back into the swing of things.

what is it about routines that comfort us?

well, perhaps i should speak only for myself. a routine makes me happy. i don't want to live by a schedule, but knowing what i'm doing from week to week and day to day, so that i can plan most effectively and be productive, makes me happy.  i think i do pretty well when i roll with the punches, but i'm much more happy and at ease when there's a bit of continuity.

everyone else has shared with you their goals for this year, but since my life will COMPLETELY change in april when our Baby Girl arrives, my goals are much more finite.  i have a set of third trimester goals, if you will, that will last the next three months.  i'm happy to share them, but as i was constructing them, i realized that they are centered on achieving a balanced schedule and making that schedule a habit.

my goals for january to april 2011:

• study scriptures first thing every day, with breakfast.  i don't particularly have a specific timeframe in mind, since i read different things on different days, but i would like to read one whole thing (a chapter, a talk, etc).
• exercise for 45 to an hour five times a week.  this time period usually means a 2 mile walk (or a little more) because i'm just ridiculously slow now, or the entire prenatal yoga dvd.  i would like to do it every week day, when my husband is at school, but the five day a week goal allows me some flexibility to take a saturday if the middle of the week is a bit crazy.
• keep up with housework on a regular schedule. i am tired of being a slave to my laundry on sporadic saturdays. since i will be home every day, it seems stupid to not get myself on a schedule for getting things done. a few things need to be done every day (i.e. dishes, picking up the house, making the bed, etc), but the larger tasks can be broken up across the weekdays.  i've learned quite a lot from ashlee's posts about her schedule for her girls; i love how productive she is, and i think having a schedule will allow me some time to pursue things that make me feel fulfilled.
• keep up with grading on a regular schedule.  the rationale is the same here--when i don't have piles of grading to do, perhaps i will be able to use the time i carve out for answering emails, engaging with students on discussion boards, or planning ahead for times when papers will be overwhelming. 
• take time for and accomplish projects.  one of the things that fell by the wayside over the past year or so, as we've been growing increasingly busy, have been my personal hobbies and projects. with the baby coming, i have a lot of fun projects to do for the nursery. but i also have a crossstitch project that i would like to complete for our home before she comes, and i like the idea of taking on a huge book (i recently read a large biography of truman, which was over 1000 pages and felt like a triumph when i finished it!) or learning a lot of new things (including new recipes!).  
• prioritize family nights.  we are not a good family night family. we try, but with our crazy schedules, we have not been able to establish a permanent night and stick with it. we will do it this semester.

these may seem vague, but they are just the general descriptions of how i see my everyday shaping up.  sometimes it's easier for me to see how my goals can be accomplished by laying out my days--if the day looks like how i want it to go, then i know what i want to do and how i can do it.  concrete works best for me.

i am very excited about the upcoming months, for many obvious reasons but the not-so-obvious ones are centered on establishing this pattern of priorities.  i want my days to reflect what is important to me--my faith, my family, my work, and me.


do you find your schedules help or hurt your healthy living goals? does anyone else use your schedule as a way of empowering yourselves to achieving your goals?