My 23 for 2023 list – Family/Friends, Personal, Professional, and Social goals.

Since we still have a few days left in January, it’s not too late to wish you all a Happy New Year! And, as always – with the new year comes another list of goals and projects that I would like to accomplish. For last year’s 22 for 2022 list, I managed to cross off half of the items on the list. That isn’t half-bad, considering how I was pregnant for the first half of the year, juggling life as a first-time mom in the second half, and getting COVID-19 right in the middle.

A lot of things have happened that messed up my plans, but that’s alright. What’s life without any obstacles and challenges that test your perseverance and commitment?

Anyhow, here is my 23 for 2023 list. 23 items across 4 different broad categories that I would like to see accomplished by the end of the year.

Family & Friends goals

1. Trip/vacation with Aiman & Aina (3 times). Spending quality time with my family is an important aspect of my life. So, yes, at least 3 trips or vacations/staycations with Aiman and Aina. It does not have to be anything big – just a weekend out somewhere to relax and recharge.
2. Aina’s SSPN-i & Insurance. We’ve been looking for a medical card for little Aina but haven’t confirmed it yet. We’re not in a rush as Aiman’s medical coverage at his workplace is sufficient for now. But it would be good to have a separate one as a backup.
3. Settle in new house officially. This was initially planned for last year but had to be postponed. Alhamdulillah, we officially just moved into the house a few weeks ago. We still have lots of work, so I want to ensure we are properly settled by the end of February.
4. Aina’s Year 1 photobook/memento. Oh God, I can’t imagine how Aina will turn 1 in less than 6 months’ time. I want to make sure I keep some memories of her while she’s tiny and small.
5. Monthly hangouts with friends. Same goal as last year. I need human interactions regularly. Especially since I’ve quit my job, I really need to schedule more hangouts with friends.
6. Once-a-month outing with Aina. Since Aina is still young, I want to cherish as many moments as possible with her. That means being more conscious and present with her and taking her out to explore the world.

Personal goals

7. Talk to a financial planner. This was actually planned for last year as a way to prep for the baby and our additional commitments. But we never did it last year, so it’s here on this year’s list.
8. Buy and play a new game on Switch/PS5. I want to find joy in playing a new game and also re-utilize the Nintendo Switch that I bought back in 2017 from the States.
9. Start (& finish) a new TV series. I’ve been binging Grey’s Anatomy and desperately need to run away from torturing myself over the trauma over and over again.
10. Read 20 books. I didn’t accomplish this last year (unless you count the countless mangas I read online), so here’s one again for this year.
11. Buy new shawls. I want a slight revamp in how I dress, and I can’t be bothered to buy new outfits yet. And so, we opt for the easiest thing to upgrade – shawls!
12. Lose pregnancy weight and reach 55kg. I’ve been eating a lot in the past few months because of the toll breastfeeding has on me (I’m just hungry all the time), so I need to be a little more aware of my eating habits or at least spend more time on exercises.
13. Declutter old clothes. I decluttered some of my clothes last year, and I want to continue doing so. Some of my older clothes can’t fit me anymore after the pregnancy, so I might as well get rid of them.

Professional goals

14. Finish off courses on Udemy. This has been a goal since I don’t know when lol. I hope I’m not losing interest in them (I am still interested to learn). I am just procrastinating at this point, as I always do -.-
15. Run KK Masterclass at least once. I’m working on finalizing the full revamp of my Job Search 101 class from 2020, as well as my official coaching business. So hopefully, we can announce this real soon!
16. Return to alma mater for talks (SSP, KTJ, INTEC). I have my session at KTJ scheduled for mid-March. SSP and INTEC are slightly easier to plan and organize as they’re close to home (vs. in a different state!).
17. Speak at (minimum) 5 different universities. And I want to be a little more proactive this time around. Rather than waiting for them to approach me for invitations, once my coaching business is fully launched, I want to be a bit more upfront about marketing my sessions to universities.
18. Read 10 articles/papers on graduate employability. This is for my future doctorate degree application (if I still feel like pursuing one). But anyhow, it would still be fun to learn about research in this area.

Social goals

19. Reach 20,000 LinkedIn followers. We have 15,840 as of the day I write this. I’ve been on/off LinkedIn for the last year (due to pregnancy/baby). Hopefully, I can be a little more active this year, especially if I want to fully explore opportunities for my coaching business.
20. Reach 1.5m total impressions & 30k total engagements on LinkedIn. I had around 920k total impressions and 13.9k total engagements last year. Since I didn’t post as much as I would’ve liked, that was a pretty solid start. More impressions and engagements this year, hopefully! Also, that would translate to a 2% engagement rate, which is a pretty good number.
21. Reach 5,000 followers on Twitter. Out of all the goals on this list, this is perhaps the least important. It’s a nice-to-have but not a must-have.
22. Record and upload 2 videos on YouTube. I have a few ideas for YouTube videos, but the thought of editing them keeps holding me back. I think I may have to hire a freelancer to help me in editing these videos.
23. Write 15 blog posts. And with this post, that makes it 3 already. So hopefully, I’m right on track for this year.

That’s my 23 for 2023 goals – what about yours?

So, that’s it from me. Some of these goals are very easily achievable, while others would require a little more dedication and commitment (and discipline!) from my end. But fingers crossed that we get to see most of these checked off by the end of the year.

How about you? What’s on your 23 for 2023 list? What will you be focusing on this year? Any big goals or projects that you plan to work on? Share with us in the comments below and let’s keep each other accountable!

Until I see you again in the next post – stay safe, take care, and stay awesome 🙂