None of these are huge, earth-shattering ideas, but 3 things will help you start 2019 off well.
Unsubscribe
Start by culling your email lists. After Christmas, when every single online purchase requires my email address for confirmation, I suddenly realize I’m getting 32 emails before I’m even out of bed in the morning. And some of the senders are pinging me 3-4 times a day. Not cool.
So yesterday, I took some time to unsubscribe. Not just from Lands End, which I only order from like once a year and which sends WAY too many emails. But from other lists I’ve added this year that I no longer need.
Like the writing website whose posts are so basic I didn’t learn anything from them. A devotional I’ve gotten for literally years. I realized this fall I was skipping more days than I read them. And some charities which I totally support, but I don’t need daily or weekly emails from. Keep the name handy; get off the list.
Of course, I kept a number of lists active. You will, too. But if we’re honest, we don’t really need ALL the emails we get. What I really love is getting a real email. From an actual person. I want to be thought of and cared for. And lists don’t really do that. Yet far too often we equate a full inbox with a fulfilling inbox.
Of course, they’re not the same. Your worth is not defined by your email subscriptions. Your productivity will likely go up with fewer emails to search through. And we all will be better off sending some meaningful email (or real mail) to people we actually want to connect with. So start 2019 by unsubscribing.
One Conversation
Have one hard conversation this week. Seriously. Just one.
On Sunday night, my MIL kept our kids overnight so we had some uninterrupted time together. While eating a light supper that night (because OH MY WORD, I’m really done with all the heavy holiday foods), Eric asked me a hard question about my writing. It was direct but not accusing, and it hit me right where it hurts.
I wasn’t expecting it. But it prompted a great conversation. It made me think hard. It helped me clarify what I actually want from the coming year, and he has a better sense of how to help me this year, too.
I hadn’t realized how much I needed someone to ask such a question. You probably do, too. And maybe someone needs you to ask them a hard question. Do it this week. It’ll be a great, if uncomfortable, way to start 2019 off well.
Plan, Don’t Resolve
Last year, sometime late in January, I decided to add some strength training to my exercise routine.
I’ve been walking on my treadmill 5-6 days a week for years. But I knew some strength training would really help. Following the advice of Finish, I decided to do less, not more. I settled on doing two sets of small bodyweight exercises, three days a week, after finishing on my treadmill. And I started.
At first I wrote everything down. That died after about three weeks. I found new exercises to make a rotation. Every so often, I tried a pull up or chin up just for fun. When I was sick, I skipped.
And shock of all shock, I kept at it all year long. It’s almost a habit now (though I still hate the thought of it some Wednesday or Friday mornings). But I can tell the difference. I am stronger than I’ve been. I have control of muscles I used to not even know about.
I created a whole new routine, and there wasn’t a resolution in sight.
Maybe that will work for you. You can start 2019 off right by taking most or all of January to decide what you really need to add (or delete) from your life. Make a workable plan (read Finish, seriously). And then just slowly get started. No pressure. No announcing on Facebook. Just you and a plan and some discipline. It really does work.
Start 2019 Off Right
There’s a lot we can do to get a good start on a new year. These are just 3 things I think can help.
But no matter what you do, or don’t do, this year, remember that you are valuable just as you are. Keep all the emails if you want, just don’t think they determine your worth. Hard conversations really don’t prove how much less-than you are. Failing at a resolution doesn’t mean you aren’t valuable.
Do what you can to make 2019 a good year. But know that you are already loved more than you’ll ever understand. And nothing that happens this year will change that.
