Let’s be honest, parenting solo can feel like an uphill battle sometimes. Whether it’s finding time for your kids or making sure they get enough of the right kinds of food and exercise, being a single mom is tough work! But with a little creativity and teamwork (yes, even with your kids), you can make positive changes in 2023 that will have a lasting effect on your family. Here are 10 great ways single moms can kick off the new year:
1. Be honest with yourself
- Get real with yourself
- Identify what is important to you.
- Be honest with yourself about your priorities and commitments in life, both past and present.
- Find a quiet place where you can think about these things without distractions or distractions from others’ views of priorities and commitments. This may mean setting aside some time alone or finding a place where there are few people around to interrupt your thoughts and ideas as they come up during the course of this process (or even just getting away from TV, commercials, etc.).
2. Get in the New Year Spirit
It’s easy to let the busyness of life take over and crowd out the things that matter. This can be especially true for single moms, who have a lot on their plates. The new year is a great time to make some changes in your life, including getting back into the swing of things after the holidays and start feeling more positive about yourself. Here are ten ways single mothers can kick off the new year:
- Get involved in a new hobby or activity. Being productive is an important part of self-care, so why not try something different?
- Start a journal or blog where you write down your goals (or just thoughts) every day. When was the last time you wrote anything down? A journal will give meaning to all those random ideas floating around in your head so that they don’t get lost along with all those other good intentions!
- Try a new recipe for dinner tonight – don’t worry about following any recipes verbatim: instead use them as inspiration for making something original together at home tonight! Or if cooking isn’t really your thing then check out this post on how being creative with food can help reduce stress levels while boosting creativity levels at work too!
3. Make Some Changes
Making a change is difficult. You have to be honest with yourself, and it can feel like you’re admitting defeat. But if you’ve been wanting to make some changes in your life, now is the time!
Start by making a plan for what exactly you want to change. Is it your health? Your diet? Your career path? Once you have an idea of what you’d like to do differently, write down a list of steps or actions that will help get you there. For example: “I want to lose 20 pounds this year” could become “I will exercise 3 days per week”, which then becomes “I will take my dog on longer walks after work.” Be specific about what each step entails so that when life gets busy and chaotic, as it always does eventually, at least one thing remains constant—and that one thing is what helps keep all those other things going smoothly as well.
4. Create Your Own Best Life Plan
Make a list of your aspirations and goals. Write down everything you want to accomplish in the new year, from small things like learning how to make candles to bigger ones like going back to school.
Next, make a plan for how you’ll achieve each goal. If you want to take up boxing or start your own business, for example, think about what steps it will take—sign up for classes? Find an accountant? Make a budget?
Once you have your list of aspirations and plans laid out, put them into action! Don’t be afraid of failure; just do your best and keep trying until you get there. You’ll find that having a support system helps keep you motivated when times get tough—and being around other people who share similar interests can make those difficult days more bearable as well.
5. Review Your Priorities
It’s important for single moms to take time to review their priorities and make sure they are being realistic about the choices they are making. These priorities should help single moms understand what is most important in their lives, so that they can focus on those things and make decisions based on them.
For example, a single mom may want to spend more time with her kids but also wants money for college tuition. If she values both of these goals equally, then prioritizing one over another will be difficult—the best solution may be to try something new like working part-time instead of full-time or enrolling in an online course at night so that she doesn’t have as much responsibility during the day when her kids are home from school.
Priorities help us make better decisions because we know what matters most: if my child needs me right now but I feel like going out with friends instead (or vice versa), then I know which priority takes precedence over another one!
6. Relook at Your Budget
After the holidays, you have a better idea of where you stand financially. Now is the time to take inventory of your finances and make changes if needed. The first step is to review your budget and make sure that everything is accounted for. Reviewing expenses will help you identify areas where you can cut back or save money, and looking at income can help determine whether or not it’s necessary to take on a second job (or even a third). You should also look at debt, savings and investments because these are three important factors that will affect how much money you have on hand going forward. Also look at credit score, retirement account balances and insurance policies; these all play an important role in determining how comfortable life will be now and in the future as well!
7. Create a Bucket List for Yourself and the Kids
If you are a single mom, don’t forget to create a bucket list for yourself and the kids. This is an important tool for making sure that you are enjoying life and experiencing new things. A bucket list helps keep us focused on what we want to do with our lives in the future and reminds us of all the things that we would like to accomplish before we die. It also helps us remember that although life may not always go according to plan, there is still so much out there for us if only we are willing to open ourselves up enough so as not get bogged down by our everyday responsibilities.
A good way of creating your own bucket list is by thinking about what it was like when you were younger—what did you enjoy doing? When did these activities bring happiness into both of your lives? Write down these activities on paper along with anything else that comes into mind while brainstorming this idea; then rank them in order from most memorable experience (top) down through least memorable experience (bottom). Next, begin filling out each item on this list individually by writing down what needs doing next—do some research online or call up friends who have done similar things before; then make sure everything fits within budget constraints before setting dates for when these tasks should be completed!
8. Get Organized
As a single mom, you’re used to being on your toes and doing more than one thing at once. That’s why it’s so easy for your home to become cluttered with stuff you don’t need or that doesn’t serve its purpose anymore—like old clothes in the back of your closet, toys under the bed, or mail piled high on the kitchen table.
It can be overwhelming when there are so many things vying for your attention: bills to pay, laundry to fold, meals to make and children who need attention! But if you want 2018 to be a better year than the last one was (and who doesn’t?), then it’s time for some organization. Which means getting rid of things from around your house that are no longer useful—and organizing what remains into areas that make sense for your family life now.
You’ll also find yourself feeling lighter when everything has its place and nothing is sitting around causing clutter; plus staying organized helps keep stress levels down and helps us focus on our goals instead of on all those smaller tasks we have no idea how we’re going manage!
9. Plan Ahead
Planning ahead is essential. It can help you save money on last-minute holiday shopping, prevent kitchen disasters during the rush of Thanksgiving dinner, and allow you to make healthy choices without having to think about it too much when you’re hungry.
Planning also keeps things from getting out of hand; with a plan in place, there’s less room for worry and stress because everything is taken care of. Planning ahead can help make sure that the holidays are peaceful for everyone involved—especially single moms!
10. Start Something New
- Start a new hobby. If you’re looking for something to do with your time, why not try a new hobby? You don’t have to spend money or sign up for classes—even just reading a book will help you learn something!
- Get out there and start something new. You could go back to school, get a job in an entirely different field, or even begin working towards starting your own business. The possibilities are endless!
- Start dating again. If you’re single and ready for love (or lust), now’s the perfect time to re-enter the dating scene again after being single all year long.
11. Do Things to Make Your Life Better
Start with yourself. What can you do to make your own life better? Who would benefit if you were happy?
Think about what makes you feel good, and how that might make others feel too. Maybe it’s a new hobby or a more meaningful relationship with someone in your life—or maybe it’s just taking an extra minute to smile at strangers on the street. Whether it’s spending more time with friends, going for walks in nature or finding something creative to contribute (like photography), there are many easy ways that single moms can kick off the New Year feeling happier and healthier than ever before.
It’s up to each person individually how they want their own life story told; so take control of yours today by doing something good for YOURSELF.
We hope you’ve found some inspiration in this post! We’d love to hear how you plan to kick off the new year. Leave your comments below and let’s keep each other motivated along our journey towards success.
