A Clean Slate

Something about the brand-spanking newness of the year has me motivated. I am all “a-swirl” with ideas for home improvement and am excited about a clean slate, about forward progress, and about getting things done. Last year my only goal (I read we should nix the word “resolution” and substitute “goal”--forgot why, but I was compliant) was to read at least one book a month. It was a great goal for me. I tried to alternate between fiction and nonfiction. I’ll let you know the year’s favorites soon.

For something different this year I visited this website (http://www.getorganizedwizard.com/, see Life and Goal organizer) that suggested making 20 “goals”. It doesn’t just leave you hanging there, though, it helps you break them down and send them to dates on the electronic “goals and priorities” and “monthly planner”, which incorporates them into your daily to-do's. Exciting!

Typically, though, I do not get all energetic in January. I prefer summer and fall, and January seems . . . well . . . long. I remember that a friend was helping me rearrange furniture once, which I love to do. We did it early in the year, and it seemed to bring us mutual satisfaction. “There,” she said, “that will get us through January.” Hmm, I wasn’t the only one who did not feel fondly toward the first month. But this year seems different; I don’t want to endure January, I want to accomplish stuff and have fun doing it.

I got out a notebook from a class I took last year, called “Woman on a Mission”. It was a fabulous class that helped me learn so much about myself and my purpose. One exercise (and there were many) that opened my eyes was to simply write down 20 energy drainers. It need not take all day, just sit down and spill it. It could be anything from “the garage” to “not knowing what’s for dinner”. I put “not having easy access to the backyard” and a few other things that have morphed into goals for me. (Help me remember to read my “Boundaries” book again.) There is nothing better than taking an energy drainer and making it work into something positive.

One of my goals this month is to train N to be more responsible for his personal space and for his clean clothes. That will be quite a feat; even though he can do laundry, it takes quite a bit of reminding to get that room into something presentable! And, it gets destroyed in no time flat—not sure what all he does in there. So, I’ll keep you posted on that, and if you have any creative ideas to help me with that room, please share. Do you have any goals for this year?