Having benefited from tracking “Twenty-three 23’s in 2023” actions in my Bullet Journal collections inspired by Jess, aka JashiiCorrin on YouTube, which I wrote about my in my 2023 Review blog, I decided to keep it going this year with twenty-four 24’s in 2024!
Arranged according to my 8 major focus areas–Read, Write, Create, Practice, Serve, Connect, Sustain, and Adventure–this way I get a somewhat holistic picture of my intentions and goals for the year. I focus on actions I can take, then see what results occur. Then I reflect, recommit or change direction, and carry on creating!
For each of the 24 chosen metrics I mean to make at least 24 contributions, consistently supporting my major goals and most valued priorities. Some of the activities truly do fall about every two weeks, some being weekly or even daily (such as yoga practice, meditation, and reading), I will arrive at my goal at a different rate for each type of action. Each is something that I value and want to nurture, but the precise frequency that supports me best depends on the action.
At this point a few of the 24 actions are already complete and I’ll be sharing updates in future monthly review blog articles!
24 Actions, 24+ Times
In December and January I set up the 24 collection spreads in my Annual Book (just a dot-grid Moleskine notebook as usual) and since then I’ve been continuously updating them as I take action. Some metrics I may not share in detail for personal or privacy reasons, and of course what measures are important to you will be different from my priorities, but I hope this sparks ideas for your own practice.
Here’s the spread with the beginning of my index for my Annual Book on the left and my “Twenty-four 24’s” list on the right, with a collection for each item to follow:
Twenty-Four 24’s Flip-Through
The video below on YouTube is a flip-through of my Annual Collections Book for 2024 so far, including my Twenty-Four 24’s in 2024, creative challenges planned, notes and synchronicity along the way.
Just sharing my own process and preferences, what works for you might look very different! Brands and items I mention in the video are just what I currently use, based on personal experience and opinion. This video is not sponsored (none are so far) and I encourage you to use whatever supplies you have access to and enjoy.
If you enjoy this sort of content, check out my 2023 Annual Book and reflections, Word of the Year, and I’ll be back soon with more fun with ballet, mindful movement, creativity, and beyond.
My Twenty-Four 24’s
1. Read Books
Fiction Novels such as cozy mysteries and rom-coms, Nonfiction, Personal Growth, Scriptures, Poetry, anything goes! Enjoying reading every day and learning from new perspectives and diving into favorite topics are my main reading goals, so consistency and value is more important than volume.
Subscribers to my weekly email newsletter are privy to what I’m currently reading, top recommendations, and thoughts about current reads. Goodreads also tracks at least my eBook titles, most of which I borrow from the library using the Libby App.
For 2022 I shared intended study areas and favorite reads and content in a variety of media here on the blog and I’m also including selections in this year’s monthly review blogs. Here is January. Up next is a February Reflection and then March hot on my heels!
2. Write Daily Logs
Having my pocket notebook on hand at all times allows me to keep ongoing notes throughout the day, based on the sort of rapid logging Ryder Carroll describes in the Bullet Journal Method.
3. Write Morning Pages
Starting when I did Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way, now I write my freewheeling freehand Pages most weekdays as part of my creative morning ritual.
4. Write & Publish Blog Articles
Like this one! I write about dance, mindful movement, creativity, lifelong learning, coaching, and joyful living. I started blogging in order to share my knowledge, provide references for students and clients, and find my voice.
I continue because it has done all of that and also connects me to a community of likeminded people!
5. Write & Send Email Newsletters
The best way to keep in touch across the globe! I own my email list and website, so am less affected when social media goes down, and this also assures that you never miss out an anything I create or recommend.
Not yet a subscriber to my Email Newsletter? You can join here and let me know if you ever have questions.
6. Write Poems
My ongoing log (both analog and digital) of “acorns” or nuggets of poems and songs for possible eventual completion helps keep me in practice and creates a bank of material for future use. Short poems can also come through all at once, like the 365 Haiku I wrote in 2021.
7. Write & Send Letters
Tell loved ones how I feel, pen pal, keep in touch. An area for growth.
8. Create & Post Videos
This action I would like to complete weekly, but 24 is a good minimum to start with and supports me in consistently publishing videos to engage my students and audience. You can view and subscribe to the A Blythe Coach YouTube Channel here.
9. Create Choreography
Engaging in movement and artistic research is an ongoing feature of my practice. Like writing acorns or small segments of poems, the daily practice can be small, involving improvising, moving, and brainstorming. Then in addition to choreography for my classes and larger projects I am currently challenging myself to create weekly micro video choreography sketches for the #alphabetsuperset creative challenge. All of these could become of my working drafts – ideas and sequences that may find their way into (or ate least influence and inspire) a video, a class, workshop, collaboration, or other creation.
10. Create BuJo (Bullet Journal) Spreads
Got a good start on this in December and January as I set up my Annual Book spreads including my Future Log, these Twenty-Four 24’s. Along with the Monthly and Weekly spreads I create in my Seasonal Books and other special collections, I will certainly meet this goal. Like journaling content? Some of my spreads can be found on Instagram, in videos (in relation to creativity), and in blog articles like this one that relate my personal process.
