Erica Kartak

I’ve been thinking a lot about the word that I want to represent 2015 and my goals for the year. I’ve settled on “present” as my word for 2015. As a planner at heart, I want to live in the present this year, rather than always thinking about what is next. Don’t get me wrong, you can’t take the planner out of me and I’ll still be making lists galore. With a baby on the way in April, I want to enjoy each moment before he arrives and live in the moment once he does. I’ve already found myself hoping he comes early instead of enjoying his little kicks and movements. It’s something I may never experience again and I want to enjoy it while it lasts.

I used to believe I was pretty good at multi-tasking. I’ve come to realize that if you divide your attention, something doesn’t get your 100%. That may mean shutting off my email to brainstorm, write a blog post or reflect. Rather than always being preoccupied with checking social media, I want to be present in the moments with my friends and family too.

Last year I shared my short list of intentions (2014). This year I have a longer list that’s more detailed. My first goal about Luv in the Bubble is ambitious. I want to grow the number of views per month by 3x. Hey, if you’re not ambitious and go after it, no one else is going to do it for you, right?! I didn’t have a specific number in mind when I set out to put together my goals for the year and ended up with eight. Kind of a strange number, but I’m going with it. So here are my 8 goals for 2015 and my plans to accomplish them:

1. Grow readership to 10k views per month
   • Attend a conference (already signed up for Bloguettes in February)
   • Improve photography skills
   • Ask for help
   • Collaborate with two new brands
   • Participate in one linkup a month (first one coming later this week)
   • Host a blogger linkup
   • Attend two local creative events
   • Invite someone to coffee once a month
   • Spotlight a local business in blog post once a month
2. Drink 8 glasses of water a day
3. Increase followers on social media
   • Post to Instagram daily, be active with others
   • Pin to Pinterest daily, pin Luv in the Bubble weekly
   • Attend Alt Chat on Twitter 2x/month
4. Read one book per month
   • Less internet and more real books
5. Spend less on clothing
   • Focus on quality over quantity
   • Stick to my style
6. Spend a weekend in a place we’ve never been
   • Treasure my first luv
   • Value experiences and travel
7. Move daily for 20 minutes or more
8. Eat more veggies and less sugar
   • Include a veggie with every dinner
   • Start drinking green smoothies again