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On one hand, it feels like 2025 just started. On the other hand, it feels like a million things have happened, and I’m shocked to learn it’s still January. The end of 2024 was a little chaotic for me, as was the start of 2025. I still feel I’m in that gray window of ‘figuring it out’, which usually requires some intense planning.
In 2025, I’m admitting it. While I love cute planners with all the detailed stickers and colorful pens, they do not love me. Physical planners are just not helping me get where I need to be. I think the major reason is that my plans and goals have exceeded the one woman show. And when I’m trying to share the vision or plan, I need it digital.
I also need the flexibility of digital. I want my vision board to shift throughout the year as I’m checking goals off my to-do list. A digital one helps me do that. The same with amending my schedule and tracking my progress.
I told my bestie, “I’m hanging on by a thread of spreadsheets”. As I head into the ‘almost forty’ age, I need spreadsheets for everything.
Sidebar: Have I told you I’m going to begin answering, “How old are you?” with “Almost forty.” Here’s the thing, 40 has been my dream age since I turned 20. Honestly, it’s the real twenty. It’s 20-years into this adult, no longer a teenager, part of my life. The thought of only having 365-days to say that I’m 40 feels like I’m not adequately celebrating this milestone I’ve looked forward to for so long.
So, I’m extending it. Whether it’s a new friend or an immigration officer, when asked how old I am, I will be “almost forty,” until I’m 40.
In this ‘almost forty’ era, spreadsheets and custom stationery are my jam. I have some free downloads you can customize and make your own. I’ve been tracking my reading because come December, I won’t remember if I read a book earlier this year or in college. Because, ya know, I’m almost forty. Reading more has been one of my favorite things to do as I shut the TV off more frequently.
There’s also a free download for a daily schedule, and a vision board, both of which are about you visualizing how you want to spend your time and create the lifestyle you want. It’s in the small details and grand visions. It’s how you wake up and spend your morning and where you vacation.
Speaking of which, I’ve decided I want to spend December in a winter destination. That seems so cool to me. So ideal, to have a snowy Christmas, with a real fireplace and Christmas markets, and then head back to a tropical destination. I’m thinking France.
You know I use these blogs as personal letters to you. I like to make them all over the place to keep you on your toes.
Click each photo to access the free stationery templates. You can customize them with a free account on Canva. I’ve also added more info about my Life Map, it’s a spreadsheet I created to set goals, and track your progress over a 12-week timeline.
Let’s create the lifestyle we want this year. One plan at a time.
See you soon!
Amirah
What do you think?