Happy New Year everyone!
Raise your hand if you feel a bit blue from the annual post-holiday letdown.
It’s cold, I’m broke and my festive house feels a little empty without the lovely lights from my now-stored December decorations.
It can be a struggle, to be sure, but I always try to find the silver lining and remind myself that new beginnings and a fresh start are always possibilities each New Year.
I am fully aware that most of those January resolutions end up falling by the wayside within a month — just compare the parking lot of your local gym on the first week in January and again around Valentine’s Day for proof!
That said, here are a few refreshers, complete with some homework, to help you start your new year strong!
Get it Together: In the words of my favorite viral elf, Tally (do a search if you don’t know what I am talking about ­— you will thank me later) “Get it together.”
I say this literally and figuratively because I personally spend way too much time looking for things!
Apparently, I am not the only one.
Did you know the average person spends 12 days a year looking for things?
Can you imagine what you could get accomplished if you had that dozen or so days back?
Use the new year as an excuse to hit the reset button on yourself and get those who you love organized!
Buy an organizer, subscribe to one of the many organizational apps, and purchase storage cubes or other organizers to help consolidate your physical items.
For example, my kids spend each day looking for their shoes. Every. Single. Day.
My solution? All shoes have a home in a specially designated cubby — next to the door — so they are easy to take off and put on, right where they need them.
While getting them to actually use the cubby is another battle, we have a place to put them.
The same goes for coats and gloves: Anything that we can streamline to make coming and going is a good place to start.
My challenge to you is to find one area of your life to organize today and get it done.
Once one area is done, you will be addicted and ready to tackle another area!
Build a Routine: One of the things I find to really help me live a more simple and stress-free life is to develop a routine and stick to it.
It can be as simple as scheduling things that matter to me.
This past year, I started going to the gym and, rather than try to fit it in around my schedule, I made sure to add it to my calendar so that it is part of my day’s planned activities.
Otherwise, it would get bumped off my day with some excuse.
Being intentional about the things that are important to us — including essential activities — will help you build a schedule that helps you meet your obligations such as work and school but that also makes sure that the things that you enjoy doing, such as self care or social time with friends – are part of your routine.
You have heard the saying that you cannot pour from an empty cup and making sure that you make things that invigorate you are part of your daily essentials will go a long way toward making your daily routine a happy and healthy one!
Daily Gratitude: As much as we love celebrating the New Year, many of us fall into the doldrums that inevitably accompany the winter months, aka seasonal affective disorder,
If you live in a cold weather area, you are likely to deal with this at one time or another — and it can be physically and mentally daunting!
When the cold weather and lack of sunshine gets you down, try this exercise: Get a sticky note and put it somewhere prominent, like your desk or the refrigerator.
Each day, write something that you are grateful for. It can be anything at all.
Do this every day for at least a week and then at the end of your week, read over all of those daily musings to remind you of the things that are worth getting out of bed for!
If you prefer, put them in a fun Mason jar – and encourage your family to join in.
You can review them as a family at the end of the month as a fun family activity.
(Editor’s Note: Kristine George is a freelance journalist who resides in Easton.)