Happy 2022!

Well, 2021 did not let us off the hook for an easy ending. We’ve all been sick for the last 3 weeks. No Covid, but we’ve had our fair share of congestion, fevers, chills, aches, strep throat (me and Lyndon and Beaufort and Will), and ear infections (3 of the 4 kids). It’s left me feeling like Christmas kicked me around a little, and I’m behind on a lot of dreaming, planning, and prep that’s usually done in December. We’re just now taking down our tree and decor, and we are all slowly climbing out of the trenches of sickness we’ve been in.

So here I sit, January 1st, the day after my birthday, setting my goals and making a plan. And this year, I’m doing it differently.

I kept hearing about the 12 Week Year and decided to pick it up and start reading it in December. As I did, I felt such relief! With a 5 month old who still isn’t sleeping through the night, and me only having 1 month left of my maternity leave / sabbatical, I can ONLY look ahead to the next 12 weeks. Making a plan for much longer feels overwhelming. Much still feels unpredictable, and I’m not sure I’ll want the same things 6 months from now.

So, I’m going to implement a 12 week year, and I’ll do it over and over again this year (with 1 week between each to rest, dream, and reset a little).

This blogpost is going to be short and sweet. I’m going to share my overly-ambitious goals for the next 12 weeks, but I am ready for a challenge. If I don’t do them all, great! But I’m feeling motivated, and there’s something about knowing the finish line is only 12 weeks away that makes it more exciting.

My 12 week year : Part 1

Record 13 new episodes of Work and Play with Nancy Ray

IG: Unfollow 1000+ and post one time a week

Lose 11 pounds with Trim Healthy Mama

Re-take the Blueprint Model

Close up my NRP Website & Blog 😢

Complete The Home Reset (On sale now through January - HIGHLY recommend)

Finish reading the 12 Week Year

Read the Self Driven Child

Read The Psychology of Money

Complete an 8 week Contentment Challenge

•••

Have you ever tried a 12 week year? Or do you share your goals on your blog? I’d love to read them or your thoughts on my new way of goal setting this year - leave a link or your thoughts in the comments!

I think we are all trying to figure out what to do with 2021.

Should I even set goals when the world seems so unpredictable?

I’ve been wrestling with this question, sitting in the confusion and loss and lessons learned of 2020, feeling an incredible lack of motivation.

Today I don’t have a big long blogpost about goals and motivation and how to do all the things in 2021. But I do have some encouragement, and a few things I’m choosing to focus on in 2021.

The Lord woke me up this morning at 5:30am, and gave me these verses I want to share with you. They were everything I needed to read this New Years Day:

The source of revelation-knowledge is found as you fall down in surrender before the Lord. Don’t expect to see the Shekinah glory until the Lord sees your true humility.

Go ahead and make all the plans you want! But it’s the Lord who will ultimately direct your steps.

Before you do anything, put your trust totally in God and not in yourself.
Then every plan you make will succeed.

Psalm 15:33, 16:1,3 TPT

If we approach this year from a place of surrender and trust from the get go, we have the freedom to make plans and then trust God to direct our steps.

I also believe it’s wise to not set ourselves up for failure or disappointment by planning a ton of things that are out of our control, but rather focusing on the things that we can control, regardless of the world around us.

So according to these verses, this is what I did this morning:

1. Had a time of complete surrender before the Lord. Went completely back to neutral, again.

2. Asked Him for revelation-knowledge and guidance.

3. Told Him that I trusted Him completely.

4. Made some plans / set some goals.

A few other things that I’m choosing to do this year that I believe will be helpful coming out of 2020 and heading into 2021:

• I’m focusing more on quarterly goals than annual goals. I’m still setting goals for things I want to accomplish this year, but my direct focus will be on accomplishing things 12 weeks at a time.

• I’m choosing 3 areas of new habit-formation that will be life-giving. THOSE will be my main focus this year - not my goals.

• I’m acknowledging and realizing that I am in the throws of parenting young children. (This is obvious, but hang with me!) I won’t be here forever, but in this season, I am extremely limited with my time and ability to do very much work-wise. Instead of living in disappointment bc I naturally want to accomplish SO much but they demand so much of me, I’m re-shifting my mindset : THEY are my goal. Enjoying these little years IS MY GOAL! I’ll be honest: It’s hard and it’s wonderful, I’m in the thick of it, and they are demanding. But I’m listening and heeding the advice of so many mama friends, choosing joy in the midst of it, while I’m in it.

With that said, here are my goals for 2021!

2021 Goals

• Finish the school year strong (i.e. homeschooling Milly 3 days/week, preschool, etc)

• Complete Naptime Kitchen Home Reset (only available for purchase through 1/31)

• Maintain Photos Monthly

• Continue hosting the weekly Work and Play Podcast

• Join a small group at Church

• Take a few months off social media throughout the year (still praying about this: maybe 1 month a quarter? 2 months a year + my weekly time off? Not sure)

• Read 12 books

• Play piano once a week

• Have monthly Time Management planning

3 main habits I want to focus on:

1. Sleep + my morning routine.
   I have really gotten out of a good habit here. My hope is to go to bed at 9pm and get up at 5:30am, so I can have my time with the Lord, work out, and get fully dressed before my day begins. Gonna take some hard work, but I know it’ll be worth it!

2. Read more.
   Books continue to prove to be one of my most valuable investments of time. Plan to listen to more books on audible this year and read every night before going to bed.

3. Planning FUN experiences on a monthly basis!
   If there is anything I need more of this year, it’s fun! While it feels like a lot of fun has been taken away from us (concerts, plays, movies, any kind of group entertainment) I’m committing to plan family fun and evenings with friends every single month this year. Realizing it’s a necessity!

I also wanted to simply say - if you aren’t there yet, it’s okay. If you still need some time to process 2020, it’s okay. Take your time, pray through it, and know God has got you. I wrestled with this the entire month of December, and if He hadn’t woken me up at 5:30am this morning, this blogpost would not be written and my goals would not be made.

We are human, and it’s okay to take some extra time to process, pray, and think about how to wisely enter 2021.

God’s work in you is a process, not an event. It progresses not in three or four huge moments, but in ten thousand little moments of change. - Paul David Tripp

Be encouraged! And if you’re up for it, I’d love to hear your honest thoughts on 2021 in the comments.

As always, I’m so grateful you are here.

I’ve been doing a fun little series on my Instastories on authority, and I feel like it’s shifted the way that I look at my goals. Instead of writing out my goals for the month and checking them off one by one, or not checking them off at all because I get overwhelmed, I’ve been simply “taking authority” over areas of my life that, quite frankly, have felt like areas of defeat.

What I’ve learned is this: using a little bit of different language in regards to what you want to accomplish can be life giving! Instead of “I’m going to clean out my car” I said, “I’m taking authority over my car.” It is freeing, empowering, and for me, it’s re-established the joy and authority I have in taking care of my home.

So my August Goals are the following! But instead of saying they are my August Goals, this month I’m trying something new.

These are the areas where I’m taking authority in my life - big and small. I’ll report back and let you know how it changed or didn’t change the results!

August areas of Authority

• School Prep and Supplies for all the kids

• Playroom toys

• My car

• Front closet

• 2018 Photo Album

• Eating and Exercise [trying a 30 day intense workout at home program, as well as a no sugar, high protein diet. Sheesh! Lots of authority needed here!]

• Kids Clothes Cleanout and storage

What about you? Do you feel a difference when you say “I’m taking authority over ____” v. “I’m going to do ____"? Would love to know if you’ve tried it!

Also feel free to visit my IG Highlight called “Authority” if you want to follow along! I’ll be chiming in there all month long.