One Word 2015

Last year I chose “create” as my word of the year.  This was perfect for my return to crafting and my focus on creating memories with my children.

2014 was my first year as a stay at home mom and it took the full year to create the home life I want us to live.

All in all it was a happy year, far better than the previous year.

This year, I chose “balance” as my one word.

I am a woman of many passions and hobbies.  I love the friendships and sense of community I have found through blogging.  I am able to share fun crafts, my successes, and my shortcomings with those of you that take the time to read my posts. I am blessed beyond measure to be able to do so.

Despite living a much different life as a SAHM than I did when I worked away from the home, I find that my biggest area of opportunity has not changed.  I still struggle to maintain balance.

I go all in on my ventures.  I’ve poured blood, sweat, and tears into this website and I am sure I will continue to do so.  I am passionate about fitness and spend hours a week at the gym.  When I get off of the computer to tackle the housework, I purge clutter and do big projects.  I enjoy spending time with my children and helping at the school.

Unfortunately, there is only so much time in the day.  Marathon cleaning means that I skip the gym or lose sleep.  Crafting binges create a mess that means that another marathon cleaning session will need to be done.  Going to the gym every day means that the blog and the ebook I am working on get sidelined.

This year I will plan and strive for balance in everything I do because being “busy” sucks.

The purge I did at the end of last year, has made housework much easier.  However, their are a few areas that are not complete.  I am still a horrible housewife but am improving! I think a mini-purge every 14 days is what I need to maintain.

The workout time is non-negotiable.  I enjoy working out and it is an example to my children.

However, my writing process needs a bit of an overhaul and organization.  I purchased this great planner from My Joy-filled Life and I love it so much that I signed up to be an affiliate.  It is a very affordable planner at $4.99.  I actually spent $15 on top of that to get it professionally printed (because 100 pages drains my home printer ink and ends up costing more because of the replacement cartridges) and spiral bound.  I don’t do well with binders and get frustrated the the rings! But if you are a blogger and looking for a planner I highly recommend this one.  It is comprehensive and simple to use.

Organization is key for business success and if your blog is a business, it should be treated like one.  (I tell myself this a lot.  Transitioning from hobby to business requires that I find balance.)

What is your one word for 2015 and do you have a tool that will have you accomplish it?