For me, January is a month for resetting and exploring. I usually finalize my 2020 goals a few days into the new year, and then use the rest of the month to plot out a loose plan and schedule for what progress on those goals might look like. Unsurprisingly, January looks a lot like the littlest little-by-little: brainstorm, research, prepare, read instructions. The Enneagram 5 in me loves January :)
One note I wanted to add while we’re on the topic of goals. Someone asked me recently why my yearly goals haven’t (ever?) included anything finance related, even though it’s clearly a focus for us. And therein lies the answer: we are most definitely working toward a long-term financial goal, but because it’s so thoroughly accounted for in our everyday life (thanks, budget!), it’s not something that takes any extra planning or thought on my part — and therefore doesn’t need to be broken down monthly like my 2020 goals do!
On my calendar this month: — June’s birthday! We’re forgoing a party this year in favor of a day of fun with her cousin :) — Our 15th dativersary!
What I’m loving right now: — We’ve watched exactly one episode of Amazon’s Modern Love (no. 1), and it was so exquisitely beautiful and lovely (and tear inducing, it must be said) that I’m hesitant to watch another one for fear of tarnishing that memory. Watch it — and watch the rest at your own risk :) — This should not be surprising if you’ve been reading EFM for any length of time, but CLEARLY I am loving the Jeopardy! GOAT tournament. John is rooting for James and I am rooting for Ken!
What I read in December: — Reclaiming Home: I picked this up after hearing the author on the Coffee & Crumbs podcast and loving what she had to say about family traditions. Her book has a whiff of self-publishing about it, but was still worthwhile! If you want to build your family culture but Sally Clarkson is a little artsy for your vibe, I’d try Krista’s book!
January goals: — Commission a gate for our front porch — Open the Advent calendar box :) Look through everything, read instructions — Brainstorm needed zones for the loft — Clean out my existing recipe binder — Cull 2019 iPhone photos — Brainstorm “forest school” location possibilities near us — Buy a stationary bike?? — Do something fun with two of my focal friends — Conduct an initial search for a downstairs desk — Write our sweet girl a note on her fourth birthday (continuing a tradition) — Order our 2019 photos from Social Print Studio
As a reminder, many of these are drawn from my 2020 goals!
Since it’s something I’m thinking about right now, let’s talk about recipe organization. How do you organize yours? A binder? On Pinterest? Recipe cards? Something else? I’d love to hear!
Isn’t it neat how the concept of “goals” is so flexible? For me, at times it’s been most helpful to focus on daily actions and habits. In others, I’ve found a multi-year “bucket list” of sorts most useful. In still others, just focusing on ONE area I want to grow in has been best. (What has been consistent throughout my online goal-setting lifetime – since 2013! – has been posting monthly updates here for a healthy dose of accountability. I’ve literally never missed a month!)
Last year, I set 8 very specific goals for 2019, and I made little-by-little progress on all of them. I liked the satisfaction of having a very clear finish line to aim for (surprise, surprise!) and am taking a similar route again in 2020. Here’s what I’ll be working on, along with my inspiration board for the year!
1. Live a wild life outdoors. A central tenet of my parenting philosophy is that the more time spent outside, the better — but living that out does not always come naturally (ahem) with everything else competing for our attention. The importance of this was a theme that popped up all over my PowerSheets. I want my kiddos to exercise their creativity and courage, use their imaginations, grow their attention spans, be refreshed by the wonders of creation, and have FUN! (And the same goes for me and John!) Some action steps: Organize our garage to facilitate play. Consider our back bed a natural playscape and finish planting it. Consider a sand/gravel/water play area. Build fairy houses. Do our own version of “forest school” once a month.Read How to Raise a Wild Child and The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry.
2. Be a generous friend. I say I go deep, not wide, with friends, and if that’s true, I want to go all-in on this strategy. To do this, I’m choosing a few (5-8) “focal friends” for the year to very intentionally love, delight, and care for. Some action steps: Choose focal friends. Assemble friend dossiers :) Make prayer notes for each. Schedule a get together with at least one friend two times a month. Brainstorm possible get togethers and individual ways to love on each.
3. Grow strong by biking regularly.Last year’s goal to become a biking family was a grand success, and this year, we want to continue the fun by taking our biking year round – and doing another race! Some action steps: Buy a stationary bike for indoor riding. Buy a bike rack for our car. Decide on a 2020 race and register. Decide on best time to ride indoors and set weekly goals for how often.
