Wow, Child(ish) Advice is now three years old. Thank you for all your continued support and trusting us to provide meaningful content as we begin the new year.
For me, if 2022 was all about laying the groundwork for personal and professional development, then 2023 is about reinforcing and refining these goals, trimming deadweight, and being more efficient and purposeful in my actions. So what do I plan to accomplish during this trip around the sun?
OMG, get more sleep
Yes, I know that getting a good night’s rest is essential to appropriately seize the day (I mean, we wrote a whole series about it). Although I had this goal resolution last year, it never became a successful habit.
Truth be told, I valued moments of solitude late at night more than sleep. But, the result was sluggishness that no amount of caffeine could fix, irritability, and a short fuse leading to displaced frustration and anger. Without a doubt, my other resolutions would also benefit from getting more shut-eye. So yeah, it’s time to put the sleep deprivation to bed once and for all.
Restart that health kick
No, this isn’t about getting on a diet or working out an insane amount. This is more like picking up where I left off. The holiday season (October to December) really eats up a lot of my time and energy, especially with our new foster pup. Daily workouts or even drinking water became a chore that I would just put it off until another time. With the holidays now over (and with a new pair of running kicks), I plan to ease back in and find the motivation to get back to where daily movement is fun.
Minimalize it
I was never one to be a minimalist or had any interest in it, until now. Patti is definitely laughing under her breath right now. With three kids and a dog, there’s stuff EVERYWHERE and I can’t seem to escape it. I’m beginning to crave open space and decluttering things that no longer carry value in my life, my family, or my home. I recently purged my closet, the kids’ clothes and toys, and it honestly felt really good. We’ll see if this feeling continues as I re-examine and edit other parts of my life as well.
Regaining time
I was never good at time management, but I will say that last year was the first step to being better at it. I realized I lose so much time just sitting around, scrolling social media or mindlessly watching TV. There’s nothing terribly wrong with that, but I’d find I wouldn’t accomplish as many items from my to-do list because I’d get sucked into TikTok trends or other people’s lives. Just getting back a few hours could improve my productivity and give me back QUALITY time spent doing things I enjoy with the people I’m with.
Stress less
This is an expansion of last year’s resolution of doing less. I’m aware that stress is a constant; however, only I have the power to reduce the burdens I place on myself. For instance, I can control how many things I commit to, what I do in my down-time, or what truths I hold to be important and worth my attention. This sounds all very zen, but in order to feel like a good parent, spouse, and a better version of myself, I need to move with intention, focusing on what I can control, choosing quality and meaning over FOMO feelings.
Thank you all again for another great year with Child(ish) Advice!
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