Jen Russum

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2016 Goals

It feels so good to write out my goals. After writing out my yearly and monthly goals consistently for years, I completely stopped doing so this summer and fall in the blur of having a baby, moving to a new state, and finishing my PhD. A few days after I finished my dissertation last month, I suddenly remembered I could and should set goals for 2016. Two main goals have been driving my days for the past four months… finish your dissertation and keep your kids alive. That’s it. That was seriously all I could focus on. But now… suddenly… I can have goals again. I can think about my health and our finances and making sure my kids are thriving, not just surviving. I can think about organization and rest and play. I’m so excited to have goals again. I know they are a bit belated, but here are my goals for 2016.

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SPIRITUAL
Return to the homiletic method of study Scripture
Increase prayer – written and when driving
Memorize Romans 8
One encouragement note per month
Read the Bible to the girls most days

Bible reading – I am still finishing up my Bible reading plan from 2015. Having a baby in June slowed me down a bit, but I am almost done with it. From there, I plan to return to the homiletic method of studying Scripture, and I am praying over some other Scripture/teaching ideas for the year.

Prayer – I’ve been in a pretty good rhythm of writing down prayers for Micah, Z, and Talitha each month. I want to continue this and also pray more out loud… especially now that I have time in car alone two days a week.

Scripture memorization – I truly want to engrave God’s Word on my heart through memorization. I made it through verse 11 in Romans 8, but I haven’t worked on it at all since Talitha was born. Lord, give me the discipline in this area. Memorization is so valuable. May I treat it as such.

Encouragement – Send one note a month by mail to someone who needs it – a friend, a family member, someone who is practically a stranger. It took me a couple of years to turn this into an almost-habit, and I only fell out of practice when we moved in the fall. It’s time to start back up again. I love using my gift of writing in this way.

Bible with the girls – I really want to read the Bible with the girls more often. I’m trying to make it a habit during our morning time after breakfast and before Talitha’s nap. It doesn’t happen every day, and sometimes only Z pays attention. My goal is simply to do it most days each week, and I’m using a goal-tracker to watch our progress.

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PHYSICAL
Tone 3x/week
Run a half marathon

Toning – Ever since turning 30, I’ve had this nagging thought in the back of my mind… “I need to do more resistance training. Weights are more important than running for my long-term health.” But it’s been so hard to implement a weight-lifting plan that works, especially since I want to continue running also, and my workout time is limited since having kids. Since November, I’ve started doing workout videos at home. What?! I’m a self-proclaimed gym rat, but I now do a 30 minute strength-focused workout before the girls wake up. My goal is to do it at least three days a week. I’m using a separate goal-tracker to chart my progress in this area.

Half-marathon – I haven’t run a half marathon in five years, but I am a much faster runner now since having kids. Weird, but true. I am hoping to PR. There will never be an easy time to train with kids in the mix, but this spring seems slightly feasible now that my dissertation is finished and Talitha is in the final stretch of breastfeeding. I’m hoping to run the OC Half Marathon in early May.

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ORGANIZE
Finish girls’ baby books
Organize and cull computer files
Get new computer

Baby books – Zianne’s baby book is almost completely done, but I kind of hate it. I tried a Project Life album for the first time, and it’s so bulky. I am considering deconstructing it and using a Lucy Darling book for both Z and T.

Files – I consider myself a pretty organized person in most areas of life, but my computer is an absolute disaster. My tiny computer was my closest companion throughout all of grad school, the glory days of blogging 5x a week {hey, 2011!}, and now holds a million drafts of my dissertation and job application materials. The machine itself is on its final leg, and I need to get my files sorted to some extent before I move to a new computer. I don’t even know where to begin, so if you have any digital management tips please pass them on.

Get new computer – See above. I think this will be my graduation/got a job gift to myself.

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REST
1 book for fun/month
Read for 15 minutes a day

One book per month – Having a baby completely derails my reading. In 2014, I finally reached my goal of reading one book for fun each month. I read six in 2015, then Talitha arrived in June,and I don’t think I finished another book for the rest of the year. I just finished my first book of 2016 yesterday, so I have a little catching up to do to get on pace.

Read for fun – I love reading, but I forget how much I enjoy it until I actually start doing it. I love reading before bed, but I also want to work reading into other parts of my day because it’s so restful for my soul. I want to stuff a book in my purse and read when I’m sitting in waiting rooms. I want to sneak a few minutes of reading during nap time instead of instantly rushing to get work done. It’s not just about the quantity of books I read, but about creating a rhythm of rest in my busy days.

Comments

  1. I am faster after having kids too…weird, but when I think about it the 30-35 age group always seemed the fastest. And, read while you nurse! I started doing that with Emmett and it's amazing how many books I read compared to browsing social media with Clara.