Wednesday, January 07, 2009

2009 Goals

I have been contemplating for a few weeks what I want to work on this year (not necessarily resolutions) and what I'd like to accomplish. There are several goals for myself that I've written down and placed in my goals section of my household notebook. I think where goals are concerned, it is valuable to actually write them down somewhere. And in reviewing my goals, I noticed a theme...better time management. This is something that I normally do well. I can get lots of things done in little time. And actually, that's not my problem now. It's the opposite.

I don't do well with things that are left undone. As Casey will tell you, I often say, "just let me get this done and then I'll sit down." Or something like that. But, hello, Rach...there's always going to be something else to do. Probably a lot of things. (Sometimes I have to address myself like that to get my attention.) I'm never going to have it all done. And I need to figure out how to reconcile with that simple fact so that I can spend my time more responsibly. This wasn't as much of an issue before Ethan because I was away from home much of the time and simply couldn't get stuff done.

So, here are the areas that I intend to improve upon in the realm of time management in hopes of becoming a better steward of the time I've been given. I've tried to come up with an actual plan of attack because I can't just wave a magic wand and make it happen. I have to actually take steps to make it happen.

1. Spend more time with Casey. When he's home at night (weeknights), other than making dinner and tidying up the kitchen afterwards, I am going to try not to do much else that can't be done on the couch (like reading) or in the same room with him. This is of the utmost importance to me (and him).

2. Spend more time reading. My goal this year is to read at the very least 2 books a month. That is how many I read in 2008. I'd like to read more and maybe I will, but this is my minimum for this year. This is important because it is something I love to do and I should make time for those things too.

3. Spend time cultivating my spirituality. I need to be intentional about carving out time to read the Word, pray or do something that helps me focus and grow spiritually. It doesn't have to be the same thing every day, but this is vital.

4. Streamline responsiblities for work and home. Like I discussed when I outlined my household notebook, I do certain things on certain days for my housework and other duties. It's time to add everything to this schedule. My plan is to have specific, attainable goals for each day. That way I only have a little bit each day to do and when I'm done with that, I can allow myself to relax and do something I want to do.

5. Spend time on my health (and the health of my family). Specifically, this means continuing to make time to work out. Also, I want to continue to take the time to plan menus that allow me to cook at home, which also takes more time but is healthier. This also has the added bonus of helping to keep us financially healthy.

You'll notice that spending time with Ethan is not up there. That's because I don't currently feel like I have a problem with that! And there are other goals that I've written down too that I'll keep to myself for now. I don't worry about not keeping these goals because they are just things I will try to work on gradually. Now is just a good time to get myself together and organized so I can get control of my time and not let my days just slip away.

2 comments:

LoriLoo310 said...

Why is it so hard to just sit down? I can't do it. I'm always up and doing something during the times I should be relaxing with Brandon and the boy. These are great goals. I might have to copy some of them.

Mary said...

Learning to let some things go, was (and still is) a huge thing for me as a mom. You can't do everything, and do it ALL well. So, some things have to give to make room for our biggest priorities (God, husbands, etc.) It is still something I have to remind myself. Good luck as you learn it too!