Resolution Revision
Lest the few readers who keep up with me should think that I've already failed in my resolution to write more, here's an update. Apparently I can't even find the time to write on weekends without staying up until the wee hours of the morning (note the time of this post.) I've decided that making a habit out of writing will have to wait until I've made a habit out of SLEEPING. I think I should also make habits that involve managing my time more wisely, thus making time for the writing.
It occurs to me that I should also make an actual list of the year's new habits, since at the moment they're just floating randomly through my head. Here we go ...
January: Make bedtime a priority. Dishes can wait until morning if they have to. Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep each night, preferably 9 until my sleep deficit is paid. The month is already half over - no time to waste on this one!
February: Get moving. Make exercise a priority. Having enough sleep and getting more exercise should go a long way toward improving my patience and stress levels!
March: Plan meals and snacks, even those (especially those) for times when I'm on-the-go. Planning healthier choices and taking them with me when necessary will keep me out of drive-thrus, saving both my heart and my money.
April: Manage mornings. I'd love to think I could learn to manage my whole day wisely in a month's time, but I know that's not very realistic, so I'm going to take it a bit at a time.
May: Manage afternoons. This is the trickiest part of the day for me, when I start to run out of steam and just want to either nap with the baby or snack in front of the television. Once it starts, it's hard to stop! I'm hoping the sleeping and exercising will have continued, giving me more energy and making this part a little easier.
June: Manage evenings. Once I'm out of steam and full of unhealthy snacks from the afternoon, it's really hard to be efficient about mealtimes and bedtimes. I tend to drag through these, fantasizing all along about collapsing into bed the minute the children are asleep, then playing the martyr and staying up late to finish dishes, laundry, and tidying that should have been done earlier in the day when I was doing nothing productive.
July: Get involved with the finances. I have no idea what is happening with our finances at any given moment. I do know that with the expected increase in our private school tuitions this fall, we could be in trouble if I don't participate in budgeting and cutting back where necessary.
August: Stop procrastinating. It's already mid-January, and I still haven't thanked people for Christmas gifts. I'm terribly embarrased by this, as I am every year. I'm slow to write thank-you notes, make phone calls and appointments, and pay the few bills that are not automated. I'm not sure I can kick the entire procrastination habit in one month, but if I can cover those things, it will be a good start.
At this point I realize that prioritizing the new habits is going to be difficult, unless I double up and take on two per month. The finances and the end of procrastinating really can't wait for summer! I'm not sure what to do about this yet, so I'm leaving them where they are for now.
September: Back to writing. If I've successfully started sleeping, exercising, eating better, and managing my days, I should be able to find time to write! All the children should be in school by this time, too, though I may have to take a job to make that possible. Regardless, I should still be able to find SOME time to write!
And I find myself running out of resolutions. I can be perfect in only nine months! Oh, there's one ...
October: Work on letting go of perfectionism. Assign chores to my four children and quit trying to do everything by myself because of the need to see that it is done right.
November: If I haven't already miraculously managed it by now, STOP YELLING. Re-read those parenting books on how to stop yelling, and actively work on it.
December: Be kind to myself. I'm asking a lot of myself this year, and if even one of these changes sticks, I should be proud of myself. I resolve to do my best, and not to be hard on myself if some areas still need work at the end of the year.
Now, in the spirit of January's improved sleep habits, instead of telling myself that it's already late so there's no need to hurry, I'm going to tell myself to turn off the computer and go to bed. I'm not going to check the news or the weather. I'm not going to check e-mails or Facebook updates. I'm not going to catch up on any more blogs. I'm not going to click on any more family pictures running through the slideshow in my sidebar in order to reminisce. I'm not going to see if it's my turn in any games of Words With Friends. I'm not going to check to see what the Free App of the Day is on the Kindle Fire. I'm not going to start a new book or check message boards. I'm not going to fold laundry or put away clean dishes. I'm not going to eat ice cream and catch up on missed television shows. These are all things I regularly do after my bedtime that deprive me of sleep. Here's to sleeping in and dropping these bad habits!
