My one little word for 2014 is intentional.

I want to live more intentionally. Truth be told, I used to chuckle or roll my eyes when I would see bloggers write about this because it didn’t make sense to me. But now that I’ve had this trying time in my life, I’m starting to get it.

I waste a lot of time. A lot. And I don’t even realize I’m doing it. I’ve noticed that I tend to split my activities into two categories: running around and sitting still. To me, the running around is what’s productive. I’m cleaning, I’m doing laundry, I’m grading papers, I’m going to the grocery store. The sitting still is what’s relaxing. I’m on Facebook, I’m reading blogs, I’m shopping online, I’m watching television.

I’m proud of the running around activities. They make me feel like a worthwhile human being. They keep me busy.

I’m not as proud of the sitting still activities. They make me feel like I’m wasting time, but I’m able to justify them because I need a break, for crying out loud! I mean, did you not read my list of running around activities? I deserve to sit on my sofa and drink wine and read blogs until I fall asleep with my makeup on and dishes overflowing out of the sink.

(Wait, how did I not get to those dishes when I was running around? These are life’s questions I just cannot be expected to answer.)

I was inspired by Janet’s post on resolutions (not surprisingly because I’m always inspired by Janet’s posts), and I quickly opened a Pages document and typed a list of my own resolutions for 2014. Normally, I’d stress over editing this list and getting it just right to post and then never posting it at all, but because I’m using this blog to break free from perfectionism, here’s the actual list, just as it happened in real life:

wake up early, calmly

work out routine

bedtime routine

read more

waste less time

get off of social media, stop online “window shopping” just for fun

be intentional–think “goal,” not “plan”

dress well, take care of clothes

take care of self, cultivate self

leave work at work

I’m planning to go into more detail about some of these resolutions in future posts. Do you have advice about any of these resolutions? Or resolutions in general? Want to share your hopes and dreams for the new year? Please do!