I get questions all the time about establishing discipline, routines, and habits. I figured the best way to break down how I navigate achieving goals and making my rhythms a priority is to just show you.

I’ve never done this before and so I’m a little nervous. I’d love to read in the comments if you like this kind of content and if it is helpful! It feels vulnerable to post my hopes for the month of September knowing I could fail all of these things and live to report back to you. But maybe it will be a sweet form of accountability and you and I will learn some valuable things across the next month.

My goal is to post here at the start of the month, add to the post at the halfway mark with a little update, and then finish at the end of the month with a recap of how it all went down. 

I’ve got questions in the past about how I use my PowerSheets when it comes to mapping my week. Well, the PowerSheets actually take the guesswork out of my map for the week. When I sit down on Fridays to map my week, I pull out my PowerSheets and use them to inform what I want to accomplish in the week ahead. It’s a great resource for that because sometimes I can come into my week mapping feeling a little aimless. By having my PowerSheets beside me, I can remind myself I am making progress toward goals that matter to me– goals I set out at the start of the month.

Monthly Action Items:

Prep for Advent Season: This is the number one priority. I always find myself scrambling through the Advent season and never getting to savor it. Advent is the biggest campaign of the year for me and I LOVE it. This year, my goal is to do every bit of prep- writing, uploading, scheduling, strategizing, etc- in the month of September. 

Enjoy and be present at Retreat: I have an upcoming retreat in Utah for a company I’m helping to build. I typically am a homebody and loathe the part where I have to leave my family and get on an airplane but I’m really excited for this one. My goal is to savor and enjoy this time away and really be present with the people around me. When I arrive at the airport after the retreat, I’ll meet up with my mom who is also flying into Atlanta at the same time so I am really, really looking forward to that! 

Fully immerse myself in the Gospel Challenge: I run the Gospel Reading Challenge every year. I think this is the 5th or 6th year? Whichever, it becomes easy to be detached from the thing you’re leading or just go through the motions when you’re busy cultivating an experience for everyone else. This year, my goal is to be just as saturated in the Gospel Reading Challenge as other participants. I want to walk out of September feeling refreshed and like my faith got a much-needed reset. Bring it on!

Reread 12 Week Year: This is a book I read when I was pregnant with Novi. The only reason I remember that is because I was reading it on the day I took my glucose test. I don’t feel like I really got the chance to soak up and savor the wisdom in this book and I would really love to craft a 12-Week Year Plan for the final quarter in 2022! In order to make this goal a reality, I have to sit down each day and read _____ pages. 

Weekly Action Items:

Practice Sabbath: Sabbath in our household takes place from Friday at sundown to Saturday at sundown. It’s a 24-hour period without social media, work, or labor. I do find myself cleaning parts of the house on Sabbath but that doesn’t feel like labor to me- it’s a refreshing time I look forward to. For sabbath, we focus on family dinners, time spent with friends, reading books, going on excursions, or just taking it slow. I’ll be honest- I’ve worked the last two Saturdays and though it felt necessary it is not a rhythm I want to continue so I am going to put myself to the test this upcoming month and really observe Sabbath.

Publish a new, fun blog: Consider this my first one! I was talking with my intern Grace Anne the other day about how I want to do more “fun” posts on the blog. I love some serious, heartfelt writing but I also want to talk about things that don’t require a ton of mental energy. Especially as I attempt to push into book writing, I need to save some of those brain cells. You can expect a guide to going gluten-free, a post on hygge, and some other fun blogs in the month ahead!

New veggie each week: It’s still the year of the vegetables!! I know I haven’t written much of an update but I am getting back to it. For the month of September, our goal is to try one new veggie every week. Meaning: a veggie we’ve never tried before or one that is not common in our monthly rotations. This gives me an excuse to visit the local farmer’s markets around Atlanta and get a little daring with the dishes for September.

Intentional Thursdays with Novi: Thursday is my day with Novi. Apart from one standing meeting on the calendar and her naptime, I committed to not working on Thursdays so I could be present with her throughout the day. This path month, I realized I was adding so much extra stress and pressure to my life by trying to do the impossible: working like usual on days with no childcare. It left me stressed. It left her emotional. All around- not the best situation for us. In September, I am scaling back, powering down the phone, and planning some intentional Thursdays for us to have together.

Complete the Sparta workout once a week: Ugh. I already hate this goal. But sometimes you have to challenge yourself with goals you hate because you know you’ll love the eventual progress. In college, I used to do this specific Sparta workout all the time. It’s a mental battle for sure. Since this year is all about mental toughness and mindset change for me, I think I need to bring a little Sparta back into my life. This could easily be the goal I fail first but I’m still placing it here with good intentions and the will to try. 

Daily Action Items // Habits

I feel like it’s important to stress that I don’t use this section for habits I am hoping to forge. I use this section for habits and rhythms I’ve mostly already established for myself. If I want to make something a habit over time, I will add it as a weekly action item first and then push it to daily. 

Deciding you are going to start 5 new daily habits is probably not sustainable. This section is reserved for things I’m already doing consistently that I want to track and take to the next level. Habits I’m already in the groove of doing– like eating whole foods or drinking water– aren’t on this list because I’ve solidified them in my daily life and no longer feel like I need to keep tracking them. 

1. The Daily Office: This is a new devotional I’m trying out in the month of September and it hinges on meeting God once in the AM and once in the PM. I’ll admit, my brain is typically fried by 6 pm. Once Lane comes home, I’m ready to crawl into bed for a moment and scroll mindlessly. This isn’t that bad of a habit BUT I feel God stretching me to meet with him instead. Do I want to? Not exactly. Just being honest with you. This is a chance to see if I can replace a habit that doesn’t add anything to my life with one that does.

2. Three Strength Training Workouts per Week: I’m editing this one a bit. Instead of just a “solid workout,” I am swapping it for 3 strength training workouts a week. Lifting weight and getting stronger! Over the last two months of doing Peloton workouts (I seriously LOVE this app), I’ve fallen back in love with strength training. I feel stronger, more confident, and overall happier in my life and I really think it’s from lifting the heavyweights. Doing 3 of these workouts a week is the goal and I can’t wait to dive in Yes- Sparta counts as one of these workouts! YAY!

3. 500 Words a Day: I owe you a post on how my rhythm of 500 words a day is going but I am really placing the rhythm to the test this month by setting it as a daily habit. Yikes. I do plan to take one a week off though because your girl’s brain needs a little break.

I love hearing from you:

In moving my blog to a newer platform, I sadly had to let go of the thousands of comments and conversations that came from readers over the last 10+ years. This grieves me deeply but I know there will new conversations, fresh words of wisdom, and opportunities to create close community once again. I’d love to hear from you in the comments section. I’ll be reading + replying on a regular basis.