It’s time for the obligatory new year’s blog post…I bet you didn’t see that coming! As you set resolutions (or better yet, goals) and laugh about how you didn’t keep last year’s resolutions (am I right?!), I challenge you to identify at least one thing that was part of your life in 2018 that you will deprioritize in 2019.

Think of something (or someone!) that’s been weighing you down that maybe you’ve been doing out of guilt, obligation or societal expectations. If you drop that dead weight, you can reclaim that time for…well, all those things you’ve been wanting to do.

It can be an activity or a commitment you made long ago. Perhaps it made sense then, but it doesn’t fit neatly into your life now or give you the same level of excitement. Remove it entirely or simply modify it so that it takes up less of your precious time and energy.

It can be a behavior. For me personally, it’s about picking my battles. I wasted a lot of energy on unnecessary arguments. I am going to be very intentional about pausing in the heat of the moment to ask myself if it’s worth fighting to the death to prove my point.

It can even be a double negative. For me professionally, I am going to stop not making time for my own professional development. Historically, it’s been something I did if I had extra time (who the heck has extra time?!), but now I intend to manage my work hours more effectively to make room for my own personal growth.

And last but not least, it can be a human. This is not meant to sound cruel. We all know our relationships change over time and sometimes that means you have to let some people go or just change the nature of the relationship. When it comes to the humans in my life (and I’m referring to both family and friends), I’m a quality-over-quantity kind of girl. I cherish the handful of people who truly get me, are always there for me, and also forgive me. I enjoy and appreciate those who are not quite as close, but are like-minded and fun to be around. And I look fondly at past relationships that have since dissipated…they used to make me sad, but I’ve grown to appreciate them for what they were at the time.

As each new year motivates us to change things or do new things, it can be easy to forget that we also need to stop doing things. What will you deprioritize in 2019 so that you can reclaim your life?

Happy New Year!

-T