My 2018 Resolution

Happy 2018, everyone! I spent a very rare and magical few moments alone earlier today while the kids’ naps overlapped and quickly got caught up on a cute little journal I purchased to kickoff the year. Each day prompts you with a family-related question. If you’re interested, it’s called Q+A for Moms Five Year Memory Journal. Find it here.

The first prompt of the new year asked: What are your resolutions for your family this year? to which, I immediately wrote: to create more space. Let me explain.

Since reading Simplicity Parenting and revisiting one of my fav reads ever, Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui earlier this year, I’ve realized just how chaotic and busy our lives are thanks to all the physical STUFF cluttering our home. There is also emotional STUFF. That project we never finished. That broken zipper jacket I keep meaning to take somewhere to have fixed. It goes on and on.

The problem is that when you’re a parent, unless you regularly drop your kid into a playpen (or have help in the form of a babysitter), true, unencumbered, focused free time to work through mundane to dos that keep junk from piling up are rare. It follows then that my goal for the year is to work on cleaning out and simplifying so we have more space in our homes, schedules, and minds so we feel that we can spend more time having fun as a family.

This somewhat relates to my mantra for the year which is simply: Finish. As a notorious project starter, I’m hoping to make major moves towards actually finishing something for a change. But I’m also going to reassess some of these Must Dos to determine if they’re really worth my attention because now that I’m a mother of two, it’s a lot harder to create that space to really be present every moment.

via Chic Studies

To that end, I was thrilled to recently stumble across #BulletJournals while admiring some pretty journal doodles on Pinterest (you know, as one does) and have to shout: I AM COMPLETELY OBSESSED. Apologies again for the shouting, but it’s that exciting. As a paper-loving, to do list obsessee, I majorly stuggle with project focus, so a more organized and consistent approach to assessment of “To Do” tasks is very appealing. I haven’t quite decided if I’m going to bite the bullet (I had to), and give bullet journaling a try, but using a regular old planner/date book just doesn’t seem to do the trick no matter how pretty it is. I’ll keep you posted.

I’d also like to take a second to ask YOU:
What are your resolutions for yourself and/or your family this year?

Mine 2018 New Year’s resolution is simple — to wake up one hour earlier than normal for as many days as I can. No over ambitious goal setting. I might head to the gym, spend some time working on a project, or devote that time to writing. Who knows. But with my mantra to “Finish” in my heart and on my mind for 2018, I’m hoping to accomplish a lot in that extra hour each day.