Tis the season for goal making and I admit, I LOOVE it!
I’m all about setting goals, and my favorite category to think about goal setting is of course, our home.
And, my favorite part of creating goals for the new year is always looking back through the past year and writing down all the things we’ve accomplished in our house.
I call it the We Did It List.
Without fail, at first I always assume we accomplished next to nothing–especially this past year that was so strange.
And, without fail, I’m always incredibly surprised and motivated once I think back through all the updates, changes and improvements we made to our home.
You might be surprised, too, at all the changes you made for the better this year.
Making a We Did It List is a super fun and simple practice and it works wonders for me when I approach Chad to talk about what we might want to do this coming year. I ALWAYS start off by reading off all the many things we did over the past year and we both feel incredible because we realize how much has changed in a year. Go Us!
Here’s what to do:
Grab a sheet of paper (I like to clip it on a clipboard) and write: We Did It: 2020 at the top. Then, simply start writing out everything you can think of that made a difference in your home in the past 12 months.
Pressure washed the porch? Write it down.
Water heater died and you had to buy a new one? On the list.
Maybe you moved your sofa to accommodate an extra chair for more seating. Yes that counts too!
I want you to give yourself as much credit as possible for all the big and little things you accomplished that made your home life better.
Once I sit and think and write, then I get up and walk through each room–and outside so I don’t miss anything. I also look back through photos to help jog my memory.
Nothing is too small for the We Did It List.
A few things from our list for 2020:
- Raised baby ducks and chickens and built them cute houses
- Put new swivel hardware on my office chairs
- Organized the spice drawer (this was a HUGE win for me!)
- Planted three more clematis armandii vines around the house
- Found a landscape architect we like and hired him (he’s done nothing yet but this was a long process for us and I want to give us credit for it)
- Moved the top of the hutch to the other side of the kitchen (wanted to do this for a year but its SO heavy and I wasn’t sure I’d like it: update: I like it)
- Updated the side door hardware
- Hung a new chandelier over the table
Reflecting on what you’ve accomplished first, is the best way to move forward and think about what you hope to do in the future.
This year we are planning on having the entire first floor painted, getting new dining chairs, and I want to do something creative on the wall where the top of the hutch use to be.
I know Chad has some projects he wants to focus on as well, but when we sit down to really decide what we’ll focus on this year, the very first thing I’ll do is read off everything from our We Did It List to get us in the mood.
Nothing is more motivating and satisfying than looking back at what you’ve done and remembering that it’s worth it to create a life giving home.
PS, if you are a part of the Cozy Minimalist Community, today’s teaching is all about creating home goals for the new year. Be sure to check in our private facbebook group for more. Not yet a part of the Cozy Community? We open to new members in February, click here to sign up for the waitlist and I’ll send you an email when we open.
Lastly, if you enjoy listening to podcasts you’ll love the chat I had with Jordan Lee Dooly from the She Podcast. Click here to listen.