Stealing an idea from my friend Emily, I decided to make some New Year's resolutions. But not in the usual way. Resolutions are usually out the door by the end of the first week of January so I am hoping that this different approach will yield better results. Every month I will have a goal or focus on what I want to accomplish. That way I can say to myself "I only have to do this for a month and then I can go back to my old ways." Hopefully, however, I hope the habits will stick. So here they are...
January - Start listening to the voice in my head.
You know the one, "You should really say Hi to that person," or "If you pick up that mess now you won't have to do it later," or even, "Ben, looks tired. He would probably like a massage." I hear lots of good ideas run through my head daily and if I followed all those promptings, I would be a Proverbs 31 woman for sure. So I am going to try and follow those cues as soon as I think them and not give myself time to come up with an excuse or talk myself out of it.
February - Exercise 15 minutes every day.
This will likely consist of forcing myself to play Wii step aerobics everyday but hey, something is better than nothing.
March - Finish all our house projects. (or have dated plans to do so)
I have several projects I would like to get done around the house. Updating the bathroom. New countertops and repainting cabinets in the kitchen. Replacing all our doors and frames in the house since they are in horrendous shape.
April - Do Flylady Zone Cleaning for the whole month.
I really love this website and their tips on keeping your household in order. If I follow this plan, my whole house should be deep cleaned by the end of the month.
May - Give up anything chocolate. (except my mochas!)
So chocolate is out the window for the month. Notice I did not say desserts or candy altogether. That is just too much. So no chocolate chip cookies, but oatmeal raisin... okey dokey. Brownie, nope. Blondie... A-ok. However, I very rarely eat desserts or candy without chocolate so it's not like I will still be downing the sweets. But it does give me an option if I want and I will be more encouraged to try new things, like fruit as dessert. (Also, I am just not giving up my coffees too. Lattes just don't cut it for me. Although I suppose in the spirit of trying new things I could give them a shot.)
June - Do crafts or activities with the kids at least 2 times a week.
This will take planning and having a clean table upon which to do the craft which is usually my downfall. Hopefully with nice weather we can do outdoor activities that require less clean up.
July - Go somewhere new in the NW every week.
This one is completely stolen from Emily. We live in one of the most scenic places in America and we usually don't make a point to get out and enjoy it. The kids will be old enough to make hiking somewhat enjoyable so hopefully we can do lots of outdoor activities.
August - Go on a date night every week.
This will be a pretty busy month so hopefully we will be able to get them in every week.
September - Say yes!
Unlike some other people I know, being over-committed is not a problem for me. I have a fear of busyness and like to have a simple, easy life. Now there is nothing wrong with that but I do let it get out of hand and tend to be too selfish with my time and energy. So I will try to say yes to most things that come my way if they are legitimate and reasonable instead of just throwing out a no too quickly. This includes things the kids ask for all day long that I am just too lazy to do for them.
October - Practice hospitality.
This one is actually partially for my husband who has this gift and doesn't get to use it enough. He really enjoys cooking and serving meals to people. My part of this is keeping the house cleaner and being more proactive in inviting people over even if it is inconvenient. (see previous goal)
November - Plan and be organized for the holidays.
This mostly includes purposeful, Christ-centered Christmas traditions that I want to establish with my family. My SIL got me a great book for Christmas about Advent and lots of traditions and things to do with your kids so I will be using that as a resource. We also have 2 boy's birthdays to celebrate and I want to be purposeful with those as well.
December - Carry out above plans.
The goal isn't really complete if I don't actually do the things I am planning.
So there you have it. I hope this inspires some of you to do some goal setting of your own.
4 comments:
love this and love the new look.
I'll help you organize.
So who is your accountability partner?
Nice Work, Mel! Those were well thought out, made me do some thinking of my own.
I just read your list, and I love it! You did a much better job at including some "character development" goals. Ed & I might need to add a few more of those to our list next year... :)
Post a Comment