Planning your Best Year Yet

How we spend our time matters more than we realize. The marriage, the legacy of our family, our home, our community, and the life God has for us in Jeremiah 29:11, is all at stake. We have to live life on purpose to have the life we dream of. In this post, “Planning your Best Year Yet”, I’m sharing all my practical life planning tools.

As little girls, we play dolls and dream of having a family. There’s probably a husband we love so much, too. He is prince charming and even though he doesn’t throw his underwear on the ground or go for weekend fishing trips, we think he is the best man in the world. We also have kids. Well-behaved and obedient, they bring us joy and made us proud.

Then, of course, we had the Barbie house. We cooked meals and vacuumed floors. On purpose! What else were we to do? Our Barbie was full of purpose and passion, and she was living her best life.

My Barbie example proves that the purpose and calling of God is inside of us, but her life is far from reality. What if Prince Charming never showed up? Or what if Prince Charming has a mother who now competes for his attention putting strain on your marriage? Barbie didn’t have a chaotic schedule! She focuses on herself mostly. Her Husband, Kids, home, and relatives are as perfect as they come, and our life is not.

YOUR BEST YEAR YET HAS TO HAPPEN ON PURPOSE

We are exhausted, weary, and overwhelmed. Sometimes by what the pace of the world expects from us, but probably a lot of what we do to ourselves. The reason we can’t seem to pick up momentum or see the fruit of our labor is simple.

Life happens to us instead of us happening to life.

Life comes in such a hurry that we forget where the finish line is or that there is a finish line altogether. Our best year yet has to happen on purpose.

So how do we live a life of purpose? We get off the rollercoaster of letting life happen to us, get a pen, and start creating a life of purpose and meaning. We go from defense to offense. Just because something is good doesn’t mean we should do it. We are going after the best, which takes planning, making decisions, and saying no.

So, where do we go from here? Some areas of our life we may need to untangle the web of chaos and in other areas of our life we need to make room for the beautiful mundane of life to make an impact on those around us.

THE PLAN FOR PLANNING YOUR BEST YEAR YET

First, let’s evaluate where we are. We should review this monthly or at the least, annually. It’s wise to look at the big picture and consider how we are doing with balance. There are three questions I ask myself to determine how I am doing.

1. How do I use my time and money? If you want to know what you value the most, track your schedule and spending for one month. Identify where you spend the most and make notes. You’ll be surprised how this will show you why your life feels out of balance.
2. Am I using my time wisely? We usually know what we need to do, but we just don’t have time to do it! So we think. There are several ways our time can be wasted. Whether it’s not managing our time well or spending too much time on social media. (I’m usually guilty of that one.) Our time is valuable and as short as a mist the Bible says. Safeguard your time so you have space to do what matters most.
3. Make a not to-do list. The things that keep you from gaining traction in what matters most. You will need margin and capacity to live your best life. This list isn’t just the obvious things but are even the good things. If you want the YOUR best year, you need to make room for new things. If it doesn’t serve your purpose or finish line goal, it’s time to say no.

The Life Evaluation

Now that we have evaluated how we use our time, let’s review our life balance. This will highlight the areas that aren’t doing so well and even show us the priorities we may need to give more or less time to.

To do this I simply write my priorities out in a journal and grade them on a scale from 1-10. (1 is worst and 10 is perfect) Then I write one sentence in review of why it got that grade and one sentence of intention to balance that area of my life.

These areas are:

• Faith
• Physical health
• Mental health
• Rest
• Marriage
• Kids/Family
• Home
• Finances
• Digital
• Work/Ministry
• Friendships/Community
• Fun/Hobbies

Here is an example:

Fun (7) We took a trip to the local waterfall and are spending more Fridays at the football field. Continue to be present in these moments and visit oak mountain this month.

THE PLAN

I assume if you have read this far you are ready. You’ll have to be ready to make some better decisions and have boundaries on your time. If you are not ready, that’s ok. Give grace and wait for when you are. Either way you will need a plan.

