October Intentions

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 October intentions.

Recap of Intentions in September

Things that went well in September:

• my morning routine continued to go well in September.
• making my bed, meal planning, and intentional movement. I’m happy to say that I think these three things have become a daily and weekly habit after months and months of setting intentions to do them. It now feels strange NOT to do them.
• writing a list of 3 things I’m grateful for every day
• I’ve started reading Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen while setting up my STEP Command Center, which is based off of Allen’s GTD system. I’m finally at a place to look at my household systems. STEP is especially great for processing paper piles! They offer a free webinar about their system if you’re interested in learning more.
• I didn’t declutter the storage closet but DID declutter in the basement with my husband! We’re doing a Facebook Live series on our progress down there. Follow along here.
• I finally did my first Facebook Live in September! I’ve done a total of four now and I’m actually enjoying it!
• Coaching my very first clients with my Decluttering Jumpstart offer. It was so rewarding to be able to work with these amazing women who made such huge strides in their decluttering. I’ll be sharing their testimonials with you all soon!

Things that were more challenging:

• writing 500 words  3 times a week.
• publishing one blog post a week. The start of the school year and getting the nerve up to do Facebook Lives took all my energy this past month! I should be back on track this month.
• budgeting in You Need a Budget and meeting weekly with my husband. I’m still tracking my expenses in my planner, but not necessarily doing anything with those numbers!
• I’m not sure about creating a course for my eBook. I’m focusing now on serving through 1:1 declutter coaching.

Setting Monthly Intentions – One 5 minute Habit at a Time

Lately I’ve been getting comments on my monthly intentions posts that say something like, “Wow, you have a lot of goals. I could never do this.” Some of the statements are reflecting surprise at how “organized” I am.

These kind of statements always surprise me because I don’t think of myself as organized. Organization and goal setting don’t come naturally to me like they do to others.

Three or four years ago (and for many of the years before that) I was taking things as they came, responding to the urgent and immediate needs. I was harried and overwhelmed. I didn’t have healthy habits established.

I started small with the habit of exercise. I went to our local YMCA with my youngest son and started walking on a treadmill while he was in childcare. I needed that little bit of time to myself on my days off of work in order to balance out the days at home with him. I knew it made me a better mom.

After that had been firmly established for two years, I started building a morning routine – 5 minutes at a time. I had been very sporadic in my quiet times and morning routine throughout my adult life. I had to build the habit of just showing up for 5 minutes of quiet in the morning and then built on my routine from there.

I wanted to share that in order to encourage you if you’re in the same spot I was four years ago. It’s never too late to begin healthy habits.

• Start with one healthy habit you want to add to your life. In my own experience, and the research on habits, exercise seems to be a great “keystone” habit to start with.
• Start small and simple. Commit to walking 5 minutes a day. Walking doesn’t require extra equipment so you can start tomorrow – or today! Keep adding time to that 5 minutes.
• Once that routine is established, add another habit to your routine.

As we’ve been raising our sons, my journaling practice fell off when they were young children, but I always wrote an entry on my birthday reflecting on the year past. In 2014 I wrote:

“I’m struck at how when I write goals down and desires for the future, it focuses me and they become a reality – exercising, getting my license, new jobs, etc…What is it that I am continuing to hope for? What are new things I long to see in my life?”

So, dear reader, what is it you long to see in your life? Write it down, along with the step that you will take to make it a reality. I wouldn’t be surprised if next year this time, it becomes a reality!

September’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 SEPTEMBER:

1. 10 Lessons Learned After a Year of Decluttering
2. 7 Steps to Start Hand Lettering
3. Stress Free Meal Planning for Beginners: Finding what Works for You

TOP 3 THINGS I WAS GRATEFUL FOR IN SEPTEMBER:

1. Smooth transition for my youngest son to a new school. He loves it – and loves riding the school bus! I’m also grateful for the schools that my oldest two are in. All three boys are in wonderful communities of children, families, and staff this year.
2. The organizational tips and systems in the STEP program that are helping me get a system in place for my paper piles. I also reached Email Inbox Zero for the first time!
3. Coaching my decluttering clients, hearing their stories, and celebrating their successes with them.

Top 3 Posts and Top 3 Things I was grateful for in September #gratitude #top3 Click To Tweet
 

October Intentions:

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:

• 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).
• 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 and plan my top 3 things that I need to do the next day.

HOUSEHOLD:

• Meal Plan dinner for the weeknights (get FREE Meal Planning printables)
• Declutter the storage closet again. I’m thinking about moving my work desk in there.
• Work at least 15 minutes in the basement (with or without) hubby on Sunday evenings when I put in a load of laundry.
• Establishing family chores as routines versus sporadic assignments.
• Budget and track daily expenses with the You Need a Budget program. Meet weekly with my husband, and talk about money as well as business and home stuff for the upcoming week.

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 on my blog for October
• Continue weekly FB live videos on Fridays on the decluttering process in the basement.
• Write 500 words at least 3 times a week
• Write one guest post for October, featuring ideas from my eBook
• 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.

What are your monthly goals for October? #goals #intentions Click To Tweet

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Monthly Goals:

• Date night with hubby.
• One on one outings with each son.

What are some monthly intentions that you have for October? 

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