11. Create & Publish Podcasts
Not so much of a priority as it was in the past, but still would be nice to come back to as a complement to writing, dancing, and creating videos. It was pretty cool to publish my 100th podcast last year and I learn a lot through experimenting with that very free medium. The A Blythe Coach podcast started as a way to articulate and share ideas while I was going though my Yoga Teacher Training and integrating concepts from my western philosophy, dance, coaching, and pedagogical study.
12. Create Music – Practice Instrument(s)
Also a bit aspirational, but I do enjoy including singing, harmonica, percussion, and other musical creative practices that complement my choreography, dance, and movement education.
This is one way that I continually develop rhythm and musicality as I wrote about here.
13. Create Music Playlists
For dance classes, choreographic inspiration, yoga, setting the mood, and celebration.
As with books and reading, I sometimes share my favorite songs, pieces of music, and playlists including those I create myself in my videos, articles, and email newsletter.
14. Practice Yoga
Short or longer daily yoga practices have been one of my most consistent daily habits since 2019, so this year I completed my 24th practice of 2024 on January 24th. Here is an article where I wrote about Healthy Habit Building, and I also share about yoga on my YouTube Channel and in-person and online teaching.
15. Meditate
As with Yoga, Meditation is a part of my daily ritual of healthy habits and so I reached 24 sessions on the 24th of January. There are so many benefits and I’ll absolutely continue to practice.
16. Practice Gratitude & Abundance
In my pocket notebook, digitally in the Gratitude App, as often as I can being present to the abundance and beauty I enjoy.
17. Practice German/Deutsch
Duolingo helps me continue to build my vocabulary and correct my grammar alongside practicing in teaching and everyday conversation. Being a daily activity, usually two short sessions mornings and evenings, I completed over 24 sessions by the end of January.
18. Physical Therapy
With a Thera Band, Balance Board, Foam Roller, Ball, Pull-Up Bar and more, I do a lot of cross-training in order to be able to continue actively dancing and teaching mindful movement.
19. Artist Dates & Creative Nourishment
Playfully fueling my creative fire, using my art & craft supplies, journaling, coffeeshops, bookstores, museums and galleries, performance and adventures, park time sketching, bird-watching…pretty much anything that inspires me can qualify as an Artist’s Date! Like that of Morning Pages, this concept comes from Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way.
20. Serve – Teach Classes
Ongoing Mindful Movement classes in Ballet, Barre+, Barre a Terre, and Yoga as well as special workshops and master classes are all a part of my professional service as a teaching artist and educator.
21. Serve – Coaching Sessions
Coaching clients, offering sample sessions, and supporting people in taking leaps of faith to create the life of their dreams is also part of the professional service that I provide.
22. Connect – Host & Participate in Challenges
Participating in others’ creative challenges, such as Alphabet Superset, NaNoWriMo, Inktober, and others provide motivation, community, and structure in which my artist child can play. Hosting my own creative challenges in the areas of dance, yoga, and coaching, is a fun way to connect and support folks on those journeys.
23. Connect – Social Media Posts & Sharing
Sharing resources, behind-the-scenes experiences, connecting with my creative community on Instagram and Facebook several times a week as @ablythecoach
24. Sustain – Adulting & Financial Fun
Weekly check-ins with accounts, bills, budgeting, balancing books, profit, debt, insurance, investment and adulting also need to be regularly updated. Staying real and being on top of this area eases anxiety and helps me focus on what is important.
25. Bonus! Adventure & Celebration
Travel, Events, Dates & New Experiences are one of my favorite areas in which to set goals and broaden my horizons, connect with loved ones and meet new connections. Trips home to visit my family and on other getaways are in the works for 2024.
What are Your 24?
If you’ve chosen intentions and objectives for the year, I’d love to hear about them and how it is going! You can start now, or at any time, just by choosing one action you’d like to complete 24 times in the coming period. Build a new habit and see the impact taking one small (repeatedly) can have!
Questions for Reflection
- What goals and intentions do you have for 2024, the coming quarter and month?
- What small actions or habits could you practice regularly in alignment with your intended outcomes?
Resources for Further Exploration
- January was for Tango, Snow, Art, & Completion – 2024 Month 1 Review Blog Article
- Quantum Leaping in 2024 Word / Intention of the Year Blog Article
- Say the Magic Words Blog Article
- Blogging My Purpose – the “Why” behind A Blythe Coach Blog Article
- Why Bother Distinguishing Your Why? Purpose Blog Article
- Goal-Setting for Dancers Blog Article
- Analog Journals for Creativity Blog Article
- Reflective Practice Through Journaling in Dance, Yoga, & Life Blog Article
Blythe Stephens, MFA & Bliss Catalyst
she/her or they/them
Creator of A Blythe Coach @ablythecoach
helping multi-passionate creatives dance through their difficulties,
taking leaps of faith into fulfillment through coaching, yoga & dance education