Nice to meet you! Any how nice to see you here as well lovely reader, in this shiny new year!
Perhaps you are wondering; “Kathryn, will you ever make anything again? This is the fourth post in a row where you’re just rambling.”
Have no fear, there are plenty of projects on their way to you! But this is the time of year for contemplation… (and Covid. I have accomplished nothing this week other than feeding us.)
Seriously though, I really do feel strongly about new year’s resolutions. Not the big shiny unattainable ones, but more in a reflective way. I like to think ahead to what I hope for in this coming year, and think of little things I can change to help make that happen.
The biggest things I want this year are to slow down, be more intentional, and more peaceful. Possibly ridiculous goals given the plans we have this year? I can try though! Haha!
I have been thinking a lot lately about what I want the life I live to look like. There are things I want to do that I just don’t have time for. A lot of the solutions you read about involve creative ways of just cramming more in to your day. While I admire the energetic, productive people that can live like that, I don’t aspire to be one of them.
I want a relaxed, happy rhythm to my days. I have made some changes in the last few years that have helped that, but I want to do more. Right now I have things like designated “home” days, where we don’t have any outside activities planned, and quiet routines I have worked into my days that either help get things done in a predictable fashion, or that carve out set moments of peace.
I have a few more of these types of things that I want to try to add. The first being a meal prep time, which is something I have struggled to fit in in the past. I think it would make a big difference though and really want to try this year. (Any favorite tips?) The second is some designated “office” time, when I can either do the dreaded family paperwork, of work on other aspects of the blog. I don’t have a space carved out in my week for these things so they both tend to just… not happen.
A different way that I plan to both find time and reduce effort, is by doing a giant house-wide declutter. I haven’t had the extra energy to do this well in the last few years, and the extra inventory has been taking it’s toll! I am not someone who can manage a large amount of items, but I live with four people and multiple pets in a moderately sized space. Oh, and we homeschool. Add in all of the chaos and clutter of Christmas, and I am practically ready to start clearing things out with a shovel!
So far I have plans to add routines and subtract stuff. What else can help get me closer to my cozy little goals? Making the things I am doing already more pleasant. A first tiny example: I wove a string of white Christmas lights in and around the plants in my window. They have made such a huge difference in how my living room feels that they aren’t going back in the box! Need to do the dishes? I have a lovely suncatcher on the way to brighten up that task. Need to sit down and get some work done? Make some tea in a pretty cup.
Lastly, I want to swap out habits that aren’t good for me. The one I am working on the most right now is to reduce my screen time in the mornings. Other than a quick check in to answer messages, this turns into a giant time suck for me. Not only that, but I feel noticeably worse on those days. I am still working on what to sub in instead, but am finding that having a few pre-thought out options has really helped.
I have been starting my mornings with a few minutes of reading out of a more thoughtful book, then picking one of a short list of “me” things to do instead of scrolling social media. In the past I have been too stuck on the idea of every day looking the same. If I planned that a morning walk was what I needed, then on the days that my body needed rest I had “failed” and the routine was disrupted. This time “take a walk” is simply one of the options and I will pick whichever one speaks to me in the moment. I am really hoping that combining the ability to choose which pleasant activity with not having to think about what to do from scratch will do the trick on this one.
So nothing revolutionary on my list this year. I can’t say that I have ever succeeded with big sweeping changes before though. Any real differences I have made in my life have actually been small changes, adding up.
What are your goals this year? What resolutions have you kept? And how do you manage realistic meal prep when you don’t have a free afternoon to put it in???
Want more Hodgepodge Homesteading? Here’s where else you can find us!
On Instagram: @hodgepodgehomesteading
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100092368241618
On Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.ca/hodgepodgehomesteading/