With Christmas done, and hopefully the cleaning up from the holidays at least started... it's time to celebrate the start of a new year!
Does anyone else take time at the end of the year to really sit and reflect on the "stuff" that you and your family accomplished? I try to. Here are my top 10:
{1} Finally unpacked all the boxes from our move
{2} Donated lots of stuff to Goodwill
{3} completed 2 craft fairs
{4} My DD started preschool
{5} only a couple allergic reactions for my DS (definitely an accomplishment!).
{6} 1/2 of the house now has baseboards
{7} sealed the grout on our kitchen floor tile (no easy task)
{8} planted and successfully harvested vegetables from our garden
{9} found several new allergy friendly recipes that we LOVE
{10} set the groundwork for some major organizing!!
How about you, what did you get accomplished this year!??!
Now it's time to think about all those things that we want to accomplish or change this coming year. Have you had a chance yet to think about what is on your list?
Here are some simple tips when it comes to putting together your goals or resolutions for 2012:
- Make it attainable: There is nothing worse than setting a goal/resolution that you know you won't be able to reach. I promise you, you will attempt it maybe once or twice, and then give up. In addition, don't set too many goals. If the list becomes overwhelming it will be very hard to attempt anything on it because you won't know where to start. If you have a specific project (ie. paint the trim on your home) set a specific date when you would like to have it completed. Leaving an open-ended time frame can be dangerous!
- Set benchmarks:
If you have lofty goals for next year, put together some benchmarks or checkpoints within your goal to keep yourself on track. If you plane - for instance - to make it a goal to lose weight this coming year, set a couple of smaller benchmarks to make sure you are doing it. Split up the poundage you want to lose into smaller chunks and give yourself a reasonable amount of time in which to do it. Then when you reach that smaller goal, give yourself a reward.... which brings us to the next point...
- Create incentives:
We all know that from time to time (or maybe most of the time) we are in need of some major motivation. If your goal is to get the kids to school on time think about an incentive to help motivate both you and your kids to do it. Whether it is a toy for them if they get to school on time everyday for a month, or a new pair of shoes for you... incentives DO help!
- Write it down:
How do you plan on keeping track of these goals and resolutions? Do you have a journal, a notebook, a calendar? If not, then get one! The only way to remind yourself of what you are working on is to see it everyday! If you aren't looking at the goals they won't be in the forefront of your mind... and it will be like most of us who... at the end of the year dig out that list of resolutions and realize that you didn't do any of them because the list was packed in with the Christmas decorations from last year.
- Be Accountable:
This one goes hand in hand with being able to see your goals as well as creating incentives. You have to hold yourself accountable for getting these things done. If there is no accountability, how do you ever plan on accomplishing these goals?!?!
- Evaluate Your Progress:
Plan to sit down with your goals at the sixth-month mark and evaluate your progress. Take inventory of the goals you may have accomplished and those that maybe need a little more help. You may need to tweak a goal or two because you have found that maybe it isn't quite as attainable as you thought it was. Don't let it get you down. We are all human... life happens! Sometimes a goal needs to be adjusted.
Hopefully this will be of some help to us all as we sit down this weekend and put together our goals for 2012.
Here are just a couple of mine:
1. Throw away junk mail as soon as I bring the mail in the house. This is a big problem for us. We constantly have piles of ads and junk mail on the counter, the table, the bookcase, and everywhere else. By choosing to do one simple act like this everyday I hope to be able to eliminate a lot of the clutter that builds up.
2. Keep the kitchen sink empty. One of my biggest pet peeves is that our kitchen sink is almost always full of dirty dishes. So much so, that when I get around to doing them, it takes two loads in the dishwasher to get them all clean. I used to be really good at keeping up with the dishes and not letting them pile a mile high. In the last 3 months or so I have become very lax in that area. I BEG my hubby to do them sometimes... but really, if I just always tried to keep the sink free from dishes (when possible -- since there are those times when you just can't) not only would I have more free time - since I won't be standing at the sink for 30 minutes loading and unloading the dishwasher - but my kitchen would be a much cleaner and happier place to be!
3. Plan Family Home Evening Weekly: This is something that we struggle a lot with. My hubby works very unpredictable hours and some nights doesn't get home until the kids are in bed. I used to think that a weekly family night HAD to be perfect! I had to plan a spiritual lesson, have a snack, have an activity, and make it an enjoyable time for all while still being structured. Well, I have learned that is a completely unattainable goal for us. Our family schedules just don't mesh well with that plan. So, instead we will have a weekly family activity. Maybe it will be a trip to the park, a movie night, a game, or whatever it is. BUT, it will happen at least one night a week. I am not going to be stingy on the DAY, but plan one every week.
4. Purge and Organize: These are two of my weakest areas! I am a pack rat at heart... which you would see if I was willing to share pictures of my craft room! I also have a hard time getting rid of or donating my kids' old toys. I have 3 storage bins in the garage full of toys and books. We have so many, yet I can't seem to part with them. Partially because we plan on having other children and will want to pull out some of the infant toys when that happens, but also because I remember how much each of my kids LOVED these toys. So, one of my goals is to purge some of the toys. I can't bare to get rid of them all... but I will definitely give away/toss a BUNCH! I am thinking probably close to half. Then, the ones that are left need to be better organized. Same applies to other areas in our home.. particularly my craft stuff! In order to organize it, I have to get rid of the stuff I am NOT going to use!
Now that I have made some BIG confessions to the utter chaos that can sometimes ensue in our home, what goals or resolutions are you planning to make for 2012?
Here's wishing you a very safe and happy new year!