Summer holiday plans & goals

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With schools all around the country kicking off their summer holiday today, it’s got me thinking about my plans for the next couple of months and what I’d like to achieve while enjoying the summer break. Following New Year’s Resolutions, summer holidays are often the next time in our busy schedules when we have the opportunity to unwind and reflect on our lives. I think it’s a great idea to check back on the goals we set for ourselves at this half-way point and get ourselves back on-track if needed.Earlier this year, I set myself a goal to spend more time writing for fun and you can see my blog post about my plans here. As a full-time writer – and now editor – I found myself short on time and not doing as writing work for myself as I would like. I know I’m lucky to be doing a job that I enjoy so much that I’d like to do more of it but writing started out as a hobby for me and I still love it. I actually submitted my goal to the Post-It #MakeItHappen campaign for the chance of winning £200 and there’s a new winner chosen every month so it’s a good idea evaluate and improve your goals regularly and keep submitting them to keep you on track!When I started blogging, it was my way of practicing writing every day – much like an artist uses a sketchbook – and I enjoy every minute of it. I blogged daily for about three years and I think I became a little bit addicted to it! With more and more writing and editing projects being commissioned I was running short on time and couldn’t always face doing extra writing in the evening for my blog. But earlier this year I made the decision to write for fun and not feel pressured to keep up with my daily blogging and, so far, I’ve managed to stick to my goal.I’m pleased to say that ‘letting myself off’ my daily schedule has actually made me feel loads better about being a writer; I don’t write just because I ‘should’ any more and I feel like the articles I do write are better researched and I feel more proud of them. And having the occasional break without feeling bad about it has definitely improved my happiness. I enjoy the writing work I undertake in my day job much more as I can dedicate more time to it and deliver a better quality result.

Now that the summer holidays are here and I’m thinking about how this one change had impacted on my happiness in my work, I’m starting to think about other short-term goals that I would like to meet this year. The problem that I currently face is procrastination. I know I’m putting things off – writing projects – that I want to do, just because they have no deadline. I always put my day-to-day projects first and then never have time to do the other things that I want to do.

I recently watched this episode of Marie TV above which shares great tips for getting important work done and I’m definitely going to be taking this advice – have a watch and let me know if you already follow this advice, it would be good to know how it works for you. I’ll let you know how I get on with my new goal over the course of the summer!

While I was writing out my new happiness goal my favourite summer mantra popped into my mind so I jotted this down to keep me inspired throughout the summer. Writing down positive affirmations alongside your goals is a fabulous way to keep focused and motivated and, as I’m a very forgetful person, I like to stick up my inspiring quotes and goals on the fridge so that I can see it every day and keep on track.  I use Post-it Super Sticky Notes to keep my ideas and quotes in order as they stay in place, even on vertical surfaces, to help keep your goals and positive thoughts at the front of your mind. Let me know if you do this kind of thing too – I’m sure I can’t be the only one! My favourite summer quote is ‘say yes to summer adventures’ and I’d love to hear your own favourite inspirational quotes so please leave me a comment below or tweet me @Cassiefairy

This article is a sponsored collaboration. The pink links in the content indicate a sponsored link or information source. The blog post reflects my own experience and the sponsor hasn’t had any control over my content 🙂