As I shared last month, I have signed up for Ali Edwards’ One Little Word project. I chose the word “listen”, but after thinking on it for a while, decided it wasn’t really the word I needed to focus on. I’m changing my word to Create.

I started putting together my list of intentions for the year – one for each month – and am really excited about the ideas they are putting in my head. I’ve noticed one difficulty; I want to do them all THIS MONTH. But that would kind of screw up the whole idea of focusing on one at a time and managing them thoughtfully and with intent. So, I will try to follow a schedule like this:

January  Create: A Plan – ‘nuf said

February Create: Intimacy – Spend more time on my marriage with date night plans, weekends away and “honeymoon” conversation about dreams and plans for the future

March Create: Order – Clean my craft room, closets, drawers, laundry room, and bathroom pantries and update my blog calendar (and stick to it!)

April Create: Health – Start planning menus to embrace our new diet needs and put together a regular exercise routine for myself

May Create: Community – Connect with other artists and crafters in Northwest Arkansas to help facilitate a support network 

June Create: Peace – Schedule time for yoga or tai chi every week, or make time for quiet reading and brainstorming ideas for writing

July Create: Time – Organize household chores by day of the week and stick to the schedule; make efficiency (clothing put away, lunches made night before, waking up earlier)

August Create: Opportunity – Tell EVERYONE I’m a writer and maker, and find connections in the community who can offer me opportunities to move toward a free-lance career

September Create: Words – Write, write and write some more; write poetry; work on my story

October Create: Art – Work on handmade gifts; try new mediums (oil paint, jewelry, screenprinting)

November Create: Memories – Cookbooks for siblings using family recipes; sort mom’s photos and scan to discs; spend time with my kids and grandbaby

December Create: Future – Holiday tradition-making; look back on 2013 and look forward to 2014

See what I mean? There are several things listed later in the year that I want to work on now. I suppose that I can keep all of these in mind every month, but put a gold star on the list beside an individual one each month.

What goals are you working on this year? Are you doing anything similar to One Little Word? Link to your blog here so we can follow you!