It occurs to me that I should also make an actual list of the year's new habits, since at the moment they're just floating randomly through my head. Here we go ...
January: Make bedtime a priority. Dishes can wait until morning if they have to. Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep each night, preferably 9 until my sleep deficit is paid. The month is already half over - no time to waste on this one!
February: Get moving. Make exercise a priority. Having enough sleep and getting more exercise should go a long way toward improving my patience and stress levels!
March: Plan meals and snacks, even those (especially those) for times when I'm on-the-go. Planning healthier choices and taking them with me when necessary will keep me out of drive-thrus, saving both my heart and my money.
April: Manage mornings. I'd love to think I could learn to manage my whole day wisely in a month's time, but I know that's not very realistic, so I'm going to take it a bit at a time.
May: Manage afternoons. This is the trickiest part of the day for me, when I start to run out of steam and just want to either nap with the baby or snack in front of the television. Once it starts, it's hard to stop! I'm hoping the sleeping and exercising will have continued, giving me more energy and making this part a little easier.
June: Manage evenings. Once I'm out of steam and full of unhealthy snacks from the afternoon, it's really hard to be efficient about mealtimes and bedtimes. I tend to drag through these, fantasizing all along about collapsing into bed the minute the children are asleep, then playing the martyr and staying up late to finish dishes, laundry, and tidying that should have been done earlier in the day when I was doing nothing productive.
July: Get involved with the finances. I have no idea what is happening with our finances at any given moment. I do know that with the expected increase in our private school tuitions this fall, we could be in trouble if I don't participate in budgeting and cutting back where necessary.
August: Stop procrastinating. It's already mid-January, and I still haven't thanked people for Christmas gifts. I'm terribly embarrased by this, as I am every year. I'm slow to write thank-you notes, make phone calls and appointments, and pay the few bills that are not automated. I'm not sure I can kick the entire procrastination habit in one month, but if I can cover those things, it will be a good start.
At this point I realize that prioritizing the new habits is going to be difficult, unless I double up and take on two per month. The finances and the end of procrastinating really can't wait for summer! I'm not sure what to do about this yet, so I'm leaving them where they are for now.
September: Back to writing. If I've successfully started sleeping, exercising, eating better, and managing my days, I should be able to find time to write! All the children should be in school by this time, too, though I may have to take a job to make that possible. Regardless, I should still be able to find SOME time to write!
And I find myself running out of resolutions. I can be perfect in only nine months! Oh, there's one ...
October: Work on letting go of perfectionism. Assign chores to my four children and quit trying to do everything by myself because of the need to see that it is done right.
November: If I haven't already miraculously managed it by now, STOP YELLING. Re-read those parenting books on how to stop yelling, and actively work on it.
December: Be kind to myself. I'm asking a lot of myself this year, and if even one of these changes sticks, I should be proud of myself. I resolve to do my best, and not to be hard on myself if some areas still need work at the end of the year.
Now, in the spirit of January's improved sleep habits, instead of telling myself that it's already late so there's no need to hurry, I'm going to tell myself to turn off the computer and go to bed. I'm not going to check the news or the weather. I'm not going to check e-mails or Facebook updates. I'm not going to catch up on any more blogs. I'm not going to click on any more family pictures running through the slideshow in my sidebar in order to reminisce. I'm not going to see if it's my turn in any games of Words With Friends. I'm not going to check to see what the Free App of the Day is on the Kindle Fire. I'm not going to start a new book or check message boards. I'm not going to fold laundry or put away clean dishes. I'm not going to eat ice cream and catch up on missed television shows. These are all things I regularly do after my bedtime that deprive me of sleep. Here's to sleeping in and dropping these bad habits!
posted by Nikki | 2:17 AM
3 Comments:
Girl, you have a wonderful (AND VERY FULL) list of resolutions! I think I like the "Be Kind to yourself" one the best. :)
I think these revisions are a great idea. Here's to more sleep!!
i love how you've paced yourself. Change is hard and there's no use rushing into it. Good for you!
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