So I’m continually astonished at the way time passes me by. My calendar tells me that next week is May. My heart is still somewhere back in January with great plans to do better at keeping track of receipts and start exercising.
Is there some kind of time warp going on that I don’t know about?
Prime example: Johnny and I got married in October of 2013. I still haven’t posted wedding albums on Facebook (the horror!) or even had any printed to hang in our home. Life has just…blurred past.
So once again, I’m at a point in my life where I’m telling myself to slow down. To stop and smell the roses. (although I live on the farm, so sometimes the smells here are far from rosy!)
I’ve been here before. Overbooked. Too many irons in the fire. And each time I tell myself that THIS will be the last time I get in this predicament. A co-worker asked me today about the promotion that I’m doing for the Love Finds You in Charm movie and my response made me sad: It’s fun but I don’t really have time to enjoy it.
Now y’all. That is unacceptable!
So here are five resolutions for the rest of the year:
- Get Organized. I don’t know about you, but when I get crazy-busy my “creative” organizing makes life more complicated. Where normally I might have to hunt for something (car keys?) for a few minutes, during a busy season of life, I spend way too much time looking for something that should have been filed away in a place that I could easily look to find later.
- Get Outside. We had a long winter. I’m a Southern girl. Cold and I don’t get along that well. Now that Spring has finally appeared, I vow to get outside more often. Even if it’s just a quick ten minute walk around the farm, I have a feeling that might make all the difference in a day that leaves me stressed to the max or one that is good.
- Get Moving. I have failed miserably at my New Year’s resolution to exercise more. Now we are a third of the way through the year and I have exercised…once. So I’m thinking it’s time to hop back on the exercise wagon. Maybe I’ll combine 2 and 3…
- Get Away. Sometimes, at least for me, the best thing I can do to help me slow down and take stock is to get away for a few hours. As long as I’m at home, there is work to do. I work from home for my day job, I write from home, I take care of farm animals from home…and then there’s the constant cleaning/laundry. So sometimes getting away is key. This past Saturday, my husband and I spent the day at the Mountain View Folk Festival. We visited antique shops and listened to some live music. We ate food from vendors, including some delicious freshly squeezed lemonade. It wasn’t a long drive, yet I came back that night feeling refreshed. I really needed that day, away from the things that normally take up my time, so I could focus on having a fun time with Johnny.
- Get Scheduled. I think this may be the key to my problems! From this point forward during this busy year, I will work smarter instead of harder. That may mean getting some writing done between 6 and 8 in the morning. I’ll be the only one in the house, and that’s time that I can use. It will also prevent me from having to miss out on fun family time later in the week when I’m behind on a word count!
Me and my husband headed to the folk festival.
So there you have it. My “Spring” resolutions. How about you? Anyone have tips for how to manage when you’re over-committed? For simplifying your life? I’d love to hear them.
Annalisa Daughety writes contemporary fiction set in historic locations, including the Walk in the Park series, Love Finds You in Charm, Ohio, and A Wedding to Remember in Charleston, South Carolina. She lives in Arkansas and is hard at work on her next book.
Annalisa, great post! 3) Get Moving is the one I need to focus on. We’re heading into winter so 2) Get Outside is less appealing. The gym is calling me, lol. Thanks for sharing your tips :)
Great advice, Annalisa! I call it “Regroup, Refocus, and Prioritize.” If God made time for rest than we need time for rest too!
When I get overwhelmed ,I go back and read flylady.net. This is a site to help you organize your life.
Great advice! I think the getting away thing would work for me! Sometimes, like you said, it’s just a walk around the neighborhood or perhaps a day doing something fun with your family. It doesn’t have to be a week long vacation (although that would be nice!), but just anything that you can take a break both physically & emotionally. I know too, sometimes God reschedules our time. Ask Him to show you the things that NEED to be done for that day/hour or whatnot, and the strength to do them! That always works for me! Then I don’t feel so pressured to do that things that I THINK need to be done, when, maybe in reality, are a waste of my time. I feel less burdened & more like I accomplished something. That’s always a good feeling! :-)