This is not one of those “New Year, New Me” bullshit posts. The main reason why I’m writing this post is that I hope it will make me more accountable to myself and to all of you. This year I’ve decided to make a list of three goals. These goals are not totally life changing but instead require me to plan out my time better. I encourage you to do the same! Because what’s the point in making goals you know you probably won’t attain? Feel free to read mine and draw some inspiration for your own goals.
Goal One: Read 20 Books
I love reading! There I said it. Label me a nerd but I really don’t care. Reading offers me an escape into another world or life. I love getting to know the characters and all their flaws. It is also something I can do anywhere! But recently I feel like my list of books I have yet to read is longer than the books I have finished. So my goal is t read at least 20 books this year (that’s about a book and a half a month). A second part of this goal that I haven’t stated is that I’m also going to try to write a review of some of the books. Then at the end of the year I’ll write about my favorite books of the year and which ones I would suggest you skip.
“But you have two boys under the age of 4! How are you going to do this?” Wow that’s a really good question! But here’s the thing; if I don’t set time aside for myself, doing whatever makes me happy, then I can’t be the best mom to my boys. If I’m constantly running myself wild trying to keep up with these kids or keep my house sparkling clean then other things will fall to the wayside. I’m the center of my boys universe and if I’m not mentally stimulated or taking time to help myself then there is no way I’ll be the mom these boys deserve. And they deserve the best mom I can be. So in order to be that woman I just take time for myself and just read and drink my coffee.
The way I’ll finish these books is by reading them in the morning before my boys wake, in the afternoon when they are napping or at night when they (finally ) go to sleep! Listen, if something is truly important to you I guarantee you’ll find a way. And I’m going to find a way to complete this goal.
Goal Two: Feel Healthier
Notice how I didn’t say “Lose so and so many pounds”? I hate that BS of people equating their health to a number. But hey if your goal is to lose weight, good for you, and I really hope you achieve your goal! But I’ll be over here just trying to feel better about myself. Honestly, I’m sick of waking up in the morning and feeling completely groggy and restless, sick of looking in the mirror and seeing all my the zits on my face, and sick of not going to bed at night until 2am because my brain won’t shut off. These are all things I’m hoping to help change this year.
One way I am hoping to achieve this goal is to increase my water intake. What? You think that’s easy or a lame start? Cool! Good for you! But unlike you I am the worst at drinking water. To give you some insight on my water intake, before I started this goal I drank about 20 ounces of water a day. I would much rather drink coffee or pop (I know! I know! Pop is bad for you! I get it and I’ll stop eventually but lets just ease into this ok?)
Another way I’ll attempt to feel better is by waking up at the same time every morning. I read somewhere that waking up at the same time every day makes you feel better. Why? Well, when you wake up at the same time every morning your brain begins know it’s going to wake up at a certain time. Interesting right? So I’m going to try it and let you know. My boys don’t typically wake up in the morning until 8am. So I figure if I set an alarm every morning for 7:30am that should give me some time to do morning motivations.
What are morning motivations? Well they are 3-5 things you do as soon as you wake up to start the day on a good note. My 5 things are brush teeth, get dressed, meditate for 5 minutes, make coffee, and read my book until Ted wakes up. That way no matter how I’m feeling at least I completed 5 things for myself that day.
My last trick to help me achieve the goal of feeling better is by being device free for about 30 minutes before bed. So I’ll try to relax in my room and read one of the twenty books (look at that! two goals with one stone). I feel like it’s hard for my brain to shut off when I’ve been on my phone right before I try to fall asleep. Also being device free might motivate me to do some tidying up around the house before bed.
Goal Three: Making and Keeping my House Tidy
Ugh! This goal might be the worst one because I am not looking forward to it at all. But my house NEEDS it! I need to do this for my and my family’s sanity. You guys probably think I’m exaggerating but I’m a very, very lazy person when it comes to keeping my house tidy. I can ignore dishes in the sink like its my day job! I wish I was one of those women like my mother who keeps their house clean at all times. My mom had three girls and my cousins she was watching at our house and every night she would clean it. She’s my cleaning inspiration and my cleaning hero.
So how am I going to achieve this goal? Well first thing I need to do is deep clean my basement. My basement has become a breeding ground for children’s toys. We have more toys in our basement than we could possibly use. So my January goal is to go through all of the toys down there and organize them. Now I will definitely need a month to do this. I promise I’ll post a picture of how my basement looks right now so you can see what I’m dealing with.
Another way I will try to achieve this goal is by making a cleaning list of every day of the week. My plan is to break it into three sections: Morning time, nap time, and night time. I’ll have about four things in each section to do and hopefully this will keep me on track. Don’t worry, I’ll post the cleaning schedule for you so you too can either copy it or make your own.
Final Thoughts
I hope that in reading my goals you will feel inspired or motivated to write your own goals. Please don’t hesitate to post your goals and what your plans are to achieve them. Remember, my goals were challenging for me but also attainable if I manage my time better. My plan is to follow up with this post by making a post in March to comment on my progress or If I feel like I’ve faltered in some areas. I’m looking forward to this next year being one of my best! Also please comment or share this post! Have a great 2019!
Kel
one way that helps keep the house tidy is to always clean as you go. Wipe out the bathroom sink and counter area after you use it every time, that kind of thing. And although the kids are very little,now is the time to get them to do small things like rinsing the sink after they brush. It can’t be all on you.
That’s a really good idea! Thanks! I’ve actually just bought JT a little chore chart so we can start teaching him to make his own bed and clean up his toys before bed. Hopefully that takes a few things off my plate!