I’ve been writing down monthly intentions or goals to help me focus in on what is important. Many of the things listed are daily habits I’m seeking to maintain or grow in. The goal is not to obtain perfection, but to make steady progress…and months when there isn’t any progress, to give myself grace and start again the next month. That is my hope for you too as you strive to implement daily/weekly/monthly habits. Here are my monthly intentions for April.
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Recap of Intentions in March
Things that were challenging in March:
Working in the basement with or without my husband, getting in my 1:1 with my middle son (he’s on Spring Break in April so I’m planning on scheduling something in the calendar), date nights with my husband (he’s finishing up a big painting and our schedules have been off sync).
Things that went well in March:
Tracking expenses (third month in a row!), getting at least 6 hours of sleep at night, making our bed, meal planning, my morning routine, getting movement in on days I’m off, and going out with my friends.
My Morning Routine
I’ve been satisfied with my morning routine this past month, but they are far from perfect. I don’t get up at the same time every day and I don’t do the same things every morning. I wish I could tell you that I was disciplined and got up every morning at the same time with the same routine – but then this would be a very different blog.
I do love getting up before my family and enjoying the quiet of the morning, but that doesn’t look the same every day. I’ve learned that there are a couple of things that I can do every morning, even when I’ve woken up later than expected, and still start the morning in a meaningful way.
An ideal morning would look like this for me:
- Make coffee
- Bring coffee to “my spot”
- Drink in silence looking out the window and watch the sun rise
- Read my bible and pray
- Write in my journal and pray
- Meditate
- Read another book that is helping me to grow
- Time to write for my blog
In order to do all of these things at the pace that I’d like to do them, I’d have to get up at 5am. This does not happen often.
So I’ve learned that in order to keep to my slow mornings, even when I wake up at 7am – I will do the first four things on my list above. While I sit and drink my coffee – I sit in silence, I talk to God, then I read a psalm. I may even take three slow belly breaths to start my morning off with greater mindfulness.
I take the moments I have and use them in a way that is meaningful to me and sets the rhythm for the day. What would that look like for you? What are the 2-3 things that would bring intention and peace to your morning? Do those things – even if for a minute each. Don’t let perfection keep you from starting and maintaining a meaningful morning routine.
I’m not. Remember friends, progress not perfection.
March’s Top 3 List:
As part of these monthly recaps and goals, I’m sharing the top 3 posts and top 3 things I was grateful for this past month.
TOP 3 POSTS IN MARCH:
- 10 Lessons Learned After a Year of Decluttering
- Stress Free Meal Planning for Beginners: Finding what Works for You
- Decluttering Your Home
TOP 3 THINGS I WAS GRATEFUL FOR IN MARCH:
- My annual solo, mostly silent retreat.
- A new blogging tribe to support and help each other grow.
- My friend’s sweet gift that has my word of the year on it.
Top 3 Posts and Top 3 Things I was grateful for in March #gratitude #top3 Click To Tweet
Monthly Intentions for April:
SPIRITUAL:
- Daily bible reading from The Daily Message.
- Pray for my husband, children, and loved ones daily using the scripture God has given me.
- Take at least 3 slow, deep breaths in the morning. Silent prayer and meditation for 12 minutes.
PERSONAL:
- Continue reading Hands Free Mama by Rachel Macy Stafford. I bought it as a Kindle book because it was on sale and seemed like a book I’ll need to refer to more than once!
- Track my time for the week as suggested in 168 Hours in order to make tweaks to my schedule according to my highest priorities.
- Going out with friends at least once a month.
- Intentional movement 5 days of the week (running or HIIT video at least 2 of those days).
- As the weather warms up I’m hoping to start running again.
- Be in bed by 11pm. Sleep at least 6 hours a night, with 7 hours being ideal.
- Write down 3 things I’m grateful for daily each evening.
HOUSEHOLD:
- Meal Plan dinner for the weeknights (get FREE Meal Planning printables)
- Declutter all three closets again.
- Switch out our Fall/Winter clothes to Spring/Summer. Put our Winter gear away from the entryway. Edit clothes while switching them out.
- Work at least 15 minutes in the basement (with or without) hubby on Sunday evenings when I put in a load of laundry.
- Budget and track daily expenses with the You Need a Budget program. Meet weekly with my husband, and talk about some aspect of money together.
WRITING & BLOGGING:
Elite Blog Academy (EBA) has been my main blogging course that I’ve been going through all year. It’s been instrumental in giving me direction and guidance every step of the way.
EBA only goes on sale once a year. If you’re interested in starting or refining your blog, the EBA Blog Structure Blueprint is a must have! You can download it immediately when you sign up for the wait list HERE.
