Yes, that is what January 1st is for me.  Every single year.

I think most Americans fall into one of two camps:

1. Those who actually stayed up 'til midnight partying, drinking, and doing things they're trying not to remember as they sleep in late and try out homemade hangover remedies.
2. Those who didn't even try to stay up last night, who are starting the year off on the "right" foot. They're up at a decent hour, after plenty of rest, planning for the next year to be one of the greatest.

I fall into category #2.  I couldn't stay up if my life depended on it, so why try? 

So, I got up somewhere around 6:00 (which is "sleeping in" for me) checked my e-mail, did some morning stretches with a DVD that was starting to get dusty, and helped lead my family in our first family devotion of the year.

We've tried to do family devotions before, but they've never lasted long, because we can't get a consistent schedule.  DH is a night owl.  I'm an early bird.  And, our kids are cuckoo.  (just kidding!) So, we tend to all be doing our own things all day long.  We sit down together (at least 3 of us at a time) for about one meal a day, but that's even difficult during the school year.  Between basketball games and church meetings, we sometimes go for days without all being in the house or all being awake at the same time.  And, yet, we do seem to function pretty well.  DH and I check in enough to know who's going where and at what time. 

I know we work together well, and our family is pretty healthy, but I really want to get those family devotions to be part of our family.  I'll blog on that another day.  Let's get back to my most productive day of the year.

So, I've already exercised, eaten whole wheat non-sweetened cereal, done devotions, worked on the laundry and dishes, and written a blog entry.  And, all this before 8:00 a.m. (I had to surf the internet and convince my kids to get along for a little bit, too.)

This will be a productive day, because I start every year like this.  I work out, eat healthy, clean the house (somewhat, don't want to overdo it there,) and get my planner set up.  Since I haven't gotten my new planner materials yet, I will do that another day.  I have every intention of this being a better year than last year. 

And, you know what, it usually is.

I'm not one of those resolution-making people.  I have done that in the past, but I don't really do it any more.  I make goals.  I spend a lot of this week thinking about goals for the year, and then I accomplish most of them.  Or, I try like crazy to. 

Two examples from last year:

• I wanted to set up a website by summer.  Shoot!  I had it set up before January 1st.  I just couldn't wait any longer.  Since then, I have revamped the site twice.  I will probably do more tinkering in the next few months.  Check it out: www.faith-filled.com  Feel free to send me suggestions.
• I "resolved" to lose weight and be more healthy.  Well, darn it, I did lose some weight, then gained it, then lost it again.  I have tried so hard to lose weight.  But, I'm still working on it.  I am not that unhealthy. Out-of-shape, yes, but my blood tests look great.  I can beat most people's cholesterol numbers, and my blood pressure is always on the low end.  Diabetes runs in my family, and despite being overweight, my blood sugar numbers always have looked good.

So, this year, I have set some goals, but they're not solid yet.  I will post them here, in order to be super accountable. Usually I can give myself plenty of guilt and motivation, but I heard that women are more likely to keep their resolutions if they tell others.  So, I'm going to do that with my goals.  Then, I can come back at the end of 2008 and let you know which ones have been fulfilled and which ones have not.

Have you set goals for 2008?  How about just for January? Are they realistic? Measurable? Who will help you be accountable and will encourage you to complete your goals?

Are you more of a productive person today or still in bed, trying to sleep off last night's party?