HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! I wanted to kick off the year on my channel by sharing simple techniques that we ALL can use to set intentions and start planning for the year ahead. I will focus in on these topics throughout the year, and share how I implement these tools & techniques to create a more efficient flow and inch closer to living the a life of purpose and intention. I hope you enjoy! Please share any thoughts below! I'd love to connect! xo Quiet Time- Spending time every day in solitude and silence is such a gift. Especially with the busyness of life, it's one of the greatest gifts in my day. For my personal daily quiet time every morning, I try to rise between 5:00 AM and 6:00 AM and start with 15 minutes of deep breathing. I focus on my breathing by inhaling and exhaling with minimal pause between breaths for 15 minutes straight (the book "The Presence Process" talks about this in detail.) I follow this by praying and reading my Bible (this is the Bible I use amzn.to/3PvHS06. I also enjoy reading biblical commentaries, and reading books from authors like C.S. Lewis etc. Journaling & Brain Dump- I've done brain dumps for years without really knowing what I was doing. It's essentially putting all your thoughts on paper and organizing those thoughts into actionable steps, lists, and plans. It's a way to sort and organize thoughts and set intentions and goals. David Allen discusses this more if you type in "David Allen Brain Dump" into Google. As someone who is diagnosed Neurodivergent, I can sometimes get distracted by whatever my interests are at the time, and lose track of what I NEED to get done. I use brain dumps, lists, and task management tools to help me stay on track. Building Habits & Starting Small- There's a great book called "The Compound Effect" about how building small stackable habits is the best way to integrate better habits into our lives. This takes time and patience, but it's all about starting small. Think about five habits you'd like to replace this year and how you can start small to begin integrating these habits into your everyday life. Remember, it takes an average of 30 days of doing something daily for it to then become a habit. Time Management- I like to block out my day into time slots and try to use my time wisely. Sometimes, I am not always the best steward of my time, but I'm learning that building better systems and routines helps me become more efficient throughout the day so I also have time for rest, recovery and diving deeper into my interests. I will dive more into this topic on my channel this year. Self-Care- Caring for ourselves so we can show up for others is HUGE! Self-care might evolve as your life does, but we can also shift our perspective to understand that self-care doesn't have to look like an epic spa treatment or an expensive skincare routine. Start with small habits like drinking more water, reducing caffeine intake, replacing scrolling with listening to podcasts or reading, and exercising for 15 minutes a day. We can build resilience in small ways, and take better care of ourselves by building small habits that fit into our life.
No one talks about this but mainly women carry “mental load” for families. It can be extremely stressful. I like hearing your thought process of how you organize your thoughts. I use a daily agenda and keep a side notebook for meal planning. I like the brain dump idea. When everyone is counting on us to remember everything for our entire family even the “stuff” that they need to bring with them, it can be a harrowing task.
100% feel you on this - so exhausting carrying the mental load for everyone and having a high stress corporate job, cooking, planning, cleaning…we can’t do it all 😅
@@heatherjuliet I agree. I don’t think women should be expected to “do it all.”It’s just not possible for one human, especially if you’re working a full time job. Everyone has to do their part in a family unit and help out. I’ve heard that family meetings can be very helpful. We should keep this discussion going and dive deeper into this topic. I like making lists etc, because I need to have a grasp on my own mind and everything that I’m worried about. Having everyone working and schooling from home has unique challenges for our family that we’re still working through. My husband is very helpful and I should clarify this more often in my content, but it’s definitely not always easy getting everyone on the same page etc.. 🙏🏻😩 Sending love 🫶🏻💕
Hi Rachel, I’ve been following you for over 10 years now, and I truly enjoy all of your content. I make it a point to watch your videos whenever I get the chance. This particular video really stood out to me-I found the experiences you shared incredibly valuable.Keep up the amazing work! Wishing you a very happy New Year filled with blessings. May God help you achieve all your dreams and vision for yourself and your family.❤
Oh beginning the days with quiet time has become priceless for me…especially when each day holds so much noise from precious kiddos 😅 Sets me up for a better day!
Perfect timing!!! I am a new high school teacher and am feeling overwhelmed. I’m always organized but still. I’ve been a preschool teacher and substitute teacher. I’m married with 4 kids. I love to cook meals for my family! But need to menu plan!!! It’s so hard to keep track of all the things for each family member (sports, clubs, work schedules for my teens, chores, bills etc.) . I prefer using my Happy Planner and am utilizing a separate one for my 6 classes! BIG takeaway: what can I do for future me as my own assistant!!! Thank You Rach!!!
