I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how many things I say I want to do, and how few of them I actually make time for.
I’ll save a recipe I really want to make and never buy the ingredients. I’ll talk about having people over and never pick a day. I’ll have something on my heart that I want to write about, then spend so much time wondering how to say it that I don’t write anything at all.
I have a lot of ideas. Following through is where I get stuck, and honestly, it has started to affect how I feel about myself. It’s hard to feel excited about what you’re building when you know you keep putting off the building part.
Maybe there’s something you’ve been putting off, too. Something you actually care about, but somehow another week goes by and you haven’t touched it.
I don’t want to wait until January to start doing the things I already know I want to do. And I don’t want to miss the rest of fall because I’m too busy imagining how lovely it could be instead of making a few plans.
So I’ve been thinking about what would help me feel a little more excited about my own life again. Some of it is practical, some of it is fun, and some of it means being honest with God about where I am right now. I thought I’d share, because I have a feeling I’m not the only one who needs this.
Get dressed in something you actually like
I love clothes, but I can still get into a habit of wearing the same few things and then wondering why getting dressed doesn’t feel very exciting.
Meanwhile, there are outfits saved on my phone that I could probably recreate with things I already own. I just haven’t tried.
Fall is when I get especially excited about my personal style. Good jeans, a fitted sweater, chunky boots, a leather jacket, a big belt. I love a fitted black turtleneck with jeans or a long skirt. Add earrings and a bag, and suddenly I remember that I do, in fact, enjoy getting dressed.
I want to spend a little time trying things on without being halfway out the door. Put together a few complete outfits, take pictures of the ones I like, and figure out what I’m actually missing before deciding I need to go shopping.
And then I want to wear them. To church, to get coffee, to run errands. I don’t have so many special occasions that I can afford to save all my favorite clothes for them.
If you’ve been feeling a little unlike yourself lately, maybe start with an outfit you feel really good in. I know it doesn’t fix everything, but sometimes it helps me feel more ready to take part in the day.
Actually put something on the calendar
I love the idea of having people over for dinner. I can picture the table, what I’d cook, the candles, all of it. But there is a very important step between imagining a dinner and having one, which is actually inviting people.
That’s the part I want to get better at.
If there’s something you keep saying would be fun, could you make the plan this week? Text your friend. Ask your husband which Saturday he’s free. Pick a recipe and invite someone over to eat it with you.
It could also be something just for you. An afternoon at a bookstore, a coffee shop you’ve wanted to try, or a morning spent baking something that takes a little longer than your usual breakfast.
I think I sometimes expect anticipation to just show up in my life, but I have to give myself something to look forward to. And there are still plenty of things I’d love to do before fall is over.
Make your home a place you’re happy to be
I can get very carried away thinking about our home. One idea leads to another, and suddenly the small change I wanted to make has become an entire room makeover in my head.
I love that part, honestly. I love imagining what a space could look like. But I also want to enjoy living here while I’m figuring it out.
There are things I can do now. Clear off the table so we can actually eat at it. Put the laundry away. Move a lamp somewhere that needs softer light. Bring out the candles instead of leaving them in a cabinet.
If there’s one area you keep looking at and wishing were different, start there. Maybe it needs organizing, maybe it needs something pretty, or maybe it just needs the pile of things removed from it.
I also think this is a good time of year to use the things we tend to save. The nice glasses, the serving dish, the napkins you bought because you imagined a particular dinner. I want those things to become part of our life. That was the whole reason I loved them in the first place.
Cook one of the things you keep saving
My saved recipes suggest that I am doing a tremendous amount of cooking.
There are soups, pasta dishes, homemade breads, apple desserts, and elaborate dinners for gatherings I have not yet organized. I’m very inspired. I just need to go to the grocery store.
This week, I want to choose a few things I’m actually excited to make and buy what I need for them. A dinner that makes enough for leftovers, something Jack and I would both love, and maybe a dessert just because it sounds good.
