To Do or Not To Do…

Posted by on Friday, January 6, 2012 · 4 Comments 

Mini Goals Notepad by Mary Kate McDeavitt

Mini Goals Notebook, available at Hello Bluebird ($9.95)

There is no lack of lofty goal sharing flying around the interwebs these days. It’s inspiring to see so many people taking the turn of the New Year to reflect on their journey and chart a new path.

Inspiring, and…overwhelming!

Because, here’s the thing that I realized today: the more I read, the more anxious I start to feel! This year is literally already ON FIRE for some people, but I feel like I’m still catching my breath from 2011: from kicking butt in the shop for the holiday season, from 13 days of kids-home-for-the-holidays, from the wrapping/eating/visiting marathon…How exactly did I miss the starting gun for the race to success in 2012? I wasn’t even looking for my gate yet.

Blog after blog after post after email of 1001 ways to make 2012 the best year ever–YES! I DO want to rock out this year! My creative juices are flowing like crazy–but, really, like CRAZY. As in, driving myself nutso with too many ideas, starts and stops, redirections and distractions, leaving me feeling AMPED UP to do everything better–home, kids, husband, job, passions and play…and too exhausted by the prospects of it all to know where to begin.

Does this sound familiar?

Thinking it would help, I made a “January To Do List.”  I thought it would help to brainstorm some of the immediate deadlines and goals for the next 30 days, instead of getting ahead of myself.  It started out good…until I realized that I had filled the front of a page, and moved to the back…So, I crossed out “January” and changed it to “WINTER To Do List…”  Feeling like that was a more realistic timeline, I added a few more things (after all, 3 cold months can get a lot of stuff done!)…and then realized that the whole endeavor had spiraled out of control again, so it just became “To Do List”…but by then it had lost all focus entirely, and I had to set it aside to look at some pretty pictures on Pinterest and read some more articles about creativity, productivity, and…well, you can probably guess that didn’t really help me off the crazy train, either.

Now it is evening, I’m home from the shop, dinner is in our bellies and the kids are in bed, and it’s quietish, and here’s my plan, for TODAY ONLY: write ONE blog post.  Not all of the great post ideas I came up with today, JUST ONE.  And it doesn’t even have to be perfect.  ONE POST, period.  If I get that done, I will add some of my old widgets back to the site (remember, disaster struck and all was lost).  If I get THAT done, permission to add a few more.  After that, regroup…or, go to bed and start working on that resolution to “go to bed at a reasonable hour.”

How is YOUR 2012 shaping up?  Are you overwhelmed or excited, or both?  What’s inspiring you for the New Year, and what helps you to keep things in perspective?

 

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  • http://www.lexisworks.wordpress.com Lexis

    what I found in sharing my own woes of the season was that it actually allowed the thoughts to leave my head-rather than cycling through over and over- and make room to move forward. sometimes we must be honest, even if it is startling!

    • http://hellobluebird.net hellobluebird

      Lexis–the same thing happened to me! It felt great to be honest about my new year’s trepidation, and, as soon as I got it all out in the open, it was SO MUCH easier to just buckle down and move forward. I’m so glad we traded reading each other’s woes and giving encouraging words in return. Let’s keep supporting each other in 2012! That’s what this community should be all about.

  • http://sarahkoller.com Sarah

    I’m feeling a little of both. There is SO MUCH I want to do…plus a newborn to take care of (I’m looking forward to bringing him to meet you sometime, by the way!).
    I like your approach of deciding what you can do right now and getting ONE thing done. One blogger I follow even suggested not starting New Year’s resolutions until the 7th…just to take some of the pressure of getting everything “right” right now. I think both of you are on to something!

    • http://hellobluebird.net hellobluebird

      Sarah, I can always count on your kind support. I love that idea about starting resolutions on the 7th! Gives us time for reflection before we decide how to move forward. And I cannot WAIT to meet that little sweetheart! I hope you are all doing well, getting sleep where you can and enjoying this insanely precious and fleeting time together.