I'm not going to lie, I feel like I'm falling behind in keeping up with my monthly goals. Or not even falling behind, but more that I start out the month well, then have a couple of bad days or a week, and then I can't get back on track. And some days my life feels like it's go-go-go and all I've accomplished is one thing on my list of many. And then of course I can't help but wonder how other people seem to manage it all. They work full time, raise kids, keep a clean house, exercise regularly, eat well, read books, watch their favourite TV shows and a few movies. They meal-plan, grocery shop with a list, write, read and comment on blogs, keep social media updated. It's not that I'm feeling sorry for myself or seeing other people's lives through rose-coloured glasses, it's that I truly know people out there who seem to accomplish "it all". Or maybe that's the key word right there: seem.
I've been trying to look at my daily life from a birds eye view to gain some perspective. I don't really want to give up one thing for another (like reading instead of watching a show, or blogging instead of watching a movie with my husband), but I know sometimes something has to give. But I'm confident that I should be able to find a better balance. And ultimately, I'm quite sure this comes down to being better organized. Gee, how fitting is that, considering my word for 2016 is 'organize'? Very.
I think my main problem is going to bed too late, and it's the one thing this month, heck, this year even, that I really need to work on. I like to think that I get a lot of things done in the evening, but truthfully, once Sully is in bed, I don't. Sure, that's when I often blog, but it's also the time I do a lot of puttering from one thing to the next instead of fully doing one or two real things. Things that would at least make my evenings feel more accomplished. I'm also quite fortunate that I have a child that doesn't wake up at the butt crack of dawn. Of course, this works great for my night owl ways, but I can't help but think that I need to be starting my day before he gets up. Even if it's just half an hour to get myself dressed and ready for the day ahead.
Easier said than done. I know. The other weekend, I woke up around 7:30, and even though Sully and Jim were still sleeping and I knew I could easily will myself to fall back asleep, I actually got up and went downstairs, made a pot of coffee and finished off my current read. Two whole hours I had to myself and it was glorious. I told myself not to forget that feeling of getting quiet time to myself so that hopefully it would motivate me for future early wake-ups. But a morning person is not built over night, and this is obviously something I'm going to have to work really hard on if I want to achieve it.
Anyway, my monthly goals have all pretty much been the same..."workout/run/meal plan/read", and those are still things I will continue to work on/do every month, but I don't feel the need to rewrite them out for this post. My workouts have decreased this past month, as has my running. Reading has been great, and I even finally started my online book club! You can read more about it here and it's not too late to join! First post is on April 20, so as long as you read the book by then, you are good to go! Meal planning hasn't been consistent, but I haven't thrown in the towel completely yet. I'm a work in progress, guys!
So thank you for bearing with me, and if you skipped ahead to this part, I don't blame you! Here are my more specific goals for April:
APRIL GOALS
1. Work out every single day.
This could mean anything from a body pump class, to a quick online yoga class, to a long walk outside with my kid. I am going to talk about this more in another post, but long story short, I was recently inspired by Kristin's post, and I need to force myself to move every single day. It is much too easy for me to let one day, then two, then a whole week go by with literally no workouts and even very few walks done.
2. Wake up at 7 every single day.
I am not a morning person, and I'm pretty sure everyone knows it. But, it's not that I can't get up early, it's just that I don't particularly like it. But sometimes we have to do things we don't like in order to change our habits or develop new ones. I usually let myself sleep until Sully wakes me up, which can range anywhere from 6:45am to 8:45am, but for the most part, he sleeps till after 7am. Even if I just use that time in the morning at first to read my current book or a few blogs, that would still be quiet time for me. If my husband can get up early, then I should be able to too.
3. Do one load of laundry every single day.
Between clothes, workout clothes, towels, sheets, and rags, laundry never ends. I might not need to do a load every single day, but if there is laundry there, then I should put in a load. There is nothing worse than having to do 3-4 loads in one afternoon trying to play catch-up! And it would be nice to not always have overflowing laundry baskets.
4. Watch one show or movie with my husband every second night.
I know, this seems like an odd one, but Jim and I have a lot of shows we love watching together and I'm constantly making him wait to watch something with me because I'm either blogging, reading or doing something else. It's something we enjoy doing together and it's important to spend time together, even if it is in front of the TV. I'm sure most of you can agree that watching a good show with someone else who also enjoys it makes the experience all that much better!
5. Clean up the kitchen every evening.
Another thing I've gotten lazy with. Once dinner is over and Sully is in bed, sometimes the last thing I want to do is clean up the kitchen. I know it doesn't take long, and the reward is totally worth it, so I just need to make it a daily habit. I love starting off the day with a clean kitchen as it makes breakfast time way less stressful.
And that's it. Well these and my other ongoing goals that I continue to work at. I know what needs to be done, I just need to stop making excuses and do these things. But I do believe that the more I do these things, and if I can get myself to regularly do them, then they will become a habit and part of my daily routine. Sounds so easy, doesn't it?
How often do you do laundry? Do you keep on top of it or have a designated laundry day?
Do you struggle with balancing all of your hobbies?
Did you make any goals for April?
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