New Years Resolutions, To Do Lists, and Accomplishments - huh?

This morning James and I were talking about New Year's resolutions. At one point, I turned to him and asked him if he had any idea what I meant by that phrase. He admitted having no clue, but also agreed that he had been going along with the conversation as though he did. I took a step back with our conversation to break down the phrase and explain what it means. We agreed the new year was 2021. He then proceeded to look up the word "resolution" in the dictionary and then checked for synonyms. James proudly announced that New Year's Resolutions are actually plans for 2021. Things were beginning to make sense.

The next step was to start planning some goals. His first response was "I want to play Wii Fit Plus." This did not surprise me, but instead of my usual, "Okay, that makes sense," I started asking questions. Soon his goal was "I want to play Wii Fit Plus for at least an hour a day, with 20 minutes before school." The before school part is because he has already noticed that if he works out before school, paying attention during classes is easier. He came up with four other goals spread between school, free reading, eating less candy, and cleaning up his clothes. Pretty good goals for a 12-year old, if you ask me.

We then came up with a few for me. This year, I went beyond the usual "I want to lose ____ pounds by _____(date)." That one tends to get forgotten before long, maybe not forgotten, but pushed aside as it is too vague. Instead James and I worked on a list of specific things I can do, some of which he will also wind up following or doing with me

. They are:

1. Exercise for at least 20 minutes at least five times per week. (check done for today)

2. Eat fruits and / or veggies at every meal.

3. Drink at least 8 cups of water every day.

I have more goals and projects I would like to continue working on such as scrapbooking, other crafts, writing (multiple projects in the works), decluttering, and more. Do not forget to throw work and assisting James with schoolwork and all of his other activities in to the mix.

My to-do-list is at 11 pages right now. I have things broken down by day for the next week or two, beyond that are additional things that need to get done, as time allows. This can be overwhelming and seem as though I will never get through everything I need to do. Rather than knocking things off the list, there are times I will look at it and put it away because I just don't know where to start or I will get so engrossed on one project that nothing else gets done. It can be especially frustrating when at the end of the day, the list is longer than it was at the beginning.

For 2021, both James and I will be starting an "accomplished list." If I were to look at yesterday's list of what we accomplished, it would include a 300-piece jigsaw puzzle started at 4:45 and finished by 6:15. It may not have been on my list of things that needed to be done, but it resulted in some quality time with James and helped clear our heads. So far today: we have set some goals, figured out how to track them, went for a walk with my m other, eaten fruits or vegetables at every meal, and had lots of water. I have not even looked at my to-do list yet, but I feel as though it is a good day and I have accomplished much.

My challenge for you for 2021, keep an accomplishment log or list. You can pull it out anytime you are feeling frustrated and see just how far you have come.