- Post at least once a week (ideally twice) on my blog for April
- Write 500 words at least 3 times a week
- Practice my presentation for The Blog Connect, happening in Philadelphia in late April!
- Write one guest post for April, featuring ideas from my eBook (I have one planned for mid-April)
- Figure out FB ads to let more people know about my FREE 7 Day Decluttering eCourse. (still figuring this out!)
- Contribute an old post on Huffington Post. I was so excited to become a contributor to Huffington Post. You can find my entries so far here.
Monthly Goals:
- Date night with hubby.
If you can’t get out of the house for date nights, check out VidAngel . You can stream movies for $1. We used to use Redbox, but the convenience of not having to go out of the house to return the movie, is super convenient.
- One on one outings with each son.
What are some monthly intentions that you have for April?
This post shared at these lovely link ups.
I hope all of your April goals and intentions are successful. I’ve never heard of VidAngel but good to know! I’m hoping to move more this month. 🙂
That sounds like a great goal Lauren – and a good time to move more with the beautiful Spring weather. I’m hoping to get some more runs in now that the weather is getting nicer. Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
We have many similar goals for the month of April! I’m usually pretty good about getting in bed early enough, but I’ve been slacking on that the last few months. I need to make it a habit again. I’m also going to make sure a girls’ night happens. Some friends and I went out last Saturday and we couldn’t believe how fun it was to get away for a few hours.
Hey Abby! Isn’t it amazing how refreshing it is to get together with girlfriends – even when it’s only a few hours. Writing down the goal really helps me make sure it happens.
Great goals! We always take our calendar at the beginning of each month and plan out some intentional things, but other than that, I don’t make goals for the month. I have my yearly ones and I keep referring back to, though.
That’s great Rosanna! I’m still working on planning quarterly and annual goals. My monthly intentions are habits I’m trying to instill. It is helping me to make progress in the areas that I’ve listed. I’d be curious to know how you refer back to your annual goals – at the beginning of each month?
I do love the word “intentions” to substitute for goals. And, like you, I love a quiet morning to begin the day.
Yes, I think it captures my heart better than goals. Thanks for stopping by and commenting Michele!
Thanks for linking up with Home Matters! I’m also in EBA (I’ve been in EBA since it started, but never actually “did it” until I started 2.0!) — these are great goals for the month! I look forward to hearing about your progress.
Thanks for hosting such a fun link up! I’m going through EBA 3.0 and it’s helpful to take another look and tweak some things. Thanks for commenting Ashley!
Progress not perfection is a great goal… only God is perfect and we never will be, yet for some reason we like to try to be. A routine sure helps… for getting started in the morning or for going to bed…. I am working on those also, but w/ a large family, lots can change the routine. 🙂 My current emphasis is on getting more sleep (adrenal issues make that hard) and my routine at bedtime really helps…
What a good reminder – thank you! I agree that a routine helps settle us in to sleep or our days.
I like time alone in the mornings too. I wake up with my husband and get him ready for work. Once he’s gone, I have a few hours to myself before Peachy wakes up. That’s the most productive part of my day. #SharingtheBlogLove
That sounds like a wonderful way to connect with your husband and have some time for yourself before you start the day with your daughter. Thanks for sharing!
My morning routine definitely needs work too! Although I do tend to do the same things at the same time every day, more driven by my son though who is a creature of habit and emerges at around 6 to wake us up and enjoy some cuddles before demanding breakfast, when we all reluctantly head downstairs. Are you enjoying Hands Free Mama? I’ve had it on my list for ages but not got around to buying it. Thanks for joining us at #SharingtheBlogLove
What a sweet thing to start the day with cuddles. My youngest who is 7 does that on the weekends sometimes. I am enjoying Hands Free Mama. I feel like it’s a book to read in small chunks and really take to heart and apply – that’s why I bought it for my kindle. I usually check books out at the library but I felt like I’d want to refer back to this a lot. I would recommend it!
I hope all of your April goals are met. Thanks for sharing at Over The Moon Party. Hope you come back next week so I can stop by again.
Hugs,
Bev
Thank you for the encouragement Beverly. Thank you also for hosting such a wonderful space at Over the Moon Party!
Thank you for sharing your April motivations with us at Funtastic Friday. This is something I personally enjoy reading from others because they inspire me.
I started this year with monthly intentions as well, and I’ve learned so far that I definitely need to be more mindful. I missed posting my March intentions, and I’m fairly scattered still. But I love the idea of beginning fresh again, rather than letting my setbacks mount up. Thanks for sharing at Merry Monday!