Thank you all so much for your encouragement on yesterday’s post. I was absolutely terrified to publish that post, and it was extremely difficult to write it. So thank you for the “me too!” moments. Truly.
Today I’m sharing my specific goals for creating white space in our home and in our family. I’d love to hear what some of your goals may be.
Clean it out! All of it.
The paper. The clutter. The closet. The bathroom cabinets. There is stuff that were are not using ever, and it needs to go.
Clear the calendar.
This month, so far, has been fantastic. When friends have asked to schedule a play date or a friend unexpectedly came to town, we’ve been able to go. We’ve been focusing on relationships and community. These are the things that matter to us as a family. Our family mission statement is to be a blessing to others. We can’t bless others if we’re all running around all the time.
Create a plan for when we move to the new house.
All of our belongings are currently in storage. When we see everything again for the first time in a year, there may be moments of pure shock. We certainly don’t need it all, and I need to make a list of what I know we can donate.
Organize and purge the toys.
There will be an entire post written on this topic, but I think everyone can agree that children play better and appreciate their toys more when they have fewer toys.
Make time.
I am coming up with a little plan to create more time in the day. This means waking up earlier and cutting things out of my life. The whole purpose of this exercise is to have more uninterrupted time with my kids, but I’d also like a good twenty minutes to myself.
Wake up earlier.
This goes with the above goal. But this goal is for the sole purpose of spending time with the Lord early in the morning. To make praising Him be the first thing I do each day. While sipping coffee, of course. Baby steps.
What are your goals to create white space?
This is Day 8 in 31 Days of Creating White Space.
What a great goals! I’m such a fan of this series and want to join in on the white space quest. 🙂 Thanks for sharing, Erin!
Thank you, Carroll!
My goal each morning is to get as many of the ‘have to”s done before we head out the door for whatever we’re doing in the morning. I at the least want the clean dishes in the dishwasher put away, dirty dishes in the dishwasher, laundry started and kitchen counters and table cleared. These tasks make the rest of my day feel more peaceful and I don’t feel the pull of the dishwasher / vacuum / etc when we’re reading books or playing outside.
Yes! I love that. Get the “have-tos” going and done before the day gets going. That’s great!
I too am attempting the early wake up time. I’ve been doing my time with God first thing and I love it. But 3 days a week I need to get up even earlier to exercise. There is no other time to do it right now. And with the self image issues I struggle with, I’m not sacrificing time in the word for running. But I’m asking God to help guide me with balance. I also am trying to scale back on activities and really BE with my family. Everything we do doesn’t have to be blog worthy. I just need to get that through my thick skull! Thanks for the encouragement!
I need to get up earlier to exercise, too. It would make me feel better physically and feel better about myself, for sure. It’s hard to find that balance. To be a mom, to take care of the home, to work, to exercise, to spend time in the word, to kiss boo boos, to maintain friendships and to cook and be a good wife. It is a lot! But something has to go!
Thank you for sharing these things — and this series. I definitely need way more white space in my life. I’m trying to do better, but I feel like it’s an endless cycle of slow down and then speed back up again. It’s challenging for me to have the white space I know I need when I’m trying to spend quality time with my husband and the boys, cook and take care of the house (even with my husband helping a ton), participate in activities at church and other things like sports the boys are involved in, catch up with family, run and workout and work on school work with the kids plus adding in a full-time job that’s pretty demanding. I’m making a concerted effort to slow down and I’m thankful for these 30 days you’re sharing with us because they are inspiring me!
Thank you, Anna. Thanks for always being so encouraging. There are so many things to do every day and it’s so hard to figure out where to cut back and where to say no.
My husband and I have the tendency to start projects, but not finish them in a timely manner, so I’ve made a list of all the random “To-do’s” and projects that pop in my head. My husband and I prioritized everything and put them on the calendar. No more spur of the moment decisions on what we should be doing on the weekend…now we know. Making that list made so much more room in my brain!
That is a great goal! Intentional weekends with goals on what you want to accomplish. I love it.
One of my goals all year has been to start waking up earlier and to create a morning routine. The year is almost over, and I’ve made no progress towards this goal. I know I’m a morning person at heart, but I just let myself get away from that over the past few years. When I do get up early, I feel so much more at peace and less stressed. Making myself do it is the hard part!
I’ve enjoyed all your “white space” posts this month.
Thank you, Beth! It has been a good experience for me thus far. And exhausting. Ha! 😉
Waking up early is a HUGE challenge for me. I hope I can make some strides in the next few weeks.
I did the early to rise challenge with Money Saving Mom a few months ago before I was pregnant and I LOVED it! It made such a difference in my day.
I need to look into that challenge!
Oh waking up early. How I feel productive when I do it but dread it at the same time.
I’ve made it a goal to keep the phone on its charger after dinner. When it’s sitting on a dresser rather than the bed or my pocket my mind is a lot less cluttered.
Yes! I dread it, too. I love being a night owl and I love to sleep. But I know I’ll feel so much more productive if I just get up and get going! Love the phone idea! Love it.
Our goal is the clear the clutter. We’re moving in May and we don’t want to keep dragging things that we aren’t using with us!
friend, i am LOVING this series. its awesome and encouraging 🙂 lets make some white space and hang out soon!