One of my new favorite blogs {A Beautiful Mess} recently had a post about coming up with 4 simple goals to stay focused and inspired through the end of the year. Elsie invited readers to come up with their own. I thought this was a great idea--especially in keeping with my Simplify September monthly resolution!
See my simple goals below, then checkout Elsie's "rules" for coming up with your own simple goals to join along!
Here are my simple goals...
Write everyday.
A project I hoped to have completed by the end of the summer is only just begun and we're already nearing fall. And I have big plans for October on this little thing I call Beginner Beans. When I'm sitting in a messy house with kids whining while I make supper, I'm tempted to just throw in the towel on anything not house- or kid-related. Then I remember, "Bird by bird, Trina. Just take it bird by bird." It's a concept from Anne Lamott and the inspiration behind her book on writing. Her brother was overwhelmed with a report on birds that was due the next day. Surrounded by bird books and not knowing where to start or how'd he get it done, their dad encouraged him to take it bird by bird. A little bit at a time--writing everyday, writing for 20 minute blocks or just getting a rough paragraph written--those are the little steps that will lead to completing the big projects.
Listen instead of watch.
I like background noise. Especially when Daniel's travelling. Especially when a quiet house is driving me, and the kids, crazy. Too often the solution is TV, which stops the kids in their playing tracks and often distracts me from other things I could--and should--be doing. So instead of TV, I will opt for background noise that we can listen to but do not have to watch--Podcasts, CDs, Pandora.
Log in once a day, always log out.
Checking various social media accounts throughout the day is mostly done out of habit, and not at all because I actually need/want/care to see what has changed in the last couple hours. The truth is, I could check in once a week and not miss anything really important, and definitely make better use of my time. Although I should e-mail daily for work reasons, and Facebook I would like to check daily to keep in touch with close family and friends. So, I will still log in daily. E-mail, Pinterest, Facebook... I will check them once a day. Then I will log out and spend my time in more productive or relaxing ways.
Early to bed, early to rise.
Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy wealthy and wise.--Ben Franklin
I used to be the "early bird that got the worm." Then I went to college. (Of course I was going to stay out until curfew!) Then I had a couple kids. (Of course I'm going to stay up late to get some "me time"!) Quality sleep has gone out the window, and with it has flown my productivity. Factor in that the sleeping hours before midnight matter more than the hours after, and that waking up before the kids is the only quality writing time I can get in the day, and I realize something needs to change. For the last month I've worked on waking up early, but that just doesn't happen when my bedtime is still after 10:00p. So, I will be "early to bed, early to rise" and hope to also discover the "healthy, wealthy and wise" part.
Rewards.
Notice a running theme in all of these? Apparently my current challenge is productivity. I have a lot I want to fit into each day (including rejuvenating things like breaks with family and friends), and each of these goals will help me get a little more enjoyment and productivity into each day, and maybe even become "healthy, wealthy and wise" which is a great reward. The bigger, more tangible reward is the blogging conference I will be attending in October.
What are your 4 simple goals?
