2021 mid-year round up

We made it to another mid-year round-up. In July 2020, we were commiserating along with everyone the things that we were missing out on.

We aren’t exactly in the same situation as last July, but we haven’t made it back to “normal” yet either. 

I was sitting on a cold station in Warrington a couple of weeks ago, reading a fantastic print piece in Red Magazine about mid-year goals. They can be a great starting point for growth instead of the dreaded new years’ resolution, which I find loaded and pressurised. Viv Groskop, who wrote the piece, is right on the mark with this quote;

“Lower your expectations. Make it easy. Make it messy. Make it doable. Do it when the weather is on your side. Do it half-arsed. But do it”.

With that in mind, I wanted to write out some of our workable, messy and half-arsed goals for the rest of the year. Let’s hear some plans from the Avidmode team:

Robyn

 “I don’t want to dwell on 2020 too much; it is what it is at this point.”

There were some things that I enjoyed about the last year. I learned how to make apple crumble using the instant pot; doing more with my instant pot was a pretty big goal. I read a little more and started on the Dresden Files. So far, so good. I’ve been listening to a lot of Post Malone, Rain on Me (Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande) has also been on repeat non-stop since it came out. 

I’ve tried a bunch of games this year as we’ve been locked in for so long. My favourite game has to be Hades, it’s not one that I initially thought I’d enjoy, but I’ve loved every moment of it so far.

Resolutions for the next 12 months – there are two that stick out. 

I’ve had a great time working on some larger-scale creative projects.

 University and work both took up a lot of time which meant that I didn’t have the creative space to enjoy doing so. This month I’m working on some artwork for Gem’s house. That’s sparked some more inspiration for other ideas!

My other resolutions surround University. I’m headed into my third and final year come October, which is a little scary. I’ll be working on my dissertation (on colour theory?), and I’m looking forward to that!

Gem 

“2020 gave me a lot of space to focus inwards and learn more.”

Although the year was crappy, not seeing family or doing standard work bits, there were some silver linings for me. One of the most significant changes to my life has been working with a therapist, nutritionist and personal trainer. 

I’ve struggled for quite some time with an autoimmune disease. That, paired with the lockdown and general winter blues, led to depression and anxiety. Working with the therapist early last year was so instrumental in re-framing my thoughts. 

Speaking with Janet, we worked through some ways to get my thyroid into fighting shape. It’s had a notable impact on my energy levels and physical symptoms, which I’m eternally grateful for!

Then in November of last year, I began 3x weekly workouts with Sara. She’s helped break down that anxious barrier that was keeping me from using a personal trainer before. I love having our sessions dotted through the week to catch up and get a sweat on!

My biggest goal for the next 12 months is to keep up with my wellness and self-care routines.

 This includes enjoying the outside more (apart from when the hayfever is trying to end my life) and adventuring to new places.

 Jim and I have Yorkshire and North Wales on that list at the moment. To assist in that goal, I’ll also be having another go at learning to drive, a theory test set for this November.

In January, I set a reading goal for myself to get through 50 books. I loved reading when I was younger but fell out of it as an adult. So far, I’m at 25/50, which is the halfway mark.

The best book that I’ve read on that list was The Last One by Alexandra Oliva. It was like the Hunger Games, Roanoke (American Horror Story Series) and The Road all wrapped into one, such a brilliant yet scary read. I don’t recommend reading it on your kindle in the early hours of the morning; you start to hear noises in the house! 

Kittie

“This year, I tried a lot of new things that I wouldn’t have had the confidence to do.”

Dealing with the pandemic and its impact on our business was one of the most challenging parts of the last 12 months. Though others had it worse, it was difficult not to see everyone on the team and our clients.

 It wasn’t all total gloom and doom. I stepped out of my comfort zone a little and took part in some events that I’d never have done pre-pandemic.

We had drinks at a fantastic bar, The Raging Bull in Edinburgh (virtually). We learned how to make some tremendous Pornstar and Espresso Martinis. 

We also joined in a virtual cooking class with Jen of Fearless in the Kitchen, where we made the best chocolate cake I’ve ever tried!

Other than attending these virtual events, I enjoyed practising boundary setting with regards to work vs leisure. I ended up listening to a lot more audiobooks. I particularly like Wild by Cheryl Strayed. I also found the time to dabble with a lot of MMO’s which has been great fun.

Moving onto my mid-year goals for the business: I’d like to find more brilliant clients to work with. I had a blast working on the Teach Me Tennis project! So, if any other sporting, events or recreation businesses need a website or marketing, that’s what I’m looking for. 

2020 has also helped me to distinguish what the “wrong client” is for Avidmode. We learned a lot along the way and will try to navigate those decisions a little better. 

In my personal life, I want to keep working inside the boundaries that I have set for myself and keep up with the levels of fitness that I managed through 2020.

After reading through our goals for the next year, we seem to have picked ones that we can keep chugging away at. It’ll be great to see how well we’ve done in six to 12 months. Not every goal needs to be a blockbuster. Sometimes you need to work on the more minor things to make a more significant impact in the long run. 

If this blog post has inspired you to come up with your own mid-year goals. Be it business goals or personal ones, let us know in the comments!