A fresh start to a month on a Monday? Yes please! These just may be my most favorite ways to kick off a new month! For no particular reason – other than they feel doubly new!

Sadly – there is also a heaviness. My thoughts and prayers are with the communities around our country that are experiencing injustice. I can’t even begin to understand what their experience entails – but I can add my voice to call for better. We can do so much better. We need to do better. When so many gave and continue to give their lives to challenge and change – the world deserves better. Our children deserve better. Humanity deserve better. Injustices – like racisim – have no place in our world today. Be the change.

We also are currently on day 78 of our stay at home order in south central Pennsylvania. It’s hard to believe we have been home and the world has been fighting the coronavirus for just about 1/2 a year. I haven’t talked openly in this space about this year but I wanted to at least mention what a truly unprecedented experience this has been. A dear friend of mine started a journal when this all started – I regret not doing the same. My children and grandchildren will one day ask us to deepen their understanding of exactly what we went through. And as their historians, we have a responsibility to do so.

It will be one they read in the history books – as one of the worst global health crisis’ in over 100 years.

To say this year has been heavy – feels like an understatement. Postponements. New Routines. Impacted Timelines. Missed time with Family & Friends. Fear. Uncertainty. Frustrations. Confusion.

So many words to describe what we have all experienced. But there has also been Light. Joy. Evaluation. Simple and Slow. Discovery. Togetherness despite our separation. Hope. Adventure. Resilience.

Yes – if I have learned anything this year is that it is possible for these opposite end of the spectrum feelings to coexist. And to learn to find peace there. While we may not have all the answers for what the next day, months, rest of the year looks like, but we can control what we can control – our thoughts, decisions, next steps, voice for injustices – all things we can control and use for good and better.

Today I thought I would share a reflection on my May goals and then move into my goals for June.

Rhythms & Routines

Getting my work out in early in the day has proven to be one of the best decisions – its allowed me to be more focused, more present, and more engaged. I was able to work out 18/31 days in May. I am going for all 30 in June. I’ve created a bit of a schedule and added a goal to increase my running milaege slowly over this next month. Strength training didn’t happen nearly as much as I had hoped in May but that is going to be one of the things I am working towards this month.

I worked out a schedule for the day after trying a variety of different ones in May. It includes blocking my time to take full advantage of the pockets of work time I have throughout the day. The Creative’s Story community will know exactly what my day looks like because a full breakdown of this was just released in Chapter One – including a 6 page guide to quickly and efficiently audit your business.

I’ve identified about four blocks of work time – with two of them being a few hours of quiet uninterrupted time (most often when my children are sleeping). I am committing to this rhythm for this month and can’t wait to see its results.

I also hope to add more reading into my evenings. This was something that didn’t happen. 30 days of 30 minute evening reading is what I am working towards. I plan to use a habit tracker to help visualize progress towards this goals.

Efficiency

The system I started using for mapping out content last month was incredibly helpful. It allowed me to identify where I was focusing my time. And how I needed a more efficient approach to working through my daily tasks. I plan to continue to use the weekly content mapping to help organize the week’s content but will add a more structured approach to how I tackle its production.

I also want to spend some time this month working on some home projects – most specifically organizing our family photos. I need to create a few photo books for Logan and Addie and want to add a few photo walls to a few spaces in our home. And while I am at it, I need to organize the photos for my business as well. I’ve often found that when these are organized and readily available I have an easier time pulling images for content.

Photography organizing is my June project – any tips and tricks?

Simple & Slow

We added quite a bit of simple and slow in May – family walks, dinner on our patio, gardening (our cutting garden has taken off!) – but there is room to add more. These special times together was something that I feel radically changed how we were experiencing quarantine. It helped make clear that we needed each other to get through.

So this month I want to try to make Sundays more about rest and personal things. I tend to still have to do lists, chores, and work to do on Sundays. The achiever in me just sees it as another day – its my responsibility to change this.

This month I want to try to make Sundays more about rest, care, and personal goals. This may mean a little extra work on an evening during the week but I have a feeling it is going to be so worth it! I want my children to see this rest as something emulated by their family. I want them to come to know Sunday’s as a sacred time spent together.

Future Thinking

This is a big month for business. We have a big goal to launch of final project on July 1st. Hence the reason for increased efficiency and focus. There are many moving pieces for this project but my goal is to approach it as one task at a time and slowly chip away at the to do’s. I can’t wait to see the progress we make as a team on this project.

My hope is that it will be life giving – for couples planning a wedding, for my team, and for my family.

Thursday and parts of Fridays will continue to be center around project development – but there are other blocks throughout the week with this focus as well. In order to move this project and future projects forward, the efficiency & routine goals balanced with the simple and slow will hopefully keep overwhelm at bay.

Discovery

I added this final theme as a reminder of my word for the year. As we approach/hit the halfway point to 2020, I want to be sure I am seeking out adventure. Our recreational abilities may be somewhat limited these days – due to the pandemic – but there are still safe was to have adventure.

Discovery this year is about finding joy, seeking joy, and creating joy. Its about creating a life I love rather than waiting for it to happen. Its about finding myself – the women I am today. And creating routines, rhythms, and good work that sustains and supports all that goes into building a legacy I am proud of. I can’t wait to see where this next 30 days takes us.