I’ve been struggling how to organize all my thoughts (life, kids, work load, spiritual thoughts, Bible reading, goals etc) but didn’t know where to start! Thank your for this video! I now have a game plan and am excited for the new year!!! Great video as always ✌🏼☀️🦋
Thank you for this really insightful video. I'm an empty-nester, work two part-time jobs, and my husband is semi-disabled, so I'm also a part-time caregiver for him. We have a fairly active social life and five grandkids who we spend alot of time with. I also try to make time for fitness 5-6 days a week. Life can seem very busy and totally disorganized at times! I will def be utilizing some of your tips and think they'll be a big help..Also, I love your glasses! I hope you dont mind, but are they prescription or readers, and where did you get them? They're so stylish!
@@Debbie-39 thank you! I’m so glad this was helpful for you in some way. 🙏🏻 These glasses are Warby Parker. They are prescription. I love them. They have a really comfortable fit, and I always go back to them as my favorite!
Happy New Year gorgeous Rachel! Also where'd you get your glasses? I need to buy new ones and those look exactly like the gray tortoiseshell ones I had in mind.
I know. Me too 😔 It's awful!!! I filmed this video before the fires, otherwise I would have mentioned it. It's incredibly disheartening how bad the fires have become out there. Our old house isn't currently in the line of fires, but we had several close calls when we lived there. Fire insurance is a whole other topic too. It's just terrible.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
I wanted to kick off the year on my channel by sharing simple techniques that we ALL can use to set intentions and start planning for the year ahead. I will focus in on these topics throughout the year, and share how I implement these tools & techniques to create a more efficient flow and inch closer to living the a life of purpose and intention. I hope you enjoy! Please share any thoughts below! I'd love to connect! xo
Quiet Time-
Spending time every day in solitude and silence is such a gift. Especially with the busyness of life, it's one of the greatest gifts in my day. For my personal daily quiet time every morning, I try to rise between 5:00 AM and 6:00 AM and start with 15 minutes of deep breathing. I focus on my breathing by inhaling and exhaling with minimal pause between breaths for 15 minutes straight (the book "The Presence Process" talks about this in detail.) I follow this by praying and reading my Bible (this is the Bible I use amzn.to/3PvHS06. I also enjoy reading biblical commentaries, and reading books from authors like C.S. Lewis etc.
Journaling & Brain Dump-
I've done brain dumps for years without really knowing what I was doing. It's essentially putting all your thoughts on paper and organizing those thoughts into actionable steps, lists, and plans. It's a way to sort and organize thoughts and set intentions and goals. David Allen discusses this more if you type in "David Allen Brain Dump" into Google. As someone who is diagnosed Neurodivergent, I can sometimes get distracted by whatever my interests are at the time, and lose track of what I NEED to get done. I use brain dumps, lists, and task management tools to help me stay on track.
Building Habits & Starting Small-
There's a great book called "The Compound Effect" about how building small stackable habits is the best way to integrate better habits into our lives. This takes time and patience, but it's all about starting small. Think about five habits you'd like to replace this year and how you can start small to begin integrating these habits into your everyday life. Remember, it takes an average of 30 days of doing something daily for it to then become a habit.
Time Management-
I like to block out my day into time slots and try to use my time wisely. Sometimes, I am not always the best steward of my time, but I'm learning that building better systems and routines helps me become more efficient throughout the day so I also have time for rest, recovery and diving deeper into my interests. I will dive more into this topic on my channel this year.
Self-Care-
Caring for ourselves so we can show up for others is HUGE! Self-care might evolve as your life does, but we can also shift our perspective to understand that self-care doesn't have to look like an epic spa treatment or an expensive skincare routine. Start with small habits like drinking more water, reducing caffeine intake, replacing scrolling with listening to podcasts or reading, and exercising for 15 minutes a day. We can build resilience in small ways, and take better care of ourselves by building small habits that fit into our life.
No one talks about this but mainly women carry “mental load” for families. It can be extremely stressful. I like hearing your thought process of how you organize your thoughts. I use a daily agenda and keep a side notebook for meal planning. I like the brain dump idea. When everyone is counting on us to remember everything for our entire family even the “stuff” that they need to bring with them, it can be a harrowing task.
@@alyssarosengard6674 oh absolutely! It’s daunting! Let me dive deeper into these topics this year, and I will discuss this in more detail.
