just start.

I often hear friends say they'll begin something, only to fail or not follow through, so they leave the goal or idea right there. I can get there too. I'll tell myself I am not going to eat candy or sweets, but I'll forget or give in and eat a little bit. Instead of thinking, "You just had a small amount! That was a good choice!" I will just keep eating more all day long because I already "failed."

In the beginning of the year, when goals and ideas are fresh, we can easily have momentum to move forward. But then February (or March or April) comes along, and our resolve is less than. When I need a fresh start, I have a few tricks up my sleeve that make me feel like I can, once again, conquer the world (or at least my laundry pile).

1. Tidy the house and set up for the day the evening/night before. This means when I wake up, I don't see toys strewn about, dishes to tackle, or smell something funky that's been left out in my kitchen. It's not a deep clean, but it means I wake up not feeling bombarded. I also set out clothes for myself and the kids the night before if we are going somewhere in the morning. We all have clean socks and underwear for the following day (or if we really don't have any of those things, I can take care of that in the evening and not try to find a solution on our way out the door the next day).

2. Get up before my kids. I have certainly had seasons where this doesn't work. When my babies are tiny and I am up at crazy hours, I don't press this. But even in the tiredness, having minutes to myself before I am "on" for the day sets my mood. And my mood sets the tone for our days.

3. Make a short and attainable to-do list. I like the idea of only have 3(ish) things on my to-do list. When the list has 10, I already feel like a failure before I start. I have my cleaning and home tasks that I like to accomplish every week broken down into 2-3 items per day. I can add 2-3 other to-do things (make a phone call, run an errand), but that's it. I have a master to-do list where I write everything down, but it doesn't move from day to day with me. I pull from the master list as I complete items on my daily list.

4. Make my bed. If my bedroom feels settled and grown up (I really do try to keep toys and kid gear out as much as I can), somehow it brings calm to my days.

5. Bring a friend along. For me, this means texting a friend or two and saying, "I want to accomplish _______" or "I'm trying to reach _______ goal" -- will you help me? Knowing someone may email or text or call and ask about it pushes me to move forward.