As I mentioned in a post last week, my word of the year for 2019 is focus. Paying attention to one thing at a time–and making the time for things that really matter–are among my goals. But it order to focus on what matters, I have to give up worrying about things that don’t.
When it comes to this blog, I’ve given myself permission to stop worrying about a bunch of things. Chief among those things is SEO. What on earth is SEO? you might be wondering. If you don’t know, you probably don’t need to. SEO–Search Engine Optimization–is basically a secret language that a webpage speaks to search engines like Google. If your page has a high SEO rating, it’s fluent. If not, apparently, it’s silent.
But I am sick to death of revising blog posts to boost their SEO rating. Doing that has always felt repetitive and artificial. So I’m not going to do it anymore. Most of the readers who visit this blog don’t arrive via search engines anyway–they show up after seeing a post from She Dwells on Facebook or Instagram (and, occasionally, Twitter.) That tells me people know what they’re looking for when they arrive. I’m going to focus my attention and energy on writing things that matter to me, in whatever way those things come together. If that means the number of people who read this blog doesn’t increase–well, so be it. Numbers are another thing doesn’t matter to me. I write this blog because I enjoy writing, and because I hope to provide you with material that you enjoy reading.
And speaking of things that don’t matter: another thing I’m not going to focus on in 2019 is trends. No doubt you’re already seen a bunch of blog posts forecasting the trends (in food, fashion, tech, etc.) for the coming year. But, just like that satin jacket I so desperately wanted in junior high, trends don’t endure. They are, by their very nature, of the moment–and only the moment. I’m not going to waste my energy or your time on topics that won’t continue to be relevant.
What will I be writing about in 2019? I’m glad you asked.
Creativity
If you follow my Instagram account, you already know that I’m focused on being more creative this year. Whether I’m making art simply because it brings me joy, or working on a crochet project, or composing a blog post, or trying out a new recipe–whatever I’m doing, I’m determined to focus on the creative process. Using my imagination has always fed my spirit; letting the practicalities of life take that time away from me never leads to anything good. (Usually, it leads to me being slumped in a chair and feeling demoralized.)
So I’ll be writing about the creative process itself, but also about the strategies I’m using to manage my time and make room for that process. I think this will be my primary challenge, when it comes to creativity–especially as we head into the busiest part of the academic year.
Learning to trust my instincts
A lot of women struggle with second-guessing themselves. It’s easy to think of this as a personal failing. But our tenuous self-confidence is really a cultural artifact. In a society that does its very best to make sure women aren’t in control of anything, how do we learn to trust the decisions we make? How do we ignore the persistent message that You’re not doing it right–no matter what “it” is?
In 2019, I’m going to focus on strategies for detaching from the kind of criticism that gets under my skin. I’ll also be writing about how best to detach from the people who offer it.
Positive Psychology
Most of the time, we think of psychology as the study of problems and how to address them. But psychology can also be used to help us figure out what works for us and how to grow from our successes. In the simplest terms, positive psychology means focusing on and building from our successes rather than our challenges.
I’m not a big believer in the idea that no one can make us feel inferior unless we allow them to. (If that were true, how many of us would choose to have hurt feelings?) But I do believe that we participate, to a greater or lesser extent, in giving those feelings space to take root and become part of our self-image. In 2019, I’ll be writing about how we can focus on creating a sense of competence and well-being that allows us to flourish.
Ready to take on 2019? Where do you plan to focus your energy?
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