How to Plan your Dream Year in 2019 day 2/4

Letting go of the past to move forward into the future (Marie Kondo-style)

What are you grateful for about 2018?

Welcome back to gomommyblogger as I am participating in Muchelle B's mini life reset series. This is my first document of reset number three: How to Plan Your Dream Year.
Let me tell ya, this is all the prep, the behind the scenes stuff.

How to Plan your Dream Year in 2019 

☀️Reset Your Life Challenge

*Minor detail: I did not blog yesterday, so this is day two, but entry one. 

So, first things first, I pulled up a blank document page on my computer and typed, "What about 2018 made me thankful?".

This prompted me asap to run through my house and grab my 2018 calendar book- of all the items I am purging, I just knew holding onto this one for the year would make sense.
How long do you keep an old calendar? 
I think 12 months makes sense...we'll see if I get too impatient beforehand, but for looking back over the year (think, when was the last time I went to the dentist...? What month was her birthday...? What on earth did I do with my summer last year...?), I absolutely see how this comes in handy.
***
So I typed out a list, using my calendar as a reminder and then I also made lists for What were my wins in 2018? and List of Lessons Learned.

After all this, Muchelle told us to thank 2018 ala: "say goodbye to the last year". And yes, she warns us, this may seem fluffy.

"This is like a 'thank you, next'". -Muchelle

Continuing on, Muchelle encourages us to :

*Plan out your next year, which was wildly fun for me. I have hopes (work out my stomach, speak more gentle to my children), I have dreams (build a blogging community, have a healthier relationship with my husband), I have anticipations (what to do with the bonus time while all 3 kiddos are in school? How long can I grow my hair?). I have goals (read through my entire book shelf), I have trepidations/excitements (say "no" more), I have concerns (what about if/when the Depression returns? Can I actually leave the country without my children?).

*Analyze your last year to help you become far more intentional when planning this year. One large take-away here includes not having a plan for my weeks. Cleaning the house, running errands, play dates, everything was equivalent to a pot of stew. It was a Shephard's Pie, really.
This year I have prepared a list of daily activities and themes for every week. For example, Mondays are my cleaning day. I'm talking toilets and all. I try not to make plans for going anywhere because I know that if I do not complete this task then, I will likely neglect it all week, or I will play catch-up for the next four days and be annoyed every time I see the dining room floor still unswept, the mountain of laundry near but not in the washer, or the dirty toilets.

Likewise, if I don't stop to do prep work for Sunday School and Cub Scouts on Tuesdays, then I will likely neglect them each until the last minute and be rather frustrated with myself for not having a better plan.

*Refer back to your friends suggestions. If you watched Muchelle's previous video (Life Admin Reset) you know that at the very end she encourages us to ask our close friends for suggestions on what we can do more of/less of in 2019.

My suggestions (made to me):
-Write down what is most important to me (God, family, friends, health, rest, productivety, joy); What would make you (me) feel better? (loving devotionals, quality time with people I love, naps on Sundays, spa days, admin days-get 'er done!-, saying no more); What could you give up to declutter and relieve some stress in your life? (Limit outside activities, stop doing the things I, A) don't love, B) don't feel that God has called me to). (source: friend)

-Be on time. Call me more. (source sister)

*Then look ahead to the year and plot a timeline with focus on the fun upcoming events. Plan dates, opportunities, etc. Give yourself something to look forward to. This was MY FAVORITE PART!!
I did this on paper, similar to Muchelle's list in the video. I found that most months I was either leaving behind something and welcoming the break from it, or anticipating a fun activity. It was INCREDIBLY MOTIVATIONAL to complete.

Now, onto applying some of these life-giving experience in your day-to-day life.
For me, this looks like, bi-weekly spa days (at home); getting up at the same time to prioritize alone time; life admin once a month for calendar clearing and a boost to my pride; meal planning (PRIORITY); following my weekly time-line; saying no to more books (ahh! This is SO HARD); saying no to events which don't get my best; calendar blocking (stick to it); bullet journaling (LOVE IT), grouping activities for productivity sake; setting a personal blogging schedule- as opposed to all willy-nilly)

*How to use your money in 2019
Big Strong Man had just joined me in the room as Muchelle was speaking on this topic so I paused the computer and asked him for his thoughts on handling money in 2019.
He was concise:
-tithe consistently
-anniversary
-savings

That was all.

***
This was a LOT OF INFO. today. Wheew. I feel as though I ran a marathon.
Plus, I confess, I don't quite know how to document this...so, there's that.

This post was brought to you by this: my great big pile of paper and paper material to make this post a reality. Goodness. ...at least they're all cute.

Please feel free to share your mini life reset challenge updates with me in the comments section. I would love to see how you are working this reset.

Remember to kiss the one's you love.
You are important, and I know the God of the universe loves you like no other.
-