Well here we are again, teetering at the edge of a brand new year. The possibilities are endless, the potential profound…
The resolutions annoying!
I don’t know about you but I make grand and sweeping resolutions each year. I’ve had elaborate plans in the past that were to make my home and garden a sanctuary, a haven, a shining example of beauty and orderliness.
Then reality up and bites me and I am back to the exact same place I was on December 31st.
I still have the same amount of kids (sometimes more from the previous year), there are still piles of laundry that won’t do themselves (darn them) The self-cleaning kitchen of the future has yet to be invented and… the camel still eats the roses!
So this year I am trying something new…
Instead of making resolutions I am forming a plan. A concrete plan with steps to implement and a specific goal in mind for both my house and my garden.
For my garden instead of saying I will grow enough vegetables so that I will never have to buy any at the grocery store again (yes that was an actual resolution) I am going to put in a strawberry bed. I have a spot, I have a plan of how I want to build it, it is a very specific and attainable goal.
I have a short list of projects that are reasonable and do-able over the year. I no longer have grand visions of garden clubs wanting to tour my garden because it is the most neat, orderly and beautiful they have ever seen…no I just want a bigger strawberry bed.
For my home it is not about adding onto or decorating it with scrumptious fabrics and deep paint colors…it is simply about de-cluttering. Over the course of the year I plan to go room by room and sell/give away/get rid of that which we don’t use. I’m not going to make the resolution that I will keep my house clean from now on…hahaha….I have 5 kids that is never going to happen, yet that has been a past resolution…one that crashed in about mid January!
But getting rid of most of the clutter…that is attainable. Especially if I get rid of the clutter when no one is looking!
I need to find a way to make it easier and simpler to keep the house clean. Not by cleaning more, but by having less to clean…
The same applies to the garden. I don’t need to build gazebos to sit and drink tea under…but I do need make a few changes that will keep my garden from taking over ever spare moment of my time. I need to work more efficiently…not more.
So no big resolutions this year for me except this one…
I will simplify my life
And I have a plan to do it…
So what about you and the new year…any plans/resolutions/ideas that you want to share with us?
Kim can also be found at the inadvertent farmer where she raises organic fruits, veggies, critters, kids, and…a camel!
Not Dabbling In Normal 
Well I remember those days (I had 6 kids and a farm) and the never ending wash, the huge garden, the many animals and the resolutions that didn’t/couldn’t happen.
Your plan sounds doable. But let me assure they grow up so quickly and the laundry eases up. And a lot of clutter goes away (unless husband is a collector). Enjoy your days because soon enough they will only be a memory.
Jan you are so right about how fast the grow and are gone. It isn’t even their clutter that drives me bananas…its my own. It is paper work and unused craft supplies and clothing no longer worn that have to to go!
Great goals! We started decluttering last year and it is great. My goal is to finally get the shelves up in my basemen and get everything carried back down from the attic (we waterproofed our basement this year and had to take everything out). I haven’t had time to put things back, so I’m planning on doing that during the cold weather. My goal is to get rid of at least 50% of the stuff that’s up in the attic as well. We’ve already gone through 10 boxes and we got rid of about 75% of that stuff, so I think we can do it.
I haven’t really set my goals yet, but I’m sure it will be something along the lines of: eating more locally, growing a bit more of our food, finish a few garden proejcts (rock walls, etc) and organize the basement.
To pick something and do it one thing at a time until it is accomplished then head to the next project!
Making a plan is more realistic and proactive than making resolutions. For me (and Chiot’s Run touches on this), I do goals. I try to sketch out when I think that I will do them (i.e., April for this, June for that) as I can see if I’ve got too many goals to realistically do during the year.
Each month, I review my goals for the year and set my goals for the month. I have found that whether they are big or small, five goals is about all I get done in a month.
That is a great idea…I should keep a list of what I want to accomplish monthly or weekly.
great thoughts. instead of focusing on what we don’t want to do, we make a plan for what we can do – makes total sense. i have been working on my hopes for the new year and my biggest goal is to simplify as well. clutter around the house, clutters my mind and my time. here’s praying we can stick to our plans.
My goal is to have 10 beehives by next year at this time. Now it is a matter of setting out the steps to make this happen.
I like your goal to simplify.
Wow! I would love to have just one healthy hive…maybe this spring.
Sorry – my post should have read that five steps is about all I get done in a month. Not five goals. I try to set 5-8 goals in a year and list out what I think the steps will be.
That keeps it manageable and reduces my procrastinating when I have a plan laid out, even though the plan changes and evolves as the year goes.
For example, I have not celebrated Christmas much the last few years for various reasons. In 2010, I want to change that. In April, I need to unpack the decorations in the attic and see what is still good and what is not (before it gets too hot).
In August, I want to sort through them – especially the lights and garland – and see what fits where due to being in a new house. If I need to buy something, make measure and make a list.
September & October are a lot of overtime at work, so I doubt I will do much those months. However, I need to update my mailing lists and start figuring out what pictures I might put into my Christmas letter.
November – decorate, buy presents.
December – wrap, mail.
January – do letter to friends and family (update mailing lists one last time).
Sorry to make this so long but I thought an example might help.
That is an awesome example of exactly what I’m looking for…a concrete plan of action, perfect! Kim
I like your plan, dogear6. I am real busy with tax season and basketball season after the first of the year, so if you have things laid out a little more spread out, that would work better.
I was getting FLYLADY emails for a while, well now that HAS been a while.. my 6th grader was in preschool!! Anyway, I did stay put for 15minutes at a time and actually do something, but the bigger joy was the couple of times a year where they made purging your house of too much stuff a fun game. I loaded my suburban up 2 different times when I only had room for one rider and took boxes and bags to the Salvation Army and WOW what an uplifting feeling to get rid of stuff and maybe help someone else out, too. I guess one of the things was not making you feel guilty for getting rid of stuff…like if your sister gave it to you and you don’t wear it, use it or love it…you can get rid of it!! It’s OK…REALLY!!
I have tried to scale down my goals to do-ables, too. No more wishing for world peace…just one peaceful night at home at a time!!