Every year around January 1st my husband and I look back on the past 12 months and look forward to the year to come. This takes various different forms, going through our photos, writing ‘year maps’ or answering questions (it’s more fun than it sounds!). This year didn’t quite go to plan, I had a fever on New Year’s Eve, went to bed at 7pm and left Rich to see in 2017 with a teething baby (what a gift!). Eventually we managed to sit down and take time to reflect on what we’re saying ‘goodbye’ to in 2016 and what we are welcoming in.
One thing I’ve found helpful over the past few years is to have a word or phrase to take into the year rather than a set of resolutions. This word is the lens which focusses me on throughout the year and keeps me on track. My favourite was 2015 which was the year I choose to create ‘healthy rhythms’. I kept this in the forefront of my mind that year and it helped me create real change. I began eating healthier, getting up early to exercise, started a (realistic!) Bible reading routine and reduced my time using screens.
This year as I was reviewing 2016 and looking forward to 2017 I decided that the word I wanted to shape my year was ‘simplify’. This might seem kind of obvious since I’ve been sharing lots about our journey with minimalism and decluttering (or should that be ‘de-owning’?!). For me the process of simplifying my stuff has made me crave simplicity in every area of my life. As I head into this year I want to see where I can bring more simplicity, space and peace.
To beginning with I’m going to focus on three specific areas, I’m going to simplify…
My stuff – after 8 months of decluttering we have very nearly gone through every bit of our home, I want to keep the momentum up and finish the task!
My time – as a Mum with two small people my day can easily feel like it fills up with washing up, laundry, food planning, cooking, cleaning and all those other daily tasks. I want to simplify, I’m not talking about Buzzfeed ‘life hacks’ here but creating rhythms that make things simpler, lighter and enable me to actually PLAY with my children and maybe even read a book!
My tech – I love my smartphone, I hate my smartphone, we probably need to break up or at least get some space from each other.
There you have it, I’ll blog about each area individually in more detail as a I go. If you have any tips let me know!
What’s your word for 2017? Do you have hopes and plans? I’d love to hear them!