Having a plan gives us clear boundaries for our time. The plan tells me when to say yes and when to say no. The narrow road of consistent decisions that leads us to where we want to go, who we want to be, and what we want to achieve, is not by chance. I hear people say they don’t have time to plan, but I assure you, you do not have time not to plan.

A plan is the difference between planning your best year yet and having another year of chance.

Your plan is to prioritize your life and get back in the driver’s seat. This means living life on purpose, God’s way. I’m sharing with you exactly how to get started.

God’s plan for you

God has a plan for you! He has a template we can follow that will produce fruit in our lives and fulfill the will of the Father in us. Step out in faith and trust this path and God will move like only he can! No more years in a rut or just wishing for life to be better. God’s plan for you is now.

God First

If we put God first in our lives, choices, plans, and home, His Word says that everything else will be given to us. So instead of striving and working to gain momentum, we can simply choose to put God first and HE will bless the rest. Planning your best year yet begins with God first.

We can do this by:

• Daily time in worship, prayer, and the Word
• Weekly Sabbaths

Faith Life Blog Post

³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33

Health

Once we have connected with the Lord, we need to put on our own oxygen mask first. This area is truly for our health and comes with a word of caution, that too much of a good thing isn’t necessarily the best. So, I say this is a priority but in a reasonable portion. Anything extra is considered a hobby, which is great, but would come further down the list. Planning your best year yet is the year you prioritize health.

In order for us to do God’s good work, we need to be healthy. Our full self.

1. Spirit: Daily time with the Lord and connecting to God’s presence
2. Soul: Emotional and phycological health and healing. Rest, journaling, and counseling
3. Body: Eating clean and healthy food and move your body daily

²³ May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5:23

Marriage

All my single ladies, stay here. You’re not off the hook. Marriage is God ordained and should come before everything else so far, even yourself. If we can die to ourselves and honor what God has put in place, His promises are yours.

I understand that not everyone has a great marriage. Marriage is hard. I know this doesn’t always feel good or fair. But I also know that if God has called you to be a wife, we need to look at the Bible for what He says marriage is. If you want a blessed life, honor your husband, especially when it doesn’t benefit you.

Now, for my single ladies. First, if you long to be marriage make this a priority to pray for him and wait patiently for who GOD HAS for you. However, in the waiting, Jesus is the best husband you can have. Fill this extra time with knowing him, spending time with him, and serving him. I’ll never forget the moment I surrendered marriage to the Lord and just appreciated the season, long season as it were, to have time with the Lord I knew I’d never get again.

• Daily moments of connecting and sitting side-by-side
• Consistently (and sometimes scheduling) time of intimacy
• Weekly date nights (Can be at home but intentional)
• Yearly vision trip or weekend away without kids or family

And listen, I love you friend. This is your reminder that this plan has nothing to do with what he’s doing for you. This is about the commitment you made to God. Planning your best year yet is the year you put your spouse first.

³ The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. ⁴ The wife does not have authority over her own body but yields it to her husband. In the same way, the husband does not have authority over his own body but yields it to his wife. 1 Corinthians 7:3-5

Kids/Family

Once we prioritize marriage first, our family has already been blessed! The domino effect of God’s goodness and following his plan is powerful. God has entrusted us with the exact family we have. Each child set apart to be discipled by you!! How amazing! Praise God.

The biggest enemy of family is busy. We get lost in the sport and school schedules that we start living in auto pilot. To be present in this priority we will need to say no to some really good things. If you are in a busy sport season or in the infant stage, keep a safeguard on your schedule for family nights, dinnertime, and spontaneous play.

The most important part of parenting is connecting and building a relationship with your family. Nothing outside of that is more important. Planning your best year yet is putting family first.

