How to Make Your Yearly To-Do List

Hey there beautifuls,

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas filled with joy, delicious food, loved ones, and plenty of laughter!  Now it's time for us all to take a little time to rest.  I know today may have possibly been one of the laziest days I've had in so long.  I can't even remember the last time that I sat in my PJ's all day long, doing nothing but whatever the hell I wanted to do!  It felt amazing!  

Now as 12 a.m. approaches, I'm beginning to get a bit of cabin fever and feel the need to get some things done.   So I thought a good place to start would be to create my 2013 to-do list!  That's right... Every year I create one BIG to-do list for myself.  If you don't already know this, I LOVE lists.  The feeling I get when crossing something off my to-do list may just be a little too enjoyable for me than it really should be.  I go to bed at night feeling thrilled that I get to mark off all the things that I accomplished that day.  Anyways, it's a super great feeling!

When writing my yearly to-do list, I like to keep in mind that some of these things will become irrelevant.  So instead of looking at the things that I "didn't" accomplish, I like to look at it as how much I've grown and better defined who I am as a person.  So, that's a really important tip that I love to give when talking about my to-do lists and set goals I have for myself.  Be sure to remember this tip when creating your own to-do list! :)

Some other tips when making your yearly to-do list are:

• Think about your bigger goals that you hope to reach further out into the future, then make smaller goals for yourself that you know will help you accomplish that main goal without feeling so stressed.
• Don't make one huge list all together, break it up into sections: Career, School, Personal, etc.
• If adding goals to your to-do list, make sure you set them high.  And when you accomplish or even do better than your set goal, jot that down!  It'll feel so good seeing that after the year is over.
• Always, always, always make personal to-do's.  These could consist of making time to read a book, treat yourself to a spa day, go to a concert, take a vacation, etc.  If you're not making time to wind down, then you'll never complete your to-do list successfully!
• Lastly, check it often.  Sometimes you forget what's on it so it's always smart to look at it every few weeks.  Also, you'll often be surprised that you notice yourself being able to check something off the list when you only expected to check the list to remind yourself of what was on it!

So that's that!  Good luck to you and feel free to share your yearly to-do lists in the comments!  I'd love to see the goals that you've set for yourself for the new year :)

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My 2013 To-Do List

To-Do's for School:

1. Get another 4.0

2. Take a total of 10 courses. 4 in Spring. 2 in Summer. 4 in Fall.

3. Make long-term connections with instructors and students

4. Complete all Liberal Arts courses

5. Submit/Get accepted in the 2013 AAU Spring Show

To-Do's for things I already enjoy:

1. Read a good book

2. Travel out of the state at least 2 times

3. Attend a Trevor Hall concert

4. Complete the apartment decor so I'm 100% happy

- Fire pit

- Patio furniture

- Paint dresser in office

- Decorate bedroom walls

- Make succulent wall art

- Finish basement/laundry area

To-Do's for Ali Bee Photography's Creative Portraiture Business:

1. Gain 300 more followers on my Ali Bee Photography fan page (2012 ended at 729)

2. Get hired to complete a total of 20 client shoots

3. Continue to post on my blog

4. Invest in some business cards

5. Invest in some props

6. Really define and stick with my target market.  Leaning towards Seniors & Couples.

7. Make the final product fun and exciting -- Confetti, ribbon, stamps, stickers, etc.

8. Keep working towards making this your main career -- Work less days at Signature Worldwide

To-Do's for Ali Bee Photography overall:

1. Put together digital portfolios for the following photography groups: Conceptual, Studio Lighting, Client Work, & Food Photography

2. Get 3 more publications and/or work in a gallery

3. Sell 5 more pieces of my work on Society6

4. Do more photo shoots to feed my own passion

5. Take more conceptual self-portraits

6. Meet-up with photographer friends

7. Collaborate with another photographer

8. Improve my Photoshop skills

9. Always be yourself

To-Do's for Austin & I's wedding:

1. Figure out our budget

2. Mail creative invitations to whom we wish to be a part of our wedding party

3. Go to a bridal expo

4. Figure out a venue

5. Set a date

6. Start thinking about the small details

To-Do's for Myself:

1. Lose 40 pounds

2. Continue to believe in yourself

3. Give yourself time to relax 

4. Remember to let loose have fun every now and then

5. Always work towards the future you dream of having

xo,

Ali Bee