At the very beginning of this year, I shared 4 goals I had for 2025. As with all yearly goals, I had high hopes, some of which have been somewhat dashed… but we persevere!

Let’s dive straight in and see how I’m getting on with my 2025 goals.

Goal 1: Unapologetically say “no” to things I don’t want to do

“Instead of saying yes to everything, I’m going to start saying no, or delaying my answer if I’m feeling unsure. This goal of saying “no” will also stretch into leaving events when I’ve had enough.”

I think I’m doing ok with this. I’m feeling less and less guilty for protecting my space and peace as time goes on.

I’ve been waiting to reply to requests to make plans, making sure I really think about it or, best case scenario, sleep on it. Sometimes I even say, “can I see how I feel on the day?” because making plans and then not wanting to do it when the day comes sucks.

However, I do cancel plans on the day if I’m really not feeling it. But that’s more a thing I can’t do, rather than something I just don’t want to do.

My partner is really good at making sure that I know any plans with him, his family or friends are all optional – I never feel obligated to go, which is so nice for me.

I’ve been pretty good at scheduling in solo time – something vital for me to recharge after social situations – which includes working from home when I need to.

Goal 2: Honour my feelings

“I’ve been trying to honour myself, my needs and my feelings more with the people who feel safest to me. My feelings deserve to be honoured. They are not silly, unreasonable, or too much.”

This is still something I’m working on, and might be forever tbh!

There have a few moments this year when I’ve felt upset by the actions of others, and though it’s taken me a few days of sulking and a few prompts of “Are you ok? (Yeah…) Are you sure?” – a classic in our household – I have managed to share what’s bothering me.

Some of those times I have prefaced it with “it’s silly/stupid,” which I don’t think is me truly honouring my feelings, but I also feel like I have to manage other people’s feelings and perceptions of me…

I’ve also been trying to be better about sharing with friends when I’m feeling low, anxious, angry, etc. I have one BFF who I share pretty much every feeling (and every fleeting thought) with on WhatsApp, but speaking about things IRL can be really helpful too.

I’ve found it hard to let friends in over the last couple of years (after a friendship breakdown), but I am trying to be more vulnerable, and I think it’s paying off – I feel like I’ve been deepening relationships lately, and that’s felt really lovely.

Goal 3: Low-spend and no-buy months

“I can take a coffee and a lunchbox to work with me, I can avoid visiting the charity shops and vintage shops on my lunch breaks, and I don’t have to go to every gig that sounds good. It’s time to take money more seriously, for some bigger goals that I’m keeping under wraps.” 

This is going… ok. I haven’t bought much really, but I still seem to be spending too much money.

I recently looked at my spending habits and income for this tax year, and as it turns out, I spend way too much money on little treats like coffees, beers, and food out. I probably knew that really, but it’s good to see it in black and white.

I used the Budget Tracking Tool from The Measure of a Plan, which has been pretty helpful, except that the dates and currency are American, which has made things quite confusing, despite my attempts to change these – I’m not an Excel whizz.

If anyone knows of a good UK version that does the same kinda stuff, or IS an Excel whizz and can make one, please let me know! I searched, but none had quite what I needed, like the one above.

Using this, I’ve set myself a new budget, which should hopefully help me save a bit of money. It won’t be much, as I’m a chronically ill freelancer, but it will be something.

I took a tip from my friend Lu, and created different virtual cards in my Monzo account (use my link to join Monzo for freeeee, and we both get £10!) each for different things – for example, one card for groceries, one for eating and drinking out, etc. I’ll put a certain amount in weekly, and try my very hardest to not go over-budget.

Each card is a different colour, and the hardest part is trying to remember which card is for which thing, but it’s easy to go into my Monzo account to check, and I’ll soon get the hang of it. If I have anything left at the end of each week, I think I’ll either roll it over to the next week, pop it into my “treats” pot, or into savings – I haven’t decided which yet. I do love treats…

I’m hoping July will turn out to be a low-spend month, but there haven’t been any no-buy months yet. I do keep thinking of it, but then I forget and buy something I don’t need. Maybe August will be the month I really remember.

Goal 4: Get fit

“I’ll be heading back [to the gym] next week to restart my fitness journey, building it into my routine gradually, so that I don’t find it all too much and give up. Once a week for now seems manageable, and I’ll up the frequency when I’m ready.

Walking during these very chilly months is unappealing, but something I enjoy once I’m out there, so I’m aiming to do a lot more of that too. It’s always more fun with a buddy, so if anyone wants to go for walks, let me know.”

Well… this goal hasn’t gone amazingly. I did go to the gym a few times, and although I really did like the vibe of the gym, it was just a little bit too far from home.

My housemate still occasionally laughs about the time I set off for the gym, got halfway there, and came home, saying that the vibes were off. They were, though. I even had my hair in “sports mode,” AKA my fringe plaited off my face, and a ponytail.

If I could pick that gym up and move it to the end of my road, I’m sure I’d go more, alas, I cannot, and once they put the prices up, I knew it was time to cancel my membership. I just couldn’t justify paying all that money when I was going 2-3 times a month.

According to the health app on my phone, I have been walking a little more, which has been lovely, especially as spring rolled around – going to the local park to spot herons and kingfishers as the new leaves unfurled and flowers bloomed was very exciting.

The only time this suffered was in June, when I was really unwell with a very nasty cold, and I was wiped out while I recovered too.

I want to increase my steps again (a little tricky when I don’t cope with heatwaves too well) and do more stretching, yoga, and weights at home – I have all the stuff, I just need to actually do it. I know I’ll feel better for it.

Well, there we have it. I’m looking forward to checking in on my 2025 goals at the end of the year, when (hopefully) I’ll be able to look back and see some progress.

If you’ve set goals for the year, I’d love to hear how you’re doing with them – I’m super nosy, and I also need someone else to tell me that they’ve not been perfect on their journey to reach their goals.

Please! I’m serious. Find me on Instagram @lyziunwin and slide into my DMs.