2019 is here and it’s the day when you review where you
wanted to be a year ago and where you are now. At the same time, you look at where
you want to be in a years’ time. Well, if you’re like me you do because 1st
January is the day where you set your dreams, visions and goals for the coming
year.
I always find I manage about half of the things I set out
to during the year. That’s something which is not a problem. It’s generally not
a list of definite things I set out to achieve, (although there's a few things like
that on there), it’s a list of aspirations of what I’d like to do, together
with a set of things I know that might be good for me.
Last year one of my biggest and most important goals was to
take an actual sabbath (i.e. day of rest) each week, that’s not a day when I do
nothing but is a day of rest where I spend time with my husband and we’re not
working or studying. I needed to make it a goal because it’s totally out of my
comfort zone in many ways. I’m one of these people whose natural approach is to
work, or perhaps one of those people whose chosen drug is work (as some who
know me might argue).
So why was it so important, well firstly because it’s
biblical and I’m a real believer that God created a rhythm of life which we’ve
in many ways lost in our present society. I know that one of my problems is “overdoing
it” and finding myself tired out and irritable. This isn’t God’s intention, he
wants me to work hard but also be healthy, rest is part of that.
Another reason it was so important was because it meant
that I would be properly spending time with my husband, not half-heartedly but
fully. We both live busy lives and we know that we need to invest time with
each other. We have developed a pattern for our rest time which sees us chilling
and catching up with each other, properly. To help this we seek to get out of
the house in order to mean that we don’t get caught up with, just one email or
that quick finishing off a job. Now, don’t get me wrong I’m not perfect sometimes
it doesn’t work and I check my email too often but we’re getting there.
Finally, it’s important because another goal I achieved
this year was starting a new programme of academic study alongside my full-time
job. This is demanding, and I know if I stand any chance of reaching where I
hope to by the year I’m 50 I’m going to be working really hard for four solid
years. If I’m going to stand a chance of achieving this goal I need to ensure
rest is built in as much as study.
Tips
for you if you want to try and make sure you take a sabbath
1.
Work
out why you want to...if it’s a goal with a purpose you’ll have more motivation
2.
Be
realistic you’re going to have to say no to some other stuff, and not do everything
that you might want to…working out your priorities is useful here
3.
Think
about how you’re going to fit in what you need to in the other 6 days…. time
management is a tool to be used, not a weapon to injure yourself with
4.
Think
about how you might use that day of rest to do something or nothing in order to
refresh yourself….if you’re list also contains some books you’d like to read or
films you’d like to see these can be built in
5.
Budget
for this …..but it doesn’t need to cost much. Walks are free, many museums and
galleries are free to enter if you don’t want to see special exhibitions and you
can do as little as much as you like.
With regard to this last point my husband
and I have found it useful to budget in a cheap meal together (one of these
meal deal type things in a local pub or going somewhere you can get discount
vouchers for). We also pay monthly for a card for the cinema and annually for NationalTrust, Tate Galleries and Historic Palaces membership. This means that the costs
of most of what we do that has a cost associated with it is booked in. And of
course memberships can be changed from year to year according to how value for
money you find them. Fact you’ve paid out already encourages you to go and take
time just chilling.
So what are my goals in 2019…..well, I’m not going to share that.
The thing is that the list is personal and it’s not something that others need
to know the contents of. If you succeed great, if you don’t it’s not a huge
problem – nobody knows what’s on the list and so you’ve got no embarrassment if
you don’t achieve it. What matters is that you have a set of things to aim for,
not a list of must do’s to add more stress to an already stressful life.
