I've never been a huge fan of New Year's resolutions; rather than try and revise and rewrite parts of myself I may dislike, I like to develop new, positive habits.....same me, but better. So, here are my 4 new habits for 2013 -
I'll admit that until our daughter was born I rarely made a meal for dinner during the week. I got home late from work, had 4 million other things to do and didn't like the idea of having to plan and prepare meals on top of all my other responsibilities. I didn't have the time to figure out what we would eat each night and shop for those ingredients - so I would often end up frustrated when trying to cook because we would inevitably be missing a key ingredient (or three). Since Caroline was born and we decided that I would stay home with her and focus on ChelseyEmery I tasked myself with preparing meals for our family, luckily I have found that when I put in the time to plan - I actually enjoy it! I'm looking forward to planning and trying new meals this year (thank you Pinterest!) and made this weekly meal planner / grocery list to help me stay organized. The dinners for the week are listed on the front, and there is space on the back to list needed groceries - when I go shopping I just grab this page!
You can download your own set HERE >> ChelseyEmery_MealPlanner, it is meant to be printed double-sided and then cut in half to fit into a half-size binder, mine is from Russell & Hazel.
Since I decided to take ChelseyEmery full time my sales have increased drastically (yay!) which also means I need to be more dedicated to managing my business finances so I don't end up with a huge mess come January of next year. I use a number of tools to keep all my transactions in order, but I need to be better about double-checking, as well as keeping paper receipts organized. I scheduled monthly check-ins both in my planner and as alerts on my iPhone.
My goal is to NOT have to spend 30 minutes power cleaning before people come over because I am embarrassed of the state of our house. I guarantee it won't be perfectly clean all the time, but I know it can be better. I dread cleaning since it has always been an all-day task and therefore I often procrastinate until I must clean for company. Hopefully by keeping up with small daily tasks, I will be able to incorporate cleaning into my routine and maintain a relatively orderly home without feeling like I'm constantly cleaning.
You can print your own copy HERE >> ChelseyEmery_Cleaning Schedule
I enjoy shopping. I buy things because I like buying things - but I've realized I often don't need things. I need to remind myself that I don't need to buy things just because they are on sale. And if I don't buy them, I don't have to store them, and I don't have to clean them (see Habit #2). I will still buy things, but I think twice about them first - I will buy quality rather than quantity.
Just as it says :)
It's a new year, my first full year as a Mom, and my first full year with ChelseyEmery as my main source of income. I cannot know the challenges this year will bring, both personally and professionally but I hope to rise to them and overcome whatever life may throw my way, knowing that at the end of the year I will only be a stronger person because of it. Cheers to 2013!
What are some of the new habits you are hoping to maintain for the new year?