Just One Thing

I know that January 1st isn’t really our New Year, but given that we live in this world, turning over a new page on the Gregorian calendar definitely feels to me like a clean slate opportunity.

An opportunity to do better. Become the person I want to be.

More organized. Efficient. Disciplined. Fit.

More kind. Loving. Giving. Selfless.

Lots of resolutions get made at the beginning of this month.

And most of them get “broken” by the end of this month.

I’m not sure what the psychology is behind that, but I certainly want to avoid falling into the trap of promises – even ones made to myself – made in vain.

Bli neder.

So instead of grand sweeping proclamations, I’m focusing on doing just one thing.

One new habit. One small correction of my (many) flawed character traits. One thing each month that I think will help me get to where I want to be, one day in the future.

This month my just one thing is to clear off my desk at the end of each day.

My desk is my hub. It’s my organizational center. It’s Paper Work Central for my life as a mom, a blogger, a home manager and whatever other hats that I wear.

When the bills and coupons and school papers and goodness-knows-what-else get piled on my desk – which, by the way, can happen in a nanosecond – I begin to feel piled under.

And when that happens, I naturally fall back on keeping everything in my head.

Remember to pay that insurance premium bill – it’s somewhere on the desk. Remember to sign the kids’ permission slips for the field trip – it’s somewhere on the desk. Remember to take that $2 Kashi coupon with you to Target – it’s somewhere on the desk.

This keeping-stuff-in-my-head thing is truly exhausting. And terribly inefficient.

Making sure I go to bed with a clean desk not only means I get to have a clear desk, it means I get to have a clear(er) mind.

Score two points for efficiency.

I’ll pay bills in a more timely manner, without (as much of) that nagging worry that I’m forgetting something.

I’ll stop invoking the ire of the kids’ teachers for forgetting to sign very-important-papers.

I’ll save money and time, since I’ll actually have the coupons with me – the first time I go to the store. (Yes, even I forget coupons at home. Or lose them in my purse. Which might have to be my “just one thing” for next month.)

Does this resonate with you? Can you choose just one thing to focus on in January.

Whether it’s a messy desk. Or a caffeine habit (I’m not ready to go there yet). Or bitten-down nails. Or a too-quick temper.

Leave me a comment – tell me your just one thing. Let’s keep each other accountable, shall we?

Comments

  1. Not sweating the small stuff. As cliched as it sounds, I stress too easily and need to learn not to let every little thing get to me.

  2. Well, i have a bunch of goals that I would like to accomplish, but the only one I’ve kept so far is not biting my nails (funny that you mentioned that!). Haven’t bitten them since before NYE! Yay! I like the idea of focusing on one a month… I’ll have to try that!

  3. Never going to bed with dirty dishes in the sink! Everything seems to get backed up when I have to start today with yesterday’s dishes.

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