100% feel you on this - so exhausting carrying the mental load for everyone and having a high stress corporate job, cooking, planning, cleaning…we can’t do it all 😅
@@heatherjuliet I agree. I don’t think women should be expected to “do it all.”It’s just not possible for one human, especially if you’re working a full time job. Everyone has to do their part in a family unit and help out. I’ve heard that family meetings can be very helpful. We should keep this discussion going and dive deeper into this topic. I like making lists etc, because I need to have a grasp on my own mind and everything that I’m worried about. Having everyone working and schooling from home has unique challenges for our family that we’re still working through. My husband is very helpful and I should clarify this more often in my content, but it’s definitely not always easy getting everyone on the same page etc.. 🙏🏻😩
Sending love 🫶🏻💕
Really love this kind of video from you, this was really helpful 😀
Hi Rachel, I’ve been following you for over 10 years now, and I truly enjoy all of your content. I make it a point to watch your videos whenever I get the chance. This particular video really stood out to me-I found the experiences you shared incredibly valuable.Keep up the amazing work! Wishing you a very happy New Year filled with blessings. May God help you achieve all your dreams and vision for yourself and your family.❤
Love this, I adore all of your content no matter the type, and I’ve grown right along with you with changes etc💚💚
More of this! Love love love !!!
I'm looking forward to your insight on systems! And I love the idea of caring for what is mine.
Oh beginning the days with quiet time has become priceless for me…especially when each day holds so much noise from precious kiddos 😅 Sets me up for a better day!
Perfect timing!!! I am a new high school teacher and am feeling overwhelmed. I’m always organized but still. I’ve been a preschool teacher and substitute teacher. I’m married with 4 kids. I love to cook meals for my family! But need to menu plan!!! It’s so hard to keep track of all the things for each family member (sports, clubs, work schedules for my teens, chores, bills etc.) . I prefer using my Happy Planner and am utilizing a separate one for my 6 classes! BIG takeaway: what can I do for future me as my own assistant!!! Thank You Rach!!!
Such amazing useful tips. Love your transition to being mindful n self care
*side note: “be the assistant for future you” 🤯
@@myhopefilleddays2923 right? That concept totally blew my mind.
Loved this video! Thank you for sharing your knowledge!
Happy new year. I Love all of your Videos but specially These Kind of Videos. God bless you and greetings from Austria
I’ve been struggling how to organize all my thoughts (life, kids, work load, spiritual thoughts, Bible reading, goals etc) but didn’t know where to start! Thank your for this video! I now have a game plan and am excited for the new year!!! Great video as always ✌🏼☀️🦋
Great ideas❤ Happy New Year 🎉
Happy New Year to you and your family I hope y'all are doing well.
Thank you so much! We're doing well, thank you for asking! xoxo
Thank you for this really insightful video. I'm an empty-nester, work two part-time jobs, and my husband is semi-disabled, so I'm also a part-time caregiver for him. We have a fairly active social life and five grandkids who we spend alot of time with. I also try to make time for fitness 5-6 days a week. Life can seem very busy and totally disorganized at times! I will def be utilizing some of your tips and think they'll be a big help..Also, I love your glasses! I hope you dont mind, but are they prescription or readers, and where did you get them? They're so stylish!
@@Debbie-39 thank you! I’m so glad this was helpful for you in some way. 🙏🏻 These glasses are Warby Parker. They are prescription. I love them. They have a really comfortable fit, and I always go back to them as my favorite!
Happy New Year gorgeous Rachel! Also where'd you get your glasses? I need to buy new ones and those look exactly like the gray tortoiseshell ones I had in mind.
@@ania5038 thank you! These are Warby Parker! I love them 🫶🏻 thank you for watching
Thanks for sharing ❤
Where’s that Plant stand behind your from… I need it
@@jayeglowstudio here’s a link: amzn.to/3WidHgV
❤
Is your old house in the line of the California fires? My heart is so heavy for CA right now.
I know. Me too 😔 It's awful!!! I filmed this video before the fires, otherwise I would have mentioned it. It's incredibly disheartening how bad the fires have become out there. Our old house isn't currently in the line of fires, but we had several close calls when we lived there. Fire insurance is a whole other topic too. It's just terrible.
What happened to your lovely Louis Vuitton Agenda? ❤
@@caterinagostl2026 I decided to sell all of my designer items when I started my journey towards minimizing. 🙏🏻