedicate a lot of time to getting back to questions and messages of support and I don’t want that to change – I guess I just want to set aside time each day for my correspondence, rather than picking up my phone every few minutes to check my messages! This is the year I get my screen time down to a decent amount!!!
A few other goals…
// A trip away with my best friends.
// Keep up with my daily morning walks.
// Visit two new countries.
// Read 30 books.
// Shop local & support more indie brands.
// Get a new ear piercing.
// Try and enjoy new genres of music and not the same 7 bands that sound like they’re from 2006.
// Spend less time on my phone.
// Keep on with my commitment to being anti-racist.
// More calls with my family in New Zealand.
// Less mid-week drinking (unlikely but I’ll add it to the list).
// Buy less fast fashion.
// Put my shoes in the shoe cupboard when I come home and not just leave them in the hallway.
05. Work on a book. I’ve always been pretty quiet on this big ol’ dream of mine, but ever since I can remember I’ve wanted to write a book. I’ve kept this blog going for over ten years and it’s definitely provided me with a creative outlet for my writing, so I hope maybe this year will be the year I step it up a few notches and work on something more physical. I’d love to do a fiction sort of ‘coming of age’ story loosely based on events that have happened to me, sort of like a book of essays. I’ve done a bit of mapping and planning so I’m putting this out to the world – this is the year I make some progress with it. I feel like the imposter syndrome will set in often, but fingers crossed I can do this!
06. Start a new project. I guess this goes hand in hand with the above, but I’m hoping to work on something new this year! Last year we had the flat to renovate, but this year I think I’ll do something entirely different. I’ve written a treatment for a TV series and also planned the aforementioned book, but I’m not sure either will go anywhere. I think it’s good to work towards something though, I’m not really one to follow timelines so I’m always ducking in and out of projects depending on how motivated and confident I feel!
07. One big trip away. This seems rather unrealistic at the moment, but I hope at some point this year we can do a big trip away. I’ve missed travel so, SO much so an exotic trip or even just a mini-break is definitely on my list!
08. Live with a little less clutter. We’ve moved from a two bedroom flat to a three bed, and somehow that has just meant more room for clutter! I’m sick of it, I don’t believe I’ll ever be a minimalist but I hate having so much STUFF. I’m hoping this year will be the year that I receive less PR mailings, which sounds ungrateful but there’s only so many boxes and giftings my flat can hold. We fill my car with bags and bags of recycling once a week, because our bins are too full to handle it!
But it isn’t just send-outs that are causing the clutter, I could definitely be better when it comes to buying less, avoiding packaging and just generally reducing waste.
09. Step up my content. I really feel like last year was the year I found myself with my content, having so much time at home with Jord allowed me to be creative, leave my comfort zone, share more and create more. I felt so proud of the work I was producing, my following grew and I had so many incredible messages of support from you guys as well. My following grew by a lot, which might be down to the show and the new flat, but I’m so pleased that I’m moving forward – I feel inspired and motivated!
10. Tackle my finances. I’ve never really been in to budgeting and saving, I’ve always just felt like I’ve lived within my means depending on what I’m earning at the time (if that makes sense!) – but with renovating during a pandemic, as well as having extra outgoings (now we have a car etc.), it makes me want to understand where my money is going and track my spending a bit better. I set up another savings account last month as an emergency fund, and I have another pot tucked away, but I know one day soon we’ll want to save for a house so it’s my goal this year to get ahead of myself and be better with savings, pensions, budgeting etc. Boring but essential!
11. More renovation posts. I have so much to share with you, but of course it’s me so instead of working on a room at a time, I’ve done bits here and there so there’s barely a finished room to show you! I’m hoping lockdown will encourage us to finish some bits, although it’s mostly boring jobs like replace our doors and figure out what to do with the awkward wall in our kitchen, but there’s a few fun jobs too! I want to paint our hallway and do a big vibrant gallery wall, put up prints and finish our spare room, get new storage in my office and finish the gallery wall in our living room. We can do this!
12. Take care of myself. I’ve talked about this a little already but I’ve really been looking after myself over the last year or so; I’ve been kinder to myself, learned to love my quirks, made an effort to make my mental health a priority and looked after my health in general too. My daily walks really help me clear my head, and I feel like my relationship with my appearance and social media is really healthy too. I’m in a good place and I’m proud of the progress I’ve made – I hope for more of this this year!
So there we have it, some goals to work towards this year. It’s January, we’re in lockdown again and life is pretty scary and uncertain at the moment, but having (mostly) manageable goals is what keeps me on track. Most of these I’ll sort of shelve, putting them to the back of my mind until I stop and take stock in the middle of the year and realise how far I’ve come. It’s a good way to be!
What are your thoughts on setting yourself yearly goals? I hope you’re all looking after yourselves regardless xo.
//photos by Corinne Moffat.
