Hey Everyone and Happy 2020!
I hope you had a wonderful December surrounded by friends and food and got a bit of a break. The holidays didn’t go quite as planned for me so I feel really behind on goal setting and planning for the year. I ended up with a bacterial sinus infection and was sick for TWO WEEKS. It was a lesson in gratitude though. I definitely did not enjoy being sick over Christmas and New Year’s but I was still so fortunate to have food on my table, a roof over my head, a warm bed (and dog) to rest and we had lots of family time —even though I’m sure they didn’t want to be in close quarters with me!
So yes it’s January 3rd and I’m actually just starting to think about my goals for the year and how I’m going to execute them. As always, the top of the list is business growth, but I haven’t quite defined how that looks yet. Bigger and better projects of course but I’m still mulling over the best way to find those dream clients. What are the most effective ways you get clients? You will see a big upswing in my social media and blogging this year, so I can’t wait to see the effects of that!
Going Waste-Free in the New Year
Something else near and dear to my heart both professionally and personally is sustainability. My husband and I spent 2019 working towards a zero-waste lifestyle.
That is a JOURNEY let me tell you, and we are far from perfect but we have made some really great swaps and learned to live with different. I really don’t think living zero-waste is about living with less, just about living differently.
I’m working on bringing the same sustainability to Paper Lime Creative by figuring out the graphic design supply chain. Where does our paper come from? And what effects do all these super cool printing techniques have on our planet? I genuinely don’t know but am on my way to finding out!
Going Screen-Free in the New Year
Another change I started in 2019 that I’ll be amping up in 2020 is being cellphone free. I went to the Adobe 99U conference in May in New York City and a few of the speakers I heard a talk about how bad cell phones are for our creativity.
My entire job is creativity! The first change I implemented when I came home is not having my cell phone in my office until after lunch. The first few days were REALLY hard but I ended up loving it. I turned off notifications for my email until after lunch too! No red numbers or endless pings. Once I got used to not being distracted, it stresses me out when I do have my cell phone on me. It feels like a constant “who needs me now” when it’s around.
So, for 2020 I’m committing to 12 Screen-Free Saturdays, one Saturday a month all year. No cell phone, no computer, no TV. This is inspired by one of the talks I heard at 99U. They asked the audience when we had our best ideas. People answered when they were in the shower, walking the dog, falling asleep, waking up, or driving. All of these times when we get to be space cadets and our brains are idle are when we have our best ideas.
I know my best inner monologues are when I’m falling asleep or walking the dog. My best design ideas come in the shower. The speaker talked about how we are constantly stimulating our brains and these moments of idleness are becoming fewer and farther in between, and how kids nowadays have zero boredom time. I don’t remember the number of times I complained to my mom that I was bored, but I sure came up with some crazy ideas during those times. Essentially, a screen-free day will be forcing boredom. My first one is tomorrow and I really have no idea what I’m going to be doing besides taking down my Christmas decorations. So wish me luck on that one!
What are your New Year’s goals?
What are your goals for 2020? How do you get yourself and your business ready for a new year? A new decade? We’re looking forward to helping local businesses with all their graphic design and branding needs! We would love to hear your goals in a one-on-one call – book today!