This past summer, as things were spiraling out of control with our schedules, I found a new planner system and subsequently, a new way to set and work toward goals. This was life changing for me as I finally felt like I had a direction. Using Ruth Soukup’s Tame Your Time system, I started to feel like I could take back some control over my life and work toward my Big Goals of being self-employed and having my own blog and coaching business. I wasn’t ready to really start using the planner yet as I already had one that lasted through the end of the year, so I took advantage of the print-outs on her website and started practicing with them. I ran into some road blocks, had some questions, but kept watching her weekly video planning sessions and kept trying.
Until I didn’t. Somewhere along the way, I found myself not doing the planning the way Ruth advised. I still woke up on Sunday mornings and tried to plan out my week. Nothing was going right. I used to run first thing in the morning. Even though I kept telling myself to get out the door, I didn’t do it. I usually did later in the day, but not always. I found myself too busy with ALL THE THINGS. I had quit watching the videos because they felt a little redundant, and I never felt like I had any wins. I was right back where I started. Once again, I was going crazy trying to keep up.
Then the Holidays hit. Survival became key. Get the things done. Get all the gifts for the various dance/4-H/work parties. Rushed shopping, barely getting a Christmas tree up, not enjoying the season. I felt like I had failed at Christmas. My kids assured me I hadn’t (they are so sweet), but I certainly didn’t feel good about it.
Enter Winter Break. I took some time off work here and there. The kids got a little more sleep. I spent hours-I mean HOURS- setting up my new planner, reassessing my goals and what I want, reviewing some of Ruth’s online magazines and answering some questions they asked. I looked at the Values and Affirmations I had set for myself. I re-read the questions that I had about where I was at with my goals and myself. At then end of all of this, I felt calmer. Prepared. Ready to take on 2020. I even set a Motto Statement for the Year, a Word of the Year, and a Monthly Theme.
This, my dear friends, is where I take advantage of your readership and tell you what those things are and where I am at with them with you as my accountability partners. This month, January 2020, I am committing to really getting this blog off the ground. I am working on a logo, developing social media pages, and writing a blog post a week. I broke this down into steps and gave myself a timeline. I also have a House Project. I’m going to try to have one a month because getting this house deep-cleaned for the first time in several years will make me feel a lot better. One of my goals for the year involves running a certain race. In preparation for that, I am running a shorter race this spring. (More about that to come in the Running on the Edge section.) I printed off and modified a training plan and am working toward it. Here’s what I scheduled for myself this week.
- Website logo draft done by 1/5/2020. DONE!
- Hit every run for first week of 50k Training. DONE!
- Go through craft cabinet and filing cabinets in office. DONE!
A few other things I am going to try to work on this month include setting up a weekly run for our inactive local running club, starting to read an actual book, getting back to consistent strength training, get my checkbook up-to-date, try to communicate with some family members more, and help my girls get ready to paint their bedrooms. That’s a big list. We’ll see what happens.
Love from the Edge,
Julia
