Last week I mentioned that I view my energy as a rechargeable battery. (Read that post here.)

If you’re often low on energy, I also recommend reading this five-part series about 15 Ways to Have More Energy by Crystal Paine of Money Saving Mom.

From drinking water and making sleep a priority, to wrapping our lives around things that matter, each post in the series offers three energy-finding ideas and is full of great motivation.

I personally need to work the most on Crystal’s fourth post that mentions clutter and worry. I’m combating those energy-stealers by decluttering my home and making prayer and Bible study a higher priority in the first part of my day. It’s only been a week and I already notice a huge positive difference in my energy!

Figuring out how to energize and motivate ourselves is one way to be able to live full and productive lives so that we can make the most of our time and serve others.

Happy Monday!

Note: If you’re feeling overwhelmed and need a little encouragement, please read my post about difficult seasons.

I’m not very good at cleaning my house when it’s nice outside, because I want to be outside, so this year I decided to start my spring cleaning early with the hopes of being done by the time spring arrives!

I have a five week plan, and it doesn’t really include scrubbing baseboards and windows – it’s more of a mission to declutter my home of things that aren’t beneficial to my family.

My goal is to go slow enough that I don’t burn out after three days, but to work steadily enough that I can actually finish before the warm weather beacons me.

Today is day one of week one, and I’m excited to get started!

Question: What does spring cleaning look like for your family?

Getting off to a slow start today?

Something worse than a half wasted day is a whole wasted day, so let’s stop procrastinating and get to work!

Happy Monday!

Me with Grace after my first 5k!

I’m a self-proclaimed self-help book junkie, and lately I’ve been noticing a little pattern:

When I have a problem, I immediately think of a book that I “need” to read to fix my problem.

Staying in PJs for most of the day again? I better pick up my copy of Frumps to Pumps! Getting off track of our financial goals? Time to review some of The Total Money Makeover! Worried and weary? I’ll read another chapter of Traveling Light! Kids acting a little wild? I need to pick up The Strong-Willed Child again!

Those books are all fantastic books that I highly recommend, but the problem is that while we can spend as much time as we want to reading about something, unless we put down the books and start doing, we aren’t really accomplishing a whole lot of good for anyone.

So, instead of picking up another book about decluttering (which I already know how to do), I need to pick up a trash bag and get to work! Kids acting up? I need to discipline them! If I’m letting worry steal my joy, then I need to pray about it and choose to trust God as I turn my attention to better things.

These fantastic books have their place, and I don’t plan to quit reading my beloved self help books, but I do need to make sure that I don’t let the reading stop me from the doing.

Think about what you need or want to do that you’ve been putting off, and I’ll think of something too.

Now let’s stop reading about it, stop talking about it, stop obsessing about it, stop procrastinating or making excuses, and just do it!

What’s stopping us from being more intentional with our lives?

I know that sometimes we’re too scared, or too tired, or too busy, or too uninspired, or… the list goes on and on, but…

We only have one shot at life – let’s make the most of the days we’re blessed with!

Maybe yesterday was a bad day. That’s okay. Do what you can to make today a better one.

Let’s stop thinking about why we can’t and instead start thinking about how we can.