New Year! New List! New Way!

The year has begun again. There seems to be something natural about starting new at the beginning of a year. So, when I began to think about starting new or making a resolution list for 2015, I simply chuckled because I know me, and I know that one year from now I will look at that list and NOTHING will be accomplished. This chuckling led to thinking why can’t I complete a New Years resolution list. With a little contemplation, the answer became exceptionally transparent to me:  I get overwhelmed!! I particularly become overwhelmed when the big picture can’t be completed in a day. I’m a instant gratification kinda girl. I absolutely hate planting bulb flowers because you must wait soooooo long before seeing any results, but with bedding plants, by the end of the day, you can see the fruits of your labor. I live in an ultra small town. Therefore, when I have some type of project that I may want to complete, I have to travel 20 minutes to an hour and a half just to obtain the supplies. AND THEN...When I walk into an arts and crafty type store like Hobby Lobby with projects in my head and see the immense possibilities the store holds, my brain goes blank. I buy nothing. Therefore, no project gets completed.

Last year I steered away from making a list but went with a one word approach. A word that could be a guiding mantra for the year. FAITHFUL! I wanted to be faithful in the dedication I gave to my roles such as wife, mother, teacher, Christian, youth leader...I wanted to be faithful to the promises I made to myself for things like losing weight or getting fit. I will say at the end of this year I still know what that word is which is more than I can say about ANY list I ever created as a New Years Resolution. This word did help me along the way made me more aware of who and how I wanted to be, but I want more out of this year. I want more from myself. So, I have devised a little plan...which will result in 52 to-do lists!

Here’s my plan...each Sunday, I will sit down and develop a to-do list for that week. I have ALWAYS loved a to-do list. To-do lists probably got me through college with most of my sanity still intact. Why do I love a to-do list? Well, I love it because you get to check things off, of course. Remember, I love instant gratification and what is more gratifying than checking a box done, complete, finished?!?

These weekly to-do list will help me make it to the big stuff I really want completed. I want to get fit and lose weight like most people, but when I write down lose 50 pounds, it seems a bit depressing. I can’t do that in a day. Run a 10k...ha! Yeah, that’ll happen tomorrow. Organize my house...let’s just say with three little boys, I may not even be able to do this in a year. Build a bed. I actually could probably do this in a day if I had the supplies, but getting the supplies all at once...overwhelming. Make my house cutesy ;) I have picture frames, but no pictures. I have walls, but nothing on them. I have so many rooms, but the paint is in desperate need of a new coat. So…...   

My first week’s to-do list:

1. Write and publish one blog (Look, I already got that one done...CHECK).
2. Write five pages on my novel idea. (five pages each week will put me at 260 in one year...that my friends is book length). Writing is where I believe I am being led. So, there will be many pages written in 2015.
3. Run a total of 6 miles (don’t let this fool you...there will be some walking involved and it most definitely won’t happen in a day)
4. Lose one pound (see now that is so much easier and doable than 50)
5. Remove all the clothes my boys don’t wear out of their closets.
6. Create a daily chore checklist for the boys
7. Clean/organize/remove unnecessary things out of the right upper quadrant of my bedroom.
8. Give 5th grade their artwork back.
9. Order pics for upcoming project
10. Lesson plans for next rotation.

There you have it. Those things ten things must be accomplished this week. Another set of 10 things will be listed for me to accomplish next week. Week after week lists will guide me into living a life that has a sense of purpose and accomplishment. I will continue to allow the word FAITHFUL to be my focus. I will aim to be faithful in creating and completing my to-do list each week.