I love making big goals - and you’ve seen me do some of them here with things like the Soaring Mothers Summit. But this year, I wanted to try something that I read about years ago in Atomic Habits: making 1% Better Changes.
Each month of the year, I’m picking one tiny thing to focus on, and so far, the impact has far exceeded my homes.
When I’m deciding on what to focus on each month, I start with this question that is found in the quarterly review pages of the Thriving in Motherhood Planner:
“What is the ONE thing that will make the biggest difference in all areas of my life?”
It allows me to get honest with myself about what my current habits are and where I would like to make things better for myself.
What I love about this question is that whatever season of motherhood you’re in - even the super hard ones - you can find things to make 1% better instead of staying stuck and feeling like a victim.
Here are the changes I’ve made so far in quarter one of 2023:
January: Charge my phone away from my bed at night.
February: Daily exercise (with a low bar of what counts)
March: Track our spending in a spreadsheet
The changes are simple, but by moving my phone away from my bed at night, I not only went to sleep earlier, but I also started off the day by doing all the things that matter to me before picking up my phone.
Daily exercise for me is crucial to decreasing pain, and I’ve made a lot of improvements in that area.
Tracking our spending turned into bigger conversations about how much we’ve saved and want to save for our kid’s college, retirement and how we can tackle our mortgage more quickly.
For more details of why I’m focusing on little things and the results I’m seeing, listen to this week’s episode of the podcast!
Let Life Surprise You with Oakley Peterson [Episode 83]
Three Small Changes and One Tool That will Help you See Progress and Get Rid of the Overwhelm [Episode 82]
The Path from Surviving to Thriving [Episode 81]
Why My Kids Aren't the Priority [Episode 80]
How to Overcome Destructive Anger with Natalie Hixson [Episode 79]
Surrendering Our Children to God with Jeanette Tapley [Episode 78]
Rest is Part of the Work [Episode 77]
You Have Climbed Mountains [Episode 76]
How I Go on Vacation Every Day [Episode 75]
Learning to See the Value in Your Own Story and That You are Extraordinary with Jessica Dahlquist [Episode 74]
Where to Start When You Feel Overwhelmed by Your Messy House [Episode 73]
Finding Joy in the Truths of Motherhood with Valerie Woerner [Episode 72]
Where to Start When You Feel Overwhelmed with Exercising [Episode 71]
Instilling Courage and Confidence in our Girls with Amy Klein [Episode 70]
Priorities for My Parenting and Marriage When I'm in Survival Mode [Episode 69]
Living a Slow, Intentional Life with Brandi McIntosh [Episode 68]
In Pursuit of Peace with Lauresa Larson [Episode 67]
Key Questions to Ask in the Evening [Episode 66]
Using Your Gifts to Bless Your Family and the World with Erin Morley [Episode 65]
Finding a Thriving Mindset in Survival Circumstances [Episode 64]
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