It is easy to get in a rut mid-year. As New Year’s resolutions feel far off, a packed schedule with summer vacations, BBQs, and outings can make it feel as though our lives are at full steam ahead, with us trailing behind. In this blog post, we would like to provide three tangible ways you can have a mid-year reset to move forward with refreshment, grit, and excitement for the months ahead.
6 Month Audit
Our first recommendation is to do a review of the last 6 months. What has gone well? What has been unfulfilled? What needs to change? Grab a notebook and pen, and consider some of the questions below and how they may have affected you thus far.
- Where has my time gone?
- What has my sleep and exercise patterns looked like?
- Do I have bandwidth in my day for rest and hobbies?
- Am I staying up-to-speed with responsibilities?
- What would my spouse or close friends say about my priorities?
This list is not exhaustive, but it gives a good starting point to evaluate where you may be mid-year and what kind of reset or intentional changes you may need to make.
Get Up Early
We are big advocates for getting up and starting your day early. As easy as it is to hit ‘snooze’ on the alarm, starting your day early allows you to check off tasks on your list and start your day off on the right foot. It also gives your mind and heart time to prepare for a new day. What is the best time to get up? This will depend on your season of life. However, in general, we recommend 25 minutes to an hour ahead of the responsibilities you have at a minimum.
You will find that having more time first thing allows for the rest of the day to fall into place because of your head start.
Prioritize Reflection/Quiet Time
Now that you have taken inventory of your life and are prioritizing getting up early, we finally recommend prioritizing time for reflection and solitude in your daily rhythm. It doesn’t need to be long, but taking time each day to simply to ponder the day ahead without distraction is of extreme value.
This may look like journaling, Scripture reading, simply sitting in silence with a cup of coffee or tea, or a combination of these things.