5 Steps to Finishing the Year out Strong
Every single year, I am left thinking to myself, “wow the year went by fast…I have two more months left, and those are always the craziest months”
AND I also realize that there are a lot of things that didn’t get accomplished that I had meant to do back in January, and with the fresh new January upon me, finishing the year out strong and at least being half way to my goal is what I begin to strive for.
These are the steps I take to make sure I Finish out the Year Strong:
1. Identify the Goal
In January, I had set out to declutter my house completely because my fiancé was going to be moving in as my husband, and of course, we’d be receiving wedding gifts that all take up space. I did start the decluttering process, however, when my fiancé moved in during the summer, the stuff explosion happened again.
2. Identify What you CAN do in the next two months
So, to finish out the year out strong post-wedding I want to declutter from all the wedding planning stuff and putting the gifts away in their new home + donating old items that we are replacing with the new, like new sets of sheets and kitchen supplies. I am going to have to leave the clothe drawers and the cabinet in the bathroom filled with a ridiculous amount of Band-Aids until after January.
3. Make a PLAN:
Make it Weekly! OR Add in a new habit like cleaning up after dinner each night and sweeping the floors daily. Whatever you do, make it easy, achievable and measurable. I’ve decided to spend 2 hours each Saturday towards decluttering. I will set an alarm while I work, so that I can slowly unpack everything and write those Thank You notes!
4. Get a Friend or Spouse/Partner in on the FUN!
Accountability makes your Goals feel more fun and easier to achieve. My fiancé, soon to be my husband will be helping me with these tasks and also will be the frontrunner in making sure things actually get donated, since I hate running errands except for grocery store shopping.
5. BE Flexible!
2 months isn’t a lot of time in the grand scheme of things. You can accomplish a ton during that time, but also these are some of the busiest months of the year, so giving yourself grace is a MUST, however, it doesn’t mean you let yourself off the hook and don’t accomplish your goals, it means being flexible to figure out what works for you. If Saturdays become too busy, we may decide to do our decluttering on a Friday night instead or Sunday morning before going to church…there are other ways to make the goals work and get accomplished, it just may not be the way you envisioned!
Since most of my readers aren’t necessarily here to declutter, health is a priority for you, so to finish the year out strong here is what I would do if I wanted to lose weight before the end of the year or accomplish another health related goal…
First off, let’s be real…with this being the holiday season upon us, losing weight can feel very difficult, so let’s focus on what you CAN do instead:
Identify the Goal:
Prioritizing Health in the name of Losing Weight before the end of the year.
Identify What CAN be Done:
- Going to bed an hour earliermanage stress
- Learning to say “no” to the things that you don’t really want to do (like going to your 3rd cousin’s Christmas party where his friends are just not your type of people)
- Turning off the electronics earlier in the evening
- Focusing on meal planning during this time so you have your meals planned even with celebrations in mind
- Only enjoying the sweet treats that you really love, and picking and choosing your favorite savory dishes too!
Make a PLAN:
Meal Plan, Meal Plan Meal Plan and keep to it! This will help you stick to your goal with ease, no matter what your health goal is!!
Get a Friend or Spouse/Partner in on the Fun!
Wrangle a friend! One of my best friends and her neighbor meal planned together. They took turns with meals and their families ate together. She took M,W,F and her friend took T, TH, Sunday (Saturdays were left to their individual families). So, they only had three dinners to plan each week for both families, shopping and cooking. AND it was a stress reducer, and their families got to hang out together. They had a great time! There are so many options…like just accountability, like following each other on a tracking app or phoning a friend.
Be Flexible!
Things come up and not every day is going to look perfect, so don’t have the All or Nothing Mindset. When things go awry, ask yourself, “What is My Intention?” and “What can I do to continue to make progress?”