Finding Time for Tea

Last year I read two great books: The Happiness Project by blogger Gretchin Rubin and A Year of Biblical Womanhood by blogger Rachel Evans Held. Surprisingly, these might have been the only books I read – or at least, the only two that I enjoyed. When I went to list my favorite books of 2012 in my last post, these were the only two I could think of. Anatomy and Physiology did not make the cut – no surprises there.

Anyway, both Rubin and Evans set out on year-long projects with each month devoted to a specific theme. As the new year approached, I was inspired by these two books to choose a resolution for 2013, and then to choose monthly themes to keep the resolution alive and well through the whole year. It kind of sounds like fun.

So my resolution? This year I pledge to be more organized. To find time for tea. And I don’t think that will be hard – I mean, the bar is set pretty low right now. Our big accomplishment in 2012 in terms of organization was to put up a key hook by our front door. Which saves me at least an hour of key hunting each week, by the way.

But this year, I’m going to do better. Too many days go by where I scramble from task to task, feeling flustered the entire time. This year, I’m going to organize better so that I’m not wasting time. And I’m going to be intentional with my days, making sure that there is time set aside for tea – and reading and playing and crafting and praying and everything else that gets sidetracked when I’m frantically searching the hall closet for The Princess’ backpack five minutes before her school bell rings.

I’ve made a tentative list of goals for each month this year, though I admit that they might change as the year goes on. For example, if I lose my weekly meal service, I’m going to have to dedicate three months to meal planning (with the first month dedicated to hiding under my bed and crying while the family eats frozen pizza). But as of right now, this is my monthly list:

January: Early to bed…
• Evening routines, getting everyone to bed earlier, taking time to relax

February: …Early to Rise
• An expanded morning routine, making mornings less stressful – maybe even leaving the house before noon

March: Living with Intention
• Set daily plans, practicing gratitude, living in the moment

April: Total Garage Makeover
• Ugh.

May: Gardening with the Girls
• Tame the jungle backyard, plant our vegetable garden and our front yard

June: Master the Sewing Machine
• Sew some summery skirts, maybe even learn to quilt (finally!)

July: Decluttering
• Following along with one of the many 30 Bags in 30 Days lists that help you declutter your home

August: Conquering Paper Piles
• Coming up with systems for coping with paper clutter, like mail, kid art, etc.

September: Social Media and Free Time
• Should I give up Facebook and Twitter? Can I find a way to manage my social media time better?

October: Crafting Better
• Maybe choosing some hobbies and giving up others for now, organizing the craft room and planning holiday gift ideas

November: Living Frugally
• Aggressively looking for ways to save money as birthdays and Christmas approach

December: An Organized Christmas Season
• Establishing family traditions, sending out Christmas cards, maybe even getting the advent calendar up!

As I worked out these goals, I happened to glance through my copy of 52 Bites (affiliate link). A lot of my months coincide with the book’s “bites” – score! I’m glad that I’ll have an extra resource for ideas and encouragement as I work through my list this year.

I look forward to writing a lot as I search for more time in each day. And I will be writing. I purposely slowed down my blog over the last year so I could focus on a couple classes and my store. This year, I’d like to ramp it up. Because blogging is fun.

How about you? Have you made a New Year’s resolution? If you blogged about it, please post a link below so I can read about yours too!

Photo courtesy of A Girl with Tea on Flickr.