I am not in the habit of making New Year's resolutions. But this year, I just happened to make a resolution around the time of New Year's, so, I guess, why not call it a New Year's resolution?
A combination of nesting urges (being with Baby in our third trimester), living in transition, and experiencing more stress last month than I enjoyed or was healthy for us has compelled me to get life in order. This is something I have needed to do comprehensively for as long as I can remember, so I am purposing to undertake that mission now.
While at a bookstore recently, I came across a book which excited me for its prospects of being a tool for me in this effort. It's called Organize Now! A week-by-week guide to simplify your space and your life by Jennifer Ford Berry. The "week-by-week" part is what sold Josh and me. I need manageable chunks. I get overwhelmed by the enormity of most of the goals I tend to set, and have found the key for me is to take things in small bits at a time in a more realistic fashion, going for steady endurance rather than one massive, elaborate event.
This week, as a beginning, I plan to focus on establishing some restorative and life-giving routines. Berry calls Week 1 "Organize Your Mind" and she lists some good ideas for goals towards that end. I'm using some of those, with a bit of alteration, and am adding some others, all of which I ran by Josh and he affirmed for me. They are:
* Go to bed in time to get plenty of sleep. Ample rest is always important, but it is critical for me right now in my third trimester. This will also help me to rise earlier, which, for me, makes for a more productive day.
* Rest as needed during the day. It has been challenging for me to recognize I cannot expect myself to operate at the same pace I would if I weren't pregnant. More and more, as we get closer to Baby's due date (Yay!), my body tells me quite explicitly I need to set a more relaxed pace. This also means necessarily becoming more comfortable with giving Nathanael an increasing amount of independent play time.
* Feed my family life-giving food. This means getting organized in my meal planning, shopping, etc. At Christmas my parents gave me a binder with two e-books on meal planning by Sheri Graham (who put together the Christmas planner I love). I am so excited to have a tool to help me in this!
* Spend time in Scripture every morning. Right now I am in the process of reading through John.
* Pray specifically for my husband and our children.
* Pray for others as I am led.
* Exercise at least 3-4 times during the week.
* Drink a lot of water.
* Use a portion of my sitting/resting time reading something stimulating and enjoyable.
* Write on my blog.
I'll keep you posted on how it goes!
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