Resolutions

“The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.”

Well-known Scottish poet Robert Burns really hit the nail on the head when he penned similar words in the eighteenth century which were adapted to this familiar saying.

My 2009 began with many resolutions which broke cleanly out of the gate only to fall away from the field before we even hit the first turn. I wonder if any other mom struggles as much as I do just to keep up with daily chores. It seems like as soon as I get things organized and on a schedule and am beginning to make progress with various projects I have waiting in the wings something happens to derail the progress I’ve made and knock me back again.

Nothing monumentally challenging has happened this year. I was slow to get back in the swing of things after the holidays. A had a couple bouts with teething. (Have I ever mentioned what a rotten teether she is?) I’ve had a week or two of being “in the dumps,” which always affects my productivity. We had to rush A to the ER and spend a night in the hospital. And, the three of us spent a whole week being sick with some sort of wretched bug.

Anyway, as you already know, I haven’t been able to get around to updating the blog until now. I had grand plans for the year. I even mapped out a very doable schedule, including days to update this blog and our family blog. Honestly, it wasn’t an unobtainable schedule at all. I just never got it going in full swing before I got knocked back the first time, and then I couldn’t seem to get it rolling again.

I decided that I needed to try a different approach to scheduling myself. Instead of simply listing what I want to accomplish on which days, I scheduled out my time each day. Of course, I realize this schedule will need to be flexible as things pop up all the time. I’m one week into using the new schedule, and already I’m much more productive. In fact, I’ve accomplished several tasks that I’ve been putting off for four months!

Since this is the first week I’ve used the schedule, I haven’t followed it exactly; especially since there were several household tasks that really got pushed aside due to our recent illnesses; so time that I would use to write or work on other projects was used instead to complete those chores.

I think, too, that this schedule may keep me on track better and help me avoid the pitfalls of watching too much of The Today Show or spending too much time on Facebook! I think I sometimes wallow around in the decision of what to do first so long that once I decide where to begin I’ve already wasted half the day or I bemoan the fact that I have too many “boring” responsibilities to take care of before I can get to the more fun items on the list.

Getting all my responsibilities handled and caring for A are, of course, my priorities; but, to keep myself sane, I need to continue some other activities as well, such as my writing. I have this blog and our family blog, but I also have several writing projects I’ve been wanting to do for years. There are several books I would like to write; plus, I’d love to write a short story or poem every now and then. That was one of my favorite things to do in school, and I really miss it. And, of course, I can’t forget the therapeutic nature of keeping up with a journal or two! Also, I’ve just been given the opportunity to do some freelance writing again. Now, that’s something I can really get on board with since I get paid for it!!

Also, I have my photography business which is not exactly booming, but is slowly growing. In addition to the portrait sessions and weddings and other events I have advertised for, I’d like to do more shooting for fun. I have a whole list of ideas of things I can shoot in my area in order to turn around and sell as framed, unframed and matted prints.

Another thing I miss from school is reading good literature and reacting to it, either orally in a group or through a written medium like an essay. I have recently started reading again--fiction, non-fiction, classics; fun books with stories I can get lost in and deeper books that make me question things and want to do more research. I started a book club, too; and we met for the first time a week and a half ago. It was so much fun to discuss a common book with other ladies.

Cooking and baking, researching and organizing household papers are some other things I enjoy. The only actual “project” I wrote on my list of resolutions to complete in 2009 is organizing all my recipes and developing some sort of system where I can find them. That way I may actually make all those tasty dishes I salivated over before tossing them in my folder with hundreds of others!

While my year didn’t start the way I’d hope, my heart and desire is in the right place anyway; and I hope to get things running a little more smoothly around here!

How do you keep yourself organized and on track? What are some projects you like to do or activities you like to keep up with that help you maintain your sanity? I’d love to hear from moms like me!