4. Read through the Gospels together with John. At our year-end dinner we talked about wanting to grow in our faith together this year, and this is how we’re going to start! We’re planning to read one Gospel a quarter. (I already bought these neat Crossway books for journaling!)
5. Build our family culture. Some version of this will probably be a goal until our kiddos are out of the house! Family is the primary responsibility we’ve been given — it’s our best chance to grow into the people we were made to be, and to have fun! :) Some action steps: Reimagine the loft to facilitate play. Make a family mission statement. Implement kiddo dates with each parent. Have fun with our grown-up date nights each month!
6. Complete our Advent calendar as a route to analog hours. Two goals have dovetailed beautifully with this initiative: wanting to spend less time on screens, and wanting to complete our new Advent calendar! After years of admiring this DIY calendar kit, I finally bit the bullet and purchased it. With many pieces, intricate details, and the need to learn new skills, I anticipate it will be a year-long project that will keep my hands busy in the evenings and on weekends, as well as produce a beautiful heirloom for our family! Some action steps: Open the box :) Read through instructions. Identify any new materials needed. Make a plan for completion before December. Get to work.
7. Complete our 3 family photo albums. After several years of organizing and streamlining our photos, both digital and physical, I’m excited to wrap this project up with the most fun part of all: creating actual albums we can enjoy for years! My hope is the visual record I’m building will help establish and reinforce our family story. We’re planning to create one album for every five years, so I’ve got 2005-2009, 2010-2014, and 2015-2019 to complete. Some action steps: Organize 2019 photos. Decide on an album company. Lay out albums.
8. Streamline meal planning. It’s a huge part of our life, and it could be easier and more joyful — and therefore free up time for even more important things! By the end of this year, I want to have a seamless system in place. Some action steps: Choose the best recipe organization system for going forward (I’m thinking binder). Compile and print favorite recipes for seasons and categories. Make cheat sheets for seasons and categories. Implement a system for knowing what’s in our freezer (white board?). Strategize meals that can be fully made the night before. Clean up Pinterest. Host a meal ideas roundtable and potluck? Make a shopping sheet? Share weekly meal plans on EFM? Buy a printer?
I’ll be back with my January goals post soon, but in the meantime, I’d love to hear what you have planned for 2020. Have you set goals yet? I’d truly love to hear, so please drop a note in the comments! I can’t wait to cheer you on.
Here’s something I’ve never done before: decided in advance what I’m going to read in a year. I might end up hating this structure and abandoning it two months in, or it might be the most satisfying thing I’ve ever tried – we shall see!
For each month of 2020, I’ve chosen a fiction or memoir and a non-fiction read. (I hope to read more, but two books a month is typical for me and a pace I’m confident I can keep up with!) You’ll also see that I placed a few books specifically to coincide with the 2020 reading plans of friends or other bloggers I enjoy, just for fun.
This is certainly not a book club in the traditional sense, but you are more than welcome to join me for any of these picks throughout the year, if you like! Even if you don’t, you might see them pop up in posts in the months to come :) I’m hoping to share a few brief thoughts on Instagram along the way, too, as well as in my monthly goal posts.
Many of these picks line up with my 2020 goals, which I’ve finalized and am planning to share on Monday! Without further ado…
January: The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry | Val’s favorite book of 2019, and hopefully a great set-up for my year as a whole. Long Bright River | A brand-new book (releasing on January 7th!) by one of my literary-agent-brother-in-law’s authors. I got an early copy and have already finished it – it is FANTASTIC!
May: The Secrets of Happy Families | This has been on my TBR list for awhile, and when it popped up on Janssen’s plan I knew this was the year. Save Me the Plums | I’ve read two other Ruth Reichl books and loved them both. Can’t wait to dig into this one about her time at Gourmet.
November: Time to Parent | Can’t remember where I read about this one but reading the description got me excited all over again Make Something Good Today | I’ve always had a soft spot for Erin and Ben since Southern Weddings launched them onto HGTV (true story!). I’ve been wanting to read their memoir since it came out.
December: The Geometry of Wealth | Generosity and contentment seem like perfect topics going into the holidays The Nazi Officer’s Wife | One of the most-starred book on this list to finish the year
I’d love to hear: do you plan your reading in advance? Have you read any of these books? Would you like to read any alongside me in 2020? Let’s chat!
