Essential Tips For Setting New Year's Goals in 2014: Part One

Every January I like to set aside some time to think about goals I have for the upcoming year. This year I got a late start because I spent two weeks visiting my parents who recently moved to Florida, (and I am very happy for them *says through clenched teeth*) and New Year's resolutions were not on the top of my to-do list amidst beach trips and shopping excursions. However, now that I'm home and relaxed from my little vacation with school starting in less than a week, I'm ready to start thinking about the year ahead. 

In this post I'm only going to address personal goals for 2014. I have my Etsy shop and now my blog to set goals for as well, but I'll discuss my small business goals at another time. For now, let us focus on just four main areas to set goals for the new year:

1. Academic/Work Life
One of the most important aspects of many people's lives is their career or working towards starting their career. Right now I am personally focusing on the latter. When setting my academic goals, any of my personal goals really, I like to break it down into a list of mini-goals to make them more manageable and to be able to track my progress more easily. You can apply this strategy to either your academic or work life simply by examining areas that you have struggled with in the past. Here are some of my academic goals for 2014:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wellesley_College

-Carve Out Study Time - Okay, so I know we are all guilty of letting our studies get away from us from time to time. I let that happen last semester when I started getting really serious about my Etsy shop and got slammed with the Christmas rush right before finals week. Needless to say, I need to carve time out of my schedule to study this year and really stick with it. I plan on putting my clip-on timer to use so that I don't get too immersed in any one project. This will be a toughie, but I'll let you know how it goes. 

     -Utilize Professors' Office Hours - I am going to be applying to grad school at the end of the year. I am a new transfer student at my college this year, so now is the time to start making personal connections with my professors so that I can acquire those oh-so-sought-after letters of recommendation. A senior at my school gave me this tip last semester and I plan to fully put it to use this spring. 

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2. Health and Wellness Goals 

Alright, confession time. I am a total couch potato. I can usually be found sitting on my couch hard at work on my Etsy shop or my copious amounts of homework with my eyes glued to my laptop, or seated at my craft table filling orders or working on my newest project. Either way, the key word is SITTING. I think this is probably the most common New Year's resolution for most people living in the U.S. I have quite a few simple goals for my health and wellness this year:

- Spend at least 20 minutes exercising each day- I know it's not a lot, but I'm trying to be realistic here considering my schedule. Being realistic is very important during goal setting to ensure that you won't end up disappointed and discouraged later on when you can't meet your unattainable goals. 

- Drink more water - Hello, my name is Cass and I'm a Mt. Dew FIEND. There, I said it. My mom works in dentistry, and she is not proud of my drinking habits to say the least, and we're not talking about alcohol. I love sugary drinks like Mt. Dew and Redbull. I'm in the process of switching it out for plain old water, but it's going to be a slow ride…

- Quit Smoking- Yes, I smoke. Yes, I know it kills. Yes, starting to smoke the the #1 worst decision I've ever made in my entire life. I am currently on my last pack of cigarettes, so this goal should fully set in tomorrow. Stay tuned to hear about how that works out for me in these upcoming months, I plan to write some articles to encourage others to join me on my quest for health! 

That's it for today! Join me tomorrow for the rest of my New Year's Goals! I would love to hear your goals too, leave your comments below! 

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Hello All! Welcome to my new blog: Simple. Young. Domestic!

My name is Cass. I'm a twenty-something college student and small business owner with a passion for writing. I'm currently a psych major with a concentration in cognitive neuroscience at the State University of New York at Fredonia, but I tell everyone that if I were to choose a different major it would have to be English, writing, or even journalism! The only way I could think of to fulfill my need to write but still keep my focus on a career in research psychology was to start a blog to share information about my personal interests including school, crafting, home decor, frugal living (as a poor college student, I have plenty of experience on that subject!), small business tips, and so much more!

That may seem like a lot, but I am a jack of all trades. I have plenty of interests and have had to learn to balance them in my every day life. One important aspect of my blog is to try to help others who are in the same boat as me manage their time wisely so they can enjoy all of their specific interests and still have time for themselves, their significant others, and their families. It is possible to juggle it all without getting burned out, trust me! I'll touch base on keeping monthly and daily planners, getting motivated to do the less than exciting activities in your life, meal planning, and of course lots of studying tips! 

Another important aspect of my life is crafting and selling my handmade products on Etsy. I started selling back in August, and it is one of the best decisions I've ever made! If you are interested in checking out my Etsy shop, CasstheCrafter, you can find the link on the right side of this page. The Etsy community is full of helpful sellers that are willing to help newbies get a head start and hopefully become a success selling on Etsy. Many of these sellers have helped me since I started selling handmade and I have already been fortunate enough to pay it forward by giving advice to a few of my friends who have also started their own Etsy shops. But I also want to pass on the useful tips to all of my blog readers, so be ready for lots and lots of tips related to crafting and selling your beautiful handmade goodies!

I love to meet new people (both virtually and IRL) and hope to meet plenty of fellow bloggers, Etsy shop owners, and other members of the online community! I'm looking to learn everything I can about blogging and I would love any tips or comments you may have for me!