10 Things to Accomplish in 2025
It’s the end of the longest January (now February) I’ve ever lived through and I have only just begun deciding what I want my 2025 to look like. Why would I want to plan the future when I’m paralyzed with doom right now!?
Anyway, I’m forcing myself out of this creative rut by publishing my 10 Things to Accomplish in 2025 list after the Lunar New Year! 2025 will only be 10.5 months long for me.
This year began with a plague I now know to be walking pneumonia (0/10, do not recommend) and seemed to drag on while I watched the world implode through a phone screen. Thus my usually ~timely~ goal blog post was left to fester in the drafts until now. This is the beginning of getting my shit together.
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2024 IN REVIEW
As per usual, I will begin by reflecting on what I wanted to accomplish last year and if any of that happened. Spoiler: it was a mixed bag. (Check out the full list of to-do’s for 2024 here.)
TAKE CARE OF MY HANDS:
I am doing a mediocre job of taking care of my hands. Some days are better than others but overall there’s been an improvement.
MOVE MY BODY EVERYDAY:
I took more steps on average than I did the year prior. While this isn’t quite what I had in mind for moving everyday, it’s still an improvement so I’ll take the w on that one.
CLEAN OUT MY DOOM ROOMS:
Many false starts that went nowhere that lost their momentum when several life altering issues set me back. With that said, this time will be DIFFERENT. I have plans of documenting the process as a way to hold myself accountable. More on that later.
START SEWING AGAIN:
The most sewing I did last year was a few mending jobs. Better than nothing! Part of the sewing more is linked to the doom rooms so once I sort that out, it’s over for my half finished projects.
KEEP LIVING MORE LIFE OFFLINE:
I live almost exclusively offline these days what with the tech overlords and the state of North America these days. I find much more joy in creating and sharing on my own website vs Zuck’s platforms et al. I’m back from Japan and still slowly posting story updates from the trip a month later. Whoops!
TRAVEL AGAIN:
Last year I visited my parents in Arizona (and made a Tucson travel guide) as well as Gabriola Island. Then in December I went back for the trip of a lifetime to Japan. I can say with confidence that I nailed this goal. There will be more posts in the future from all of these trips!
FIND WHIMSY IN THE MUNDANE:
There is very little whimsy for me where I live but I have tried. One of the most whimsical activities I’ve been indulging in is rebuilding my perfume collection from when I was a teenager. I will be sharing that in the perfume section of this site in the near future. I’ve also began wearing my vintage furs again and it makes me feel like a glamorous dirtbag.
SMALL LIFE UPGRADES:
I NAILED THIS ONE! I found 85% merino wool socks at Costco this year. And yes, it was a mixed package where 2/4 pairs look like dentist office carpet, but I don’t care. My feet are ensconced in a hug EVERY DAY. Was it the most elegant solution? No. In addition to that, we bought new kitchen knives in Japan and they are an absolute joy to use.
FINISH TRANSFERRING OLD POSTS / GET THIS BLOG MONETIZED:
I still have about 300 old blog posts that need to be reformatted and republished. HOWEVER I did manage to get my blog monetized! After Adsense rejected me 50000 times for unknown reasons (they sent a link with 10 possible issues none of which applied to my site). I was able to find a different ad server and was accepted in September. So far, it hasn’t paid off haha. Maybe one day!
FOLLOW THROUGH ON THE THINGS I SAY I’M GOING TO DO:
I’m shooting at 75% rate of success on this one but I’m managing to follow through on the things that matter. 2025 could be the 80% year though!
Alright, let’s talk 2025.
Take better care of my body (again)
While progress has been made, there is much more to be done. I have already incorporated going to my local rec centre 3 mornings a week. This is a manageable number of times that I feel can become a good routine at which point I could increase it.
This goal also includes my hands. Nervous cuticle picking seems to be an incredibly difficult habit to break but I haven’t given up. If I have to tape my fingers to create a barrier while I’m working on the computer, I will be doing so. Another option is to get fake nails which I’ve heard can be helpful too. Sadly fidget toys do not work for me, so when I’m watching a show I need to keep my hands busy by drawing, sudoku, or sewing.
Clean out doom rooms (whoops)
Back in the 90s I used to play this computer game called Spelling Jungle. Whenever you would mess up, the host would say “let’s try that one again” in a sassy condescending voice. He is my internal monologue as I attempt this goal once again. (Here’s the winter version of the game where he says it. Did anyone else play this???)
What will be different this year you may say? Well, this time I plan on documenting it on my YouTube channel. Publicly shaming myself into action is a last resort and I intend on it working. Feel free to join me on that journey here.
Restart YouTube Channel
As I previously mentioned via the doom room goals, I am planning on posting to my YouTube channel again. This time around it will be much less beauty focused and more casual vlogging / travel / displaying my weird collections / and cleaning up those nightmare collections.