• Daily quality time, love language, and devotions with the kids
• Weekly family night (or day)
• Monthly family outings that will bring adventure and memories into your days. This is an opportunity for one-on-one dates as well.
• Family vacation yearly, or seasonally if you can. By vacation I do mean some rest and flexibility with time. Don’t go on vacation just to hurry the whole time and miss connecting with the ones who matter most.

3 Children are a heritage from the LORD, offspring a reward from him.4 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth.5 Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their opponents in court. Psalm 127:3-5

Home

Working or not, the home is the next on the list. Your home is the place God has provided for you and your family to worship and bless him, find rest and refreshment, and bless others. If your home is cluttered, dirty, or unwelcoming, it will not be any of those things. This priority also comes with boundaries.

I am addicted to cleaning my house. Actually, if everyone could just live on the back patio so my house can look like Pinterest, that would be alright with me. These people are messy. I will choose task over people any day and when I use cleaning as a way to escape connection, I’m missing the order.

Also, your house doesn’t have to look like Martha Stewart lives there to be a blessing. Actually, if my friend comes over and sees life on my counter tops, it will comfort her in knowing that I trust her enough to let her in my mess and that real life does exist.

With that said, it needs to be a priority. Planning your best year yet means caring for your home so it can be a blessing. How you cultivate your home has power and does matter!

• Daily taking care and picking up
• Meal prep and planning
• Weekly cleaning schedule
• Seasonal decluttering and cleaning

She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens. Proverbs 31:15

Ministry/Job

Now we move outside the home. Your job IS YOUR ministry; however, we should try to make room to serve with our church as well. Whether you stay at home, work part-time or have a full-blown career, wherever you are is your ministry.

Does this area line up with your life mission? Do you view your career as a financial tool or as ministry? If God has you in a role you are there to bring him glory and love His people. God wants you to be successful. Planning your best year yet will include serving Jesus and his people.

⁶ Better one handful with tranquility
    than two handfuls with toil
    and chasing after the wind. Ecclesiastes 4:6

Friendship/Community

Community is so important and to get all God has for us, we need other people.

Once our kids started growing up, my friend pool got a lot smaller. It takes intentionality and work sometimes to keep a friendship strong, but it is the biggest blessing to not do life alone. Sometimes this means choosing women who are already at the football field or dance class. Just make sure they have the same beliefs and are good company to keep with the capacity to consider you and encourage you.

After I prioritize friendships, I look at my community. This is the sphere of influence God has given me. Its the people that influence your family or you naturally see day in and out. Be intentional about seeing them and find ways to be a blessing. God has called you there for a reason.

This could be anyone from teachers, lunchroom ladies, librarians, Publix cashier, garbage man, mail lady, dance teacher, school sponsor, small group leader, the neighbor who doesn’t even like you. Each of them is so important to God and with a little thought God can use you in a big way. Planning your best year yet will include friendship.

• Daily connect with one person outside your home
• Weekly meet and connect with a friend or a small group of friends
• Weekly bless someone in your sphere of influence through words, acts, or a card

Do not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:25

Hobbies/Fun

Now for you. If we only work and do and strive, we will wear ourselves out. I’ve been there. It seems counter intuitive to rest when you need to be productive but without the balance you will run on empty all the time. I find when I take intentional times of rest, I can do more in 1 hour than I did the whole week prior. Planning your best year yet has to be fun.

God wants us to enjoy life! Sit down and dream. What do you love to do? What hobbies would be fun to try? Make room in your schedule for these.

• Daily times of rest and fun
• Weekly or monthly commitment to those activities
• Seasonal or annual trips and vacations
• Monthly read and seek to grow
• Birthday month special event or activity

Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31

That brings us to a close. Friends, if we can live our life in order God’s way, we will see a new and fresh pouring of the Spirit in our lives.

I’m not sure where this post finds you but be encouraged that God has a plan for your life! Get back in offense and live the life He’s created for you.

Your best life is on the other side of living on purpose. I hope this blog brought you one step closer.

Until next time,