changing-goals-midyear

Inside: Sometimes it makes more sense changing goals midyear than to keep heading in an unproductive direction. Read on to find out.

2021 planner, goals list, Mason jar. — My jar of “hard things,” along with my 2021 planner and goals list.

I’ve been meaning to write about my goals this year, but 2021 started off unconventionally, and it’s taken me a while to find my rhythm. Sometime toward the end of January I had jotted down some goals–ideas , really–but my heart hadn’t been in it. Even after some prayer. Here is what I had down:

Do something hard every day.
Write posts with the attitude of serving others.
Write every day.
Declutter spare bedroom and email boxes.
Work on healthier lifestyle–eating, exercising, positive words.
Some landscaping project?

I didn’t feel particularly inspired or energized by the list, except the first goal–do something hard every day–oddly enough. Maybe it was that I knew I needed discipline and made myself accountable by keeping track of the hard things. (I jot each one down on a tiny slip of paper, folded into a tiny square, before placing in a mason jar. The visual aid keeps me motivated.)

So that one’s working. Although, admittedly, there have been a few days when I’ve said to myself, What’s the easiest hard thing I can do today?

Yeah, seriously.

And what of the other goals? I do want to write posts that serve my readers, but I need to get back in the habit of writing more. I’m working on this one, so it remains on the list.

Write every day. Nice thought, and I’ve done this one before, but this is not the season I’m in right now. Actually, I have been listening to my novel through the “read aloud” function in my word program to get my brain working on it. Next month I’ll be editing. I hadn’t foreseen this at the beginning of the year, but this direction feels right for me as we head deeper into the year.

Declutter spare bedroom and email boxes. I’m always in for a good declutter, but the time isn’t right. In spring, this middle-aged woman’s fancy turns to gardening. Decluttering sounds like cold weather work. I’ve been sporadically cleaning out email boxes, but, darn it, they keep getting filled up again. This goal remains, with an emphasis on unsubscribing, but it’s a lower priority.

My pursuit of a healthier lifestyle continues, which currently means tweaking my diet to see what works, keeping up with my Fitbit step and water goals, and using positive words.

A landscaping project? That was jotted down as an afterthought, but with the weather warming, I’ve been thinking about it. Today I have on my list to research lazy (simple, easy) landscaping techniques that might appeal to me.

We’ll see what happens.

This year I’m holding goals loosely in my hands and embracing the practice of rising each day and asking the Lord what He would have me do this day before making my to-do list. I gather my inspiration from Matthew 11:28-30, the Message Translation. This has been working better than anything else. In case you’re wondering, yes, writing this post has been on the list several times this week.

I’ll keep you posted on developments.