I have never been good about focusing on one niche so expect that to be the trend over there as well. But once I get going, I am aiming for an upload once every 2 weeks to begin with.
UNDERSTANDING MY FINANCES
This is such a huge one. My financial house isn’t in complete disorder but there is a definite lack of understanding of it. Example: I just learned what a registered GIC is and now I’m kicking myself for not putting some of my savings into one. For this, a few of my action items include:
– Researching non risky investments (like GICs)
– Speaking to a registered financial planner fiduciary (the title / qualifications matter as
– Scheduling time every week to go over my bills and input them (to keep track but also make tax time easier)
In addition to that, being on the dark side of my 30s, it is finally time to make a will. How else will my family know how to divvy up my Polly Pocket collection???
Be consistent & bring ideas to fruition
One of my biggest struggles is being consistent with anything aside from my inconsistency. Without a proper routine / schedule this becomes a larger challenge. I am often stuck in the planning phase and then ruminate myself into inaction.
If ideas fester in the planning stage then they will never risk being less than perfect. My unrealistic standards are holding me hostage and this year I vow to be a bit messier if it means the task/project is being completed. Not every blog post has to be impeccably written or photographed just right. The beauty of finishing something means you can always come back and adjust it at a later date.
Stop hoarding content
Do you know I still have photos/video from the first time I went to Japan in 2016 that have never seen the light of day? In fact, I may have lost those when my ancient Mac desktop stopped working (which I need to address as well – note to self).
I’m stuck in a routine of hoarding content and not for any grand reason either. Usually I get distracted by the next thing and swear I will come back to it then never do. It’s a terrible habit. This is the year I post as much of it as I can otherwise it will continue to be a colossal waste of my time. And some of it is rad and should be seen!
Work in advance
My ADHD is addicted to the rush of adrenaline to ferry me through the completion of tasks. As you can imagine, this does not feel good at all.
While this mostly applies to my work, I also can see it factoring in my life in certain ways such as not waiting the night before a trip to pack. Or simply planning dinner for the following week on the weekend prior.
In terms of work, I think I need to treat the scheduling of my job like the fashion / retail / magazine industries. By this I mean working on the seasonal stuff months in advance so I’m not rushing to finish it and coming up short.
Dress up for no reason
The past 5ish years have been spent in sweatpants and leggings in exciting colours such as black. As a fashion school graduate, I do not recognize myself anymore.
The one offering of grace I will give myself is the inhospitable weather I deal with for 6ish months of the year. It’s difficult to find the will to create an outfit when it is -40 with a windchill. With that said, I wore impractical thigh high platform boots with a floor length thrifted coat to a bar a few weeks ago and haven’t felt that alive in a loooong time.
The major action item for this becoming a reality is tied to another one of my goals of cleaning up my doom rooms. One is a closet full of all my treasures that are varying degrees of being inaccessible.
Simplify routines
Much like my extreme planning (and subsequent analysis paralysis that follows) I would like to simplify my routines so they’re actually manageable. This may seem like a vague goal, but I assure you it’s not.
My first step was to lay out a rough schedule for me to follow during weekdays. I cannot emphasis enough how difficult I have found working for myself (post burnout) without having a rigid schedule with time slots for certain tasks. It has improved since I began taking meds for my ADHD, but I still struggle.
This goal also expands into the daily functions of my life for things like cleaning filters, watering plants, grocery shopping etc. Rather than trying to remember or decide when these things need to take place, I am implementing a schedule for such mundane (but necessary) annoyances. Tuesday’s are my grocery day, the first of the month is when I clean the dishwasher filter and drain the washing machine etc etc.
House improvements & maintenance
This past December marks the 5th anniversary of moving into my house and the majority of the rooms are still painted the terrible beige colour from the previous owners. This is the year I begin to address living in a beige walled nightmare.
In addition to that, there are several exterior projects I plan on completing this summer. For instance, last year I spent an inordinate amount of time researching how to seal concrete and I intend on using that information. All the freezing and thawing here is doing a number on our stoop and back deck. It may not be the most glamorous job, but its an important one.
10 Things to Accomplish in 2025
The overall sentiment this year is: “done is better than perfect.” I’m disorganized mess and it’s okay if I show up as such. The longer I’m able to consistently show up, it becomes a routine. It’s much easier to improve upon a routine than to begin again over and over. This feels like synergy speak but I don’t really care. I need momentum and to cling to the things that will make the metaphorical boat move forward.
Lastly, I also plan on giving Chloe 5 times more pets this year.
photographs - sandy joe karpetz
I feel like these are realistic and healthy goals! Looking forward to spending time outside with you this year!
I’m trying to be reasonable with myself…. no lofty goals of learning another language or playing guitar better. I need to sort out my life first hah! I too am very much looking forward to spending time outside with you as well.❤️