So we know there is Hope for a New Year. We’ve had time to Reflect + Review on the past year. And we’ve looked at what we need to do to Move Forward. So now what? We need to Take Action – let’s get our action plan on! If you’re ready to get in the game and do big and little things to make this year count, whatever that may mean for you – declutter your garage, hang out with your kiddos more, cultivate a new friendship, save for a home renovation, volunteer in your community, run a 5k (or walk one 😉 ), write a book – now is the time to put your plan into action.
Achieving goals takes more than intention. You need to take action and track your progress. – Michael Hyatt
Action
I’ve written more New Year’s resolutions than I can remember and I’ve had more dreams than I care to recall, but it takes action to make them happen, and I didn’t take too many actions. Yes, writing them down helps, but when I only wrote them down only to tuck them away for the “one days” – one day when I have more time, when the kiddos are older, when I have more money, it didn’t make a difference in my life. (And I’ve also lived long enough to know that we aren’t always guaranteed a “one day” everyday.) Or when I only wrote them down in hopes that they would come to be on their own, there was no change or progress, and I shouldn’t be so surprised. Hello, Rome wasn’t built in a day and all that jazz. I realized it takes some work on my part. So I have learned that I simply need to take the next faithful step. Even if it is a tiny step, that is progress.
Plan
I know the calendar is not a friend to a lot of people. It seems so limiting. If I say “yes” to this thing, I can’t do this other thing that may come along later on. In the past few months especially, I have found much more freedom in having a plan than not. No, I’m not tied to the items in my agenda all the time. There is flexibility when fun and games is what the day calls for, but that’s the beauty of having a schedule. When I do what needs to be done when it need to be done, it’s done and I have so much more white space to create and love and play and learn and rest. I’m sure all the productivity experts have already written books and given talks about all of these things, but it’s worth repeating, even as a reminder for myself, that if I want to be intentional about achieving a goal or building a habit, I need to make time for it. And well, there’s also some things that we have to do that takes time – taking out the trash, grocery shopping, dental appointments, etc., and we need to account for those things.
I don’t have a planner or printable for you this time. I don’t think there is a shortage of calendars, planners, or apps out there that can “help” us (only if we allow them!) to take action. So, take whatever you already use, and add that next step to your calendar (Google Calendar works best for us) or *Post-It if that’s how you roll.