What's Been Working for Me Lately

Sometimes in the thick of daily living it’s easiest to see all the problem areas. As I work to develop and maintain habits, it’s nice to step back from the day-to-day monotony and acknowledge the things that are working, that are making a positive impact on my physical and mental experience. These are some of the little moments recently that feel like big wins.

Building reading time into my daily schedule. Reading a specific number of books throughout the course of this year was an important goal for me, and I suspected that the only way I could come close to actually achieving it was to schedule reading time. Throughout the first month of this year, it became so joyful and calming to curl up with my book during naptime most days, early in the morning on weekends, and for 30-40 minutes before falling asleep at night. It feels luxurious to read in the middle of the day. In fact, I’d estimate that reading a book has replaced 75% or more of my social media scrolling. I feel nourished and cared for and capable of carrying on with my other responsibilities.

Morning yoga. I dove into a daily yoga practice in the second week of January, and I’ve been diligently showing up on my mat 6 mornings each week. Sundays feel like such a cozy day for morning reading that I let yoga slide. Adriene of YouTube’s Yoga with Adriene shares a month-long program of daily practices each January, so I committed to doing it this year. It’s been a calm way to center myself and start each day; it’s brought awareness to my breath on and off the mat; it’s the conscientious stretching I need after a curled up night of sleep. That’s not to say that I necessarily want to do yoga every morning, but I’m routinely grateful that I took the time to do it. Those daily planks and downward dogs deserve some credit for how much stronger I’m feeling too.

Clearing the kitchen counters. We keep a pretty tidy house, putting things back where they belong after using them and regularly wiping down the crumb coated and sticky surfaces throughout the kitchen. We also have a generous kitchen in our home, so this isn’t an issue of maximizing a tiny space. Somehow though, I was starting to feel crowded each time I went in the kitchen. So we cleared the counters as much as possible, while still allowing space for the most frequently used (coffeepot!) and cumbersome (kitchenaid mixer!) appliances. The three most impactful changes we made were:
- placing cooking utensils in a drawer instead of in a countertop canister near the stove
- purchasing a fruit stand for an unused corner on the floor and consolidating all room-temperature fruit in it
- drying and putting away clean dishes most nights so the morning starts with a clear counter

Sewing lessons and practice projects. I finally dove into my years-long ambition to learn to sew this winter, and it’s been nothing short of delightful! At this point I’ve completed the 10 beginner lessons and final project (an elastic waist A-line skirt) in my online course. I’ve also made a pillowcase; I’ve made a skirt and added it to an existing t-shirt for some serious preschool style; I’m now adorning store bought sweatshirts with Valentine details for each of the kids. It’s been creative and unfussy. It also reminds me that learning new things can be so much fun!

My first three sewing pieces: pillowcase, adult skirt with elastic waist, child’s skirt added to existing t-shirt

Packing lunches at night and loading the car early. Why in the world have I been packing lunches in the morning for over 3 years? I gave night before lunch packing a weeklong try back in September, but something derailed me and I fell back into my morning packing habit. With the new year, I decided to really commit to school preparation, and it has been fantastic. Yes, making lunches at night extends the dinner prep/eat/clean up process by about 10 minutes, but the morning peace and relaxation it’s brought me is absolutely worth it. Additionally, we were experiencing a lot of stress getting out the door each morning. Between shoes and jackets and corralling everyone out the door and into the car, I was a cranky mess by the time I sat in the driver’s seat most days. So, I started packing up the kids’ bags and loading them into the car about an hour before we actually drive away. Departure time isn’t always perfect, but this shift has been a game-changer.