Happy new year! Can you believe it’s already 2025, and the pandemic was five years ago? It’s crazy how quickly time is going by. Sometimes I feel like every day is pretty much the same – sort of safe and mundane – and I worry that I’m not truly living life to the fullest.

One small trick I adopted from Gretchen Rubin a few years ago is to make a list of things I want to do each year. This isn’t supposed to be a list of resolutions — instead, it’s a list of activities that will bring me joy, people I want to spent time with . . . and yeah, some things that are more like traditional resolutions. (For example, this year I plan to reach my ideal weight by May. That process won’t bring me joy, for sure, but once it’s done I’ll be healthier and more of my clothes will fit!)

To come up with this list each year, I consider questions like these: 

• Which activities and relationships gave me joy this past year? Which ones didn’t give me joy?
• What new things do I want to try? 
• What could I plan for the new year that would lead to a larger life? 
• Who do I want to see? Which relationships do I want to grow? 
• How can I help? 

And one very important point: I don’t have to do all the things on the list! This is just an exercise to help me live more intentionally; this is absolutely not something to induce guilt. In 2024, I did about a third of the things on my list, and that’s totally fine. I ate healthy breakfasts (most of the time), took barre classes all year, and found a coffee shop where I like to work. John and I tried dance classes but he hated it, so I let it go — at least we tried! I spent time with all the friends I’d listed, which made me very happy. But I visited only two of the locations I’d listed, which is ok, too.

For 2025, I’ve changed up my list a little bit. I’ve decided I want to write a blog post every week — we’ll see if that happens! And I’ve made a few plans for the summer: I want to spend a week with my parents, visit Shrine Mont (a retreat center that’s one of my favorite places), and rent kayaks or stand-up paddle boards at the DC Boathouse. Throughout the year, I want to work outside my house (like at my favorite coffee shop), create a desk area for working at home, make playlists for myself on Spotify, and play Mahjong with my friends. And we have to finish our wills.

Check out the list below. I’ve left a few open spots for additional things that come to mind later — I’m debating whether to add a trip to Cape May, New Jersey. Have you ever been? I’ve wanted to go for years!

What are your plans for 2025? Do you have resolutions or fun activities in mind? Does it help to write them down? Please let me know in the comments!