The List—My January Rest 2015

As I’ve reflected on previous year’s My January Rest, I’ve been analyzing what this year’s Rest is to look like.

There are three major categories that I have identified to rest from: satisfying appetites, spending, and activities. 

My previous January Rest helped me reclaimed some of my time to use in a restful way, verses mindless consumption of whatever came my way.  I am sure this year will provide the same benefit. However, the “how” to get there will look a bit different. MJR affects my family and that is ok to some extent. But, sometimes it adversely impacts them. For example, my daughter loves our family time tradition when we go out to dinner or have a family movie night. When I gave up movies for a month, that was hard on all of us and for a young person, a month seems longer than it does for an adult. Also, I noticed that our daughter still has a gift card for family dinner out from LAST Christmas! I plan on changing from NO eating out, to taking her out to use her gift card for our family dinner. Last year I did plan for one family dinner out and my husband took me out for an impromptu coffee date–dates are more important that MJR! I’ll only going out when I can use a gift card I already have. We’ve had things expire, that we planned on using, including a coupon we purchased.

Here is this year’s list based on the three major categories for My January Rest:

Rest from satisfying appetites

• Use what I have in the house vs buy what I prefer to eat. This year’s goal is to target what needs used up most and start there.
• Coffee yes, but no foo-foo drinks or sugar or creamer (ouch!) I LOVE coffee, but I love it with cream and sugar—straight black coffee, not so much.

Rest from spending

• Again this year, and purchase only what is needed to complete a meal. I STILL have the frozen okra from last year. It will be consumed or more than likely, be pitched.
• Again, I will avoid non-essential shopping with the exception of fresh produce. Unlike last year, I will go out for coffee and dinner, but very limited. My first choice will be meet at a home, my studio, or when needed, use a gift card I already have.

Rest from activities

• While resting my appetite from my preferred way of drinking coffee, I’ll be less motivated to go out for it. Also, I have limited options because I have to use a gift card in order to go out. This will definitely cause me to rest, as meeting people for coffee is a primary way I meet people socially and for business. A forced rest.
• Rest from reading advertisements (email and snail mail) which will also help me to rest from spending. Rest from reading magazines, news, facebook (except for business and MJR) and facebook rabbit trails, internet rabbit trails, and hopefully rabbit trails of any type.
• Rest from Bible study. This one will require more explanation and will be a stand alone post, because it is a cool story in and of itself.
• Rest from contacting people, unnecessarily. This is hard to define, because what is truly necessary? I see this causing a dilemma that I spoke of in My January Rest Anticipation.
• Rest from compulsive responses to text, email, etc. I am specifically thinking of pleasantries where you go back and forth, then back and forth unnecessarily, while being distracted from what you are attempting to give focus too.
• Rest from phone and computer by setting boundaries and daily quiet zones Monday through Friday. I still need to decide if I have the guts to turn my phone off at 9 pm. and turn my phone off daily for two, two hour quiet zones when I am not with people. The quiet zones will be used for time to create and developing material for speaking and teaching. I will put daily (in most cases) creative blocks on the calendar Monday through Friday.
• No TV. Notice I did not say rest from watching, because I generally don’t watch anyway. Movies will be minimal.
• Attempt good rest at night or naps when possible.

My January Rest will replenish me by resting from these things. I will have needed space and time to create, write, and develop. Or so the theory goes. Keep reading to see how this year’s Rest turns out.