Off To A Great Start!

Do you ever try to do to much? How about having a great plan, but realizing that you waited until the very last minute to put your plan into action? Most days this is me. Trying to do to much or realizing that I have waited to long to get done what I KNEW was going to be great. This is my one and only goal for 2016: Stay on top of things so that I can be a better me.

I have seen several posts from others regarding goals, resolutions and changes for 2016. I have only read a very few of them because for me, a new year brings new attitudes, new experiences, new adventures and hopefully new friendships. Why worry about trying to accomplish resolutions when you can just focus on what is important to you and your family.

So, for 2016 here is what I need to stay aware of and for lack of better words, “on top of”.

• Housework – As much as I would rather be outside working or playing with the kids, I do need to put a bit more effort into keeping the house clean. The house picked up and things put away I can do. Scrubbing the floors and windows……not high on my list.

• Paperwork for the farm and home – My one goal last year was for a balanced checkbook every week. I will not lie. It was not every week, BUT it was more than once a moth. So with this new routine, I am focusing on keeping additional paperwork filed and dealt with. (How is it we still have so much paper to keep track of?)

• Projects around the house – This includes the project of finishing our basement. Six years ago when we built the house, we knew we would need to finish the basement on our own. It is coming along, but we can go months without lifting a paintbrush, hammer or even a saw down there. With a little motivation from all, I think we will see lots of progress in 2016 inside and outside of the house.

• Volunteering – I love to help, especially when it is something close to my heart. This year I am a 4-H Club Leader, 4-H Project Leader for Clover Kids and the Foods project. I am also serving on our County Farm Bureau Board for the first time ever. For some this may sound like A LOT. For you over achievers, this is just A BIT. For me, this is all I can handle and I know that. No more can be added because these are the things that I want to do, and I want to do them well. To accomplish that, I can’t take on more than I can handle. By placing my time in things I am invested in, I am sure to not let anything get by me. (Right?)

• Photography – Do you take a bunch of pictures, download them on to a computer or laptop and then let them sit there? I hate to admit it, but this is me. I have hundreds of pictures that will never be seen because I just download them, knowing that they are at my fingertips whenever I may want them. When I do want them, I have to figure out which file they are in and then do my basic editing so they can then be shown to the world. How sad is that? (Poor little pictures.) So to stay on top of my photography, I am striving to not take quite so many pictures and to only take the pictures that I want to take. Once I have taken my pictures, I then plan on editing and tagging as soon as they are on my computer. (This will be the hardest one to stay on top of.)

So far things are going pretty well. We have begun work on our basement again, I have not said yes to any other commitments and my all paper work so far for this year is filed away. I still have Christmas decorations up and the floors really need a good steaming/cleaning, so we will say, “2016 is Off to a Great Start!”.

Do you have a goal for this new year?

Blessings to you,
Laurie – Country Link