On my annual offsite
Top of Mind 1.3.24
COOKING Roasted Veggie Glow Bowls so wholesome, so good
READING Fair Play spark some healthy conversation with your husband
REFRESHING Loloi Margot Rug my office/family room needed an update
BUYING Chanel Coco Bloom Lipstick levels up everyday no-makeup makeup
REFLECTING 2023. What a year.
Currently….
Hello from not-so-snowy Lake Tahoe! As we kick off the first week of 2024 in our home away from home, I'm taking a moment to reflect and reset. Despite no longer being part of a larger organization, I'm holding onto the tradition of thoughtful annual planning. So, welcome to my "offsite" week!
Last year was a rollercoaster of incredible highs and weird lows. We managed to pack in 21 trips - with and without the kids - to places like LA, Tahoe, Joshua Tree, Cabo and Cancun. I saw all of my long-distance best friends at least once - some even three times! Breastfeeding Willow for 10 solid months (phew!) and helping Caden transition out of his crib and master potty training were feats of love and patience. I confronted loneliness head-on and ended the year feeling like I'm right where I'm meant to be.
But most importantly, I took the leap and made the transition from my "dream job" to focus full time on New Modern Mom. I'm proud to say that with my complete dedication we more than doubled our viewership on the website, produced more than 60 helpful resources, launched this newsletter in an effort to build a deeper connection with you, and more than doubled our community of ambitious moms on Instagram. And all this was made possible by the team of 5 women I was fortunate enough to bring on board to this journey part-time.
So, how am I setting up 2024? I'm taking a three-pronged approach: visioning, planning, and communicating. I’m time-boxing this exercise into 3 days while we’re in Tahoe to allow myself to ask the hard questions, creatively explore and develop clear focus.
Visioning: I started with a vision board exercise, outlining how I want to feel this year and make decisions. This involves defining key words and phrases that resonate with my aspirations for the year, both personally and professionally. I'm using a Canva template to visually represent these goals, creating a vivid and tangible reminder of my path ahead. I included my final product above 🙂
Planning: I’m spending focused time to address these areas…
Calendar Management: Balancing personal travels, childcare coverage, professional milestones, holidays and family events. This is very much a collaboration between me and my husband. In fact, we review our calendar almost weekly.
Start, Stop, Continue Exercise: Evaluating what to embrace, let go of, and continue in my personal and professional life.
Wellness Incorporation: Defining how I can incorporate daily movement, nutritious meals, and indulging in life's little luxuries.
OKRs: Specific to NMM, assessing last year's goals to understand the why behind falling short or overachieving each item; and setting new, actionable objectives for 2024 with clear ownership to understand and address where I’ll be overextended.
Self-Discovery Zone: New for this year, I want to allocate time for activities that fuel my soul.
Professional Development: Identifying podcasts, courses and books to grow and evolve.
Communicating: Arguably the most important step, I’ll share my goals and priorities with my partner and team, inviting them to provide feedback and ideas to contribute to this vision.
Given this 2023 look back to move forward, I’d be remiss to not take this opportunity to acknowledge my tremendous gratitude to you. The support I've received since announcing my transition has been overwhelming and heartwarming. From commenting on an Instagram post to sharing articles, your active participation has not gone unnoticed. One of my key words for this year is "connect", and I’m excited to deepen my connection with this incredible community of ambitious moms. So please, don't be a stranger, reach out - even if it's just to say "this resonates" or "can you give recommendations for X". I look forward to hearing from more of you this year.
All The Things
Leaning into organization and health this week. Shop the full edit here.
Rattan baskets wall storage for all the toys you acquired over the holidays
Weekly To Do List using this desktop notepad to plan my daily 3-3-3
Neutral Highlighters to better organize my to do list
Bala Bangles add these to get more out of your at-home workouts
Owala FreeSip my favorite water bottle I’ve purchased yet
Refrigerator Storage Bins attempting to organize our fridge
Fruit Slicer faster lunch prep for the kids
Mini Bento Boxes leaning into fresh kid snacks vs. packaged
What’s New
Which Pacifiers Are Best for Breastfed Babies? Here's What You Need To Know.
Increase Potty Training Success With A Printable Training Chart
Thanks for the continued support on this journey,
Barbara Mighdoll