Normally, I am all about New Year’s Resolutions. I set them the week between Christmas and the new year, write them down, and make them into S.M.A.R.T. goals which I put in my calendar. But this year has been different.

I’ve talked to Martin a bit about resolutions this year and I’m struggling (hence this post halfway through January). I’m subjecting myself to so much change this year that purposefully adding yet another thing to think about and improve upon is overwhelming.

Any New Year’s Resolution I could set, I pretty much need to do anyway in order to not fall on my face. Become more organized? Show more patience? Work out and eat right? Get rid of clutter? Yep, gotta do that. Literally everything I usually put on a resolution list, I know I will have to do in order to at least tread water.

So I’m deciding to write those all here. I don’t know if they’re real resolutions (none of them are S.M.A.R.T. goals), or simply the formula to a successful transition overseas, but these will be my personal intentions throughout this year.

Take life one day at a time.

This is my biggest struggle right now. I look at the big picture and get overwhelmed with the details of making it happen. We’re coordinating our flights and the dogs’ flights, packing, shipping our stuff on a crate, attempting to ship a very special piano without ruining it, selling two cars and a trailer, designing a kitchen remodel, installing a closet, showing our home, starting new jobs, and scheduling goodbye meals with friends. And that doesn’t even start in on the small day-to-day obstacles I’ll face once I’m over there (driving? Eee!). Just typing all that made me flinch!

I’ve been managing by taking each day as it comes. What can I do today to inch closer to our move date? Today, I’m cleaning the house to keep it show-ready and unpacking my suitcases from our Florida vacation. When I break it down into daily tasks, it’s not nearly as crazy.

Keep a constant to-do list.

I used to be the queen of to-do lists, and I don’t know what happened. For some reason, I’ve gotten away from that and my productivity has definitely gone down. With everything I’m doing these days, a to-do list is imperative.

Find gratitude in each day.

I’m all about mind over matter. Feeling grateful and thankful can completely turn around your day. I’ll be intentionally recognizing and writing down my thankful thoughts each day to focus on the positives. I am seriously so excited to start our life over there, and I want to keep that excitement through the challenges.

Set and keep a written schedule.

Now, with a new job plus all the moving parts of the projects I’ll be tackling, keeping a written schedule will be imperative. For this and the previous two resolutions, I’ll be using my new Erin Condren Life Planner (it’s in UPS’s hands right now, but I’ll post separately when it arrives). I’ve ordered the Life Planner before but found it too big to take with me everywhere. EC now offers two sizes, so I ordered it again for 2017. I’m excited to combine the organization of an EC planner with concepts of bullet journaling to keep all my organization in one place.

P.S. The EC Life Planner is 15% off this weekend. Use this link to create an account and get an $10 off your first purchase when you create an account.

Simplify and declutter.

I don’t really have a choice in this one unless I want to live like an episode of Hoarders. I have belongings both in my Indiana home and in the home in Florida, plus a few more things at Martin’s parents’ home in England. That’s a lot of stuff! We are downsizing (English real estate is expensive, y’all) which means getting rid of the unnecessary. I’ve been doing the basics of the Kondo method – if it doesn’t bring you joy, throw it out. We’ve recycled, donated, and thrown away so much stuff already and will probably get rid of even more when it doesn’t all fit into the new home.

Exercise and eat right.

Exercise is easily the one thing I’ll need to do regularly. Like, 5-6 days a week regularly. It fixes so many of the issues I face when I’m stressed – anxiety, sleeplessness, and low energy levels. When I couple it with eating right, I can function at my best. Now, that part will be really difficult for me. I have such a sweet tooth and will be in the land of scones and clotted cream. I’ll need to find the balance between treat yo’self and deprivation.

Spend time outdoors.

Fresh air is rejuvenating, and with 4 acres of land on our new property, it would be a shame for me to not take advantage of it. I’m really excited for the dogs to get the run of the land, so I plan to walk the property with them to get us all some exercise. Martin and I were gifted with memberships to the National Trust, which gets us into all National Trust homes, trails, and land. We’ll definitely be taking advantage of the hundreds of outdoor activities we’ll have access to.

Read more.

Simply put, I don’t read enough. I read a lot online, but very rarely sit down with a book. For Christmas, I received the Harry Potter boxed set and bought two new books at the Oxford Exchange. My intention is to cut time out of my schedule each week to turn off the TV and computer and escape in a book.

Find a community.

Easily one of the hardest parts about moving abroad is leaving my community. I’ve developed friendships and support in the worlds of American pageantry, my college friends, the racing world, our neighbors, and my church. I will definitely be searching for a niche and a group of people.

Appreciate and support my husband.

Martin has been an all-star husband through this whole transition, and really, the whole point of this move is so we can further his career. More importantly, it’s so we can be together while furthering his career. Like I said in the post announcing our move, we spend far too much time apart. We’re even apart for our first wedding anniversary. Now if that doesn’t tell you our current lifestyle isn’t working, nothing will.

I want to spend concerted time and energy making sure he knows how much I appreciate him and I want to continue to support him as he takes on a completely new role in his new racing team.

Stay connected.

This transition won’t just be hard on me. It will also be hard on my family and friends. I will miss a good portion of my second cousin’s toddler years and several birthdays and holidays. My hope is to use technology to stay connected and Skype, FaceTime, email, WhatsApp, Facebook, and snail mail my loved ones. That’s a big reason I created this blog – so people could stay updated on our new life overseas – but I also want to hear what everyone I love has going on in their lives, too! And sometimes that will take me initiating the contact.

What are your New Year’s Resolutions? Are there any you would add to this list?

White lace dress from Lilly Pulitzer.