Seeing as how we’re nearing the end of the first quarter, this might seem a little late. But goals are a year-round topic and my life has already greatly improved so I’m sharing this post! (Plus, it took me a long time to write the draft in January.) So onward, lovelies!
Speaking of love, I adore having a theme word that represents how I want my year to go and who I want to be. In past years, I’ve used COMMIT, THRIVE, SHINE and for 2018, FOCUS … which was a great word until it shifted into a negative, representing my need to focus on work instead of happiness.
Plus, FOCUS wasn’t a pretty word. I like pretty words such as Peace and Joy and Serenity. So for 2019, I wanted a pretty word, even though INTENTION kept popping into my head. Sure, INTENTION would be perfect, but it wasn’t pretty! What about JOY? Joy is pretty and perfect because, duh, Joyful Miles! So I dismissed INTENTION no matter how many times God whispered it in my ear and decided on JOY.
Although … I’m already a rather joyful person. And while JOY is a lovely, pretty word … it felt too vague for my needs.
So fine, God. INTENTION it is!
And it can always be prettied up with swirly font:
Once my theme word was decided, the question became … how could I live with more INTENTION? What kind of goals would I have for 2019 that would support this theme?
Well, here’s the thing with me and goals: In the past, I’ve always focused more on what I need to do instead of how I want to feel.
Don’t get me wrong. I have a list of things I will accomplish this year, such as FINALLY getting caught up with video recaps. But I’m turning 50 in April. It’s high time I stop using to-do lists as a gauge for my self-worth. How I feel is what’s important and to be honest, I hadn’t been feeling great for long time. I intended to change that. With intention. Which brings me to:
How can I live with INTENTION?
1.) Take better care of my mental and physical health.
Bob and I will be continuing to face tough challenges this year that are out of our control. Last year, I coped with stress by making work a priority and giving little attention to self-care. I worked most weekends, ate poorly, and ran myself ragged so by December, I was burnt out with poor mental health.
I can’t change my work load or situation. They are out of my control. What is in my control, however, is better coping strategies, placing priority on my mental and physical health by:
- Meditating at least five days a week. (The InsightTimer App is AMAZING for this! Loving it!)
- Spending time in the evenings pampering myself by taking baths, reading and journaling.
- Paying better attention to my eating habits and take vitamins/supplements daily.
- Having at least two Self-Care Sundays a month with no work!
- Placing limits on social media and screen time.
2.) Be intentional with my time management.
My time management skills suck.
When I’m working, I often check in on social media, send messages to friends, switch laundry loads, bounce between tasks, etc., lowering the quality of my work and taking longer to accomplish things. Plus in those moments of procrastination, I’m not fully enjoying social media or other distractions because of nagging guilt.
Reading the book Deep Work: Rules for Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport (affiliate link,) has shown me just how much my lack of focus has affected both my work and personal life. This is a topic I will chat about more in future posts. For now, I plan on:
- Following a morning routine of doing morning pages, meditating, working out and writing with less social media interruptions.
- Calendar blocking and following work blocks, doing the most important tasks first.
- Being more intentional with social media by scheduling breaks or waiting until evening to scroll Instagram to my little heart’s content.
- Following a nightly routine in order to prepare for a better tomorrow.
3.) Budget by tracking my spending.
Confession: I’ve never been on a budget before. I mean, I’m a frugal gal with non-pricey tastes … unless you count runDisney trips. But I’ve never tracked my spending so I have no clue what goes in or out. So this year, I plan on budgeting by:
- Using the Income OK app to track all my spending. (Meaning anything that Bob and I don’t share. Groceries and gas don’t count. But race expenses, beauty products, solo meals out, vitamins, clothing, travel expenses, etc., do.)
- Complete the 52-Week Savings Challenge by December 1st.
- Waste less food … such as my awful habit of letting vegetables rot. (Confession: I haven’t been doing great with this one seeing as how I just threw out a pineapple I didn’t cut up. Argh!!)
4.) Be a better support system for my husband.
Don’t get me wrong. My man can take care of himself and has strong shoulders. No matter what he’s going through, he’s always there to hold my hand when I’ve lost my grip and he supports my running adventures. So this year, I will be more intentional as a wife, doing what I can to ease his burdens.
I’m talking little stuff like packing his lunches and making him an egg sandwich breakfast for the road, surprising him with a cup of chai tea in the afternoons, being more consistent with dinner, and encouraging him to relax by occasionally drawing him a bath. (He always resists at first but enjoys once he’s in.) I’m also happy he’s playing tournament softball again for the first time in …. wow, at least sixteen years! So I have lightened my race and running goals for in order to cheer him on at each game. He always has supported my races. I can’t wait to support him!
5.) Other ways:
- Schedule more time with family, especially my father, who I didn’t see enough last year.
- Keep a better balance with time spent on Joyful Miles and make choices with Jackey that support our mental health such as taking another month-long break in the summer.
- Fall in love with writing again … a topic that is far too deep and long for this blog post!
These are the ways I plan on living with INTENTION in 2019 and so far, I’m feeling so much better and more centered. Have I been perfect? No, but I never expected perfection anyway. And since I love talking about life planning, I’m going to do more posts and videos about routines, time management, and of course … planners!! Until then, it’s your turn!
QOTD: Do you have a theme word for 2019 and if so, what is it and how to you plan on incorporating it into our life?
Thanks for reading, take care, and have a joyful day!