If meal planning feels like a lot, you could start with one recipe. Choose the night you’ll make it and check the ingredients before you shop. That alone would get me much further than saving another twelve versions of creamy tomato pasta.
And I do want to bake something with apples before the season is over. I feel quite strongly about that.
Give the thing on your heart some actual time
This is the one I’ve been thinking about most.
There are things I want to do that matter deeply to me, and I know I haven’t been giving them the attention they need. Writing is one of them. Building this space is one of them.
Sometimes I think I’m waiting to feel more confident. Sometimes I’m trying to make sure the idea is good enough before I begin. And sometimes I get distracted, put it off, and tell myself tomorrow will be different without deciding what I’m going to do differently.
It’s uncomfortable to admit that when something means so much to you. But I don’t think avoiding it makes me feel any better.
So I want to be more specific. When am I writing? What am I finishing? What can I work on today without spending another hour reconsidering the entire idea?
Maybe your thing is completely different. You want to learn to sew, apply for something, start a business, become a better photographer, or study a book of the Bible you’ve always wanted to understand.
Whatever it is, could you give it a little time this week? An actual place in your day, with something clear to begin.
I want to find out what I’m capable of when I follow through. And I want to let myself be a beginner long enough to get better. Baby steps are still steps.
Take care of a few things you’ve been avoiding
There is probably something you thought of as soon as you read that heading.
An appointment you need to book. An email you need to answer. A return that has been sitting by the door for so long it’s practically part of the decor.
I have found that putting something off rarely means I stop thinking about it. Usually, I just think about it repeatedly and feel a little worse each time.
I want to write down the things that need my attention and work through them a few at a time. Starting with the one that would be the biggest relief to have done.
I’m thinking about the everyday basics, too. Having groceries in the house, getting enough sleep, making time to go outside, keeping up with the laundry. When those things slide, everything else starts to feel harder than it needs to.
If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed, it might help to ask what would make tomorrow easier. Sometimes the answer is surprisingly ordinary.
Tell God where you really are
There’s a lot I want to do, but I also know I need time with God where I’m not just asking Him to help me accomplish everything on my list.
I need to tell Him what’s actually going on. Where I’m disappointed, where I’ve been afraid, what I’m hoping for, and what I don’t understand.
Sometimes I have so much going around in my head that I don’t even know where to begin praying. Writing it down helps. I can start with what’s bothering me and usually find that there’s more underneath it than I realized.
If you’re feeling stuck, maybe spend a little time there before deciding you need a completely new routine. Open your Bible. Tell God the truth. Ask Him for wisdom about what needs your attention and what you might need to let go of.
I still have big hopes for my life. I still want to create things, grow, and see what could come from the ideas I keep returning to. I want to bring all of that to Him and stay willing to be led.
I don’t know exactly what the next season will look like. But I know I can trust Him with it, and I’m grateful I don’t have to figure it all out before taking the next step.
Leave room to enjoy fall, too
I realize I’ve managed to turn a fall reset into a conversation about following through on your dreams, but I do also think we should eat apple crisp and go look at the leaves and go to a pumpkin patch.
There are things I love about this time of year that I don’t want to rush past. Wearing a sweater on a cold morning. Cooking dinner with music on. Taking a drive with Jack. Finding a movie we both want to watch and making a night of it.
I love a fall list, and mine will probably include a pumpkin patch and baking something from scratch. If neither of those sounds fun to you, please leave them off yours. There is no reason to spend your Saturday doing an activity you don’t enjoy because it photographs well.
Think about what you’d genuinely be happy to make time for before the season ends. Then choose a day. That seems to be the step I keep coming back to.
I’m not going to do everything in this post this week. But I am going to finish writing it, choose something good to make for dinner, and put a plan on the calendar.
That feels like a start I can actually make.
If any of this sounds familiar, I hope you’ll choose something, too. I’d love for us to have a few things we’re glad we finally did when November comes around.
