Hello TFBG Fam! It feels like I haven’t written to you all in a while, so I’m happy to be back in action for 2024. Each year we discuss ways to jumpstart the new year, whether it’s with new therapy goals, fitness goals, wellness goals, or just goals in general for you to reset and refocus on. This year is no different, so I’m hoping your year has been off to a fresh and positive start. Wishing you all a happy January, or as I like to call it, JAMuary!!
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One of the ways that I have been able to accomplish any goal I have is through envisioning the life I want, making a plan of how to get there and writing it down. I’ve always been a huge lover of journaling, and planners. During the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, when we were stuck in the house and all of the days started to blend together, using my planner would help me to stay organized and accomplish my tasks. However, one of my best friends and I began to realize how hard it was to balance work life with home life, once they were constantly colliding since people were working from home. Thus sparking the idea for The Jam Planner, a digital weekly planner that encourages users to prioritize their mental health, just as much as their to-do lists. Since we are both mental health professionals, we made sure to include self care practices into each JAM. You may be wondering what I mean by each Jam, so let me break it down for you.
In our planner, each week there is a spread for people to plan out their schedules and appointments. Surrounding the schedule, you can find the weekly Jam – Joy, Affirmation, Mood tracker. So at the end of each week you can reflect on what brought you joy, read an affirmation, track your mood, as well as habits you want to stay consistent with. We also include the Monthly Jam – Journal prompt, Achievements, Moments. At the end of each month, you’re able to process feelings through a journal prompt, list your achievements – big or small, and document some of your favorite moments from the month. The most important part of the planner is the Annual Jam, which is what this article will focus on. These questions are intended to help you consider what is currently going well in your life and what you envision for your future, in order for you create your best vision board yet. So Let’s Jam!
J – Joy
The first step in the process of setting intentions for your vision board is to focus on joy. Consider the people, spaces, experiences, and things that are currently bringing you peace and happiness. When did you find yourself being the most content this past year? Can you recall what you were doing, if you were with anyone or simply enjoying your solitude? The idea is anything that brought you joy in the past year, you would want to continue doing in the upcoming year as well. Reflecting on what brings you joy can be a way to practice gratitude. Gratitude is a helpful mindfulness perspective that can put things into perspective and remind you of the good when it’s so easy to focus on the bad. During this section, the planner also asks you to think of anything you’re looking forward to in the new year. For instance, 2024 is the year all the ‘94 babies turn the Big 3-0! So I am looking forward to all of the travel and time spent with friends that will come with celebrating a new decade. Is there anything that you already know 2024 has in store for you?
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A – Ambitions
The second part is where you would begin your goal setting. The number one question is what do you want to achieve during this upcoming year. In an effort to provide some structure, we include six categories: personal, professional, relationships, health, financial, and spiritual. The hope is that you’re able to make at least one goal in each to encourage holistic wellness. As a gentle reminder, your goals do not always have to be big, scary, milestone ones. Nor do they always have to be SMART goals either (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, time-based). It is okay for one of your goals to be a daily habit you want to incorporate, a feeling you want to have, or a memory you want to create. For instance, one of my financial goals is to be able to afford to take off the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day – not a specific number amount, not sure how I would even measure it, but I know I want to experience the relief of not having to do anything that week the way a lot of other people are able to. What are some ambitions you have for 2024?
M – Mantra
The final part of finding your jam for 2024 is to set your mantra for the year. To do so, first think of why the goals you created for this year really matter to you. What made you write them down? Why do you want to achieve them? How would achieving them, or consistently improving in these areas make you feel? As you think about the answers to these questions, notice what words come to mind. Create a mantra for the year that reminds you of your why and inspires you to keep going. For some transparency the mantra I came up with is, it is my hope that through consistent prayer and being more disciplined, it will remind me of my purpose, bring me peace and help me to continue growing into the woman God has created me to be. So in simple terms, my mantra is: Discipline > Purpose > Destiny. What would yours be? After you create it, write it down, put it in places you will see, and continue to ground yourself by being reminded of your dreams. Now you’re ready to follow your Jam!
I hope you find this acronym and exercise helpful as you set your intentions for the new year.
If you are finding yourself overwhelmed with your schedule and needing a way to incorporate self care into your schedule, I hope you consider learning more about The Jam Planner.
Please feel free to visit www.thejamplanner.com or follow us on Instagram @thejamplanner
