On December 31, author Emily Freeman posted these words to Instagram:
January is the new week between Christmas and the new year.
My fingers had never double-tapped an image so fast before. Amen, amen, amen.
I mentioned it a few weeks ago, but over the last few years, I’ve watched my perspective about the new year change and develop into something, shall I say, softer.
I still love setting goals. I still adore a good benchmark and celebratory milestone. But about five years ago, I started walking into the new year whispering three words beneath my breath and haven’t stopped since:
Rhythms over resolutions.
Rhythms over resolutions.
Rhythms over resolutions.
Here’s what I’d begun to notice about the resolutions I created for myself:
They were often abstract.
They were often built from a place of “not good enough” or “needs serious improvement” as if I were being graded.
They were often held up by a foundation of “I need to get it together,” and that’s not a very sturdy foundation.
I would set many goals and never really check back on them. I reserved results for January and February and then counted my losses in the following months, hoping I would get myself together in March… then May… then July.
There was nothing freeing or grace-filled about the way I set New Year’s goals for myself five years ago. And now I look back and think to myself, how was I supposed to thrive when I was constantly treating myself like a hopeless fixer-upper on HGTV?
Now, instead of resolutions, I sit down in January and plot out rhythms for myself.
Daily rhythms, weekly rhythms, and monthly rhythms.
I remind myself from the jump: you are likely going to mess these up, BUT the great thing about rhythms is that you try again the next day, or the next week, or the next month. Failing something in January is no longer an excuse not to pick it up again in March.
A rhythm is a thing you do on repeat instead of a resolution, which is a firm decision that usually fails.
Here are a few guidelines I set for my rhythms:
I keep them simple and specific.
I make them attainable, aka realistic.
I base them on the person I’m becoming– be it a more present version of myself, a healthier version of myself, or something else.
I leave space for new rhythms to come into existence. Life shifts and changes constantly– there must be grace in the gaps to redirect when needed.
I figured it might be helpful and practical to share some of the rhythms I’m walking into the new year with. Maybe they’ll inspire you to draft up your own:
DAILY
Reading the Bible in Community: This rhythm began in 2022 and has been the biggest game-changer in my spiritual life.
The Unplugged Hours: Another daily discipline I slowly built up– one hour at a time. If you want to be more present in daily life, then I cannot recommend the discipline of unplugging enough to you.
WEEKLY
Practicing Sabbath: The Sabbath looks different for many people, so I’m just giving you the bones of my sabbath. It’s typically 24 hours. It begins on Friday after work and ends on Saturday at sundown. It’s a chance to rest– no work, email, or social media. During that time, I’m with my family; I’m reading good books; I’m taking baths and naps; I’m praying and lingering in my quiet time; I’m moving my body and spending time with friends. I’m often unplugged. Over the years, the weekly sabbath has served as the fuel I need to keep going into the weeks ahead. It’s my reset, and I feel it when I don’t practice it.
Pizza Fridays: this is a family rhythm that came out of my unplugged years, and it’s, by far, our favorite tradition and how we step into the weekend as a family. Pizza Friday is exactly what you think it is: pizza on Fridays with a movie. Now that Novalee is three years old, we plan on doing some double features. A film for her and then a movie for us because why not have two movies in one night?!
Eating at the table: This is another rhythm our little family is walking into the new year with, wanting to prioritize. We aren’t holding ourselves to some impossible standard, but we’re making it a rhythm to sit together at the table two or three times a week. It’s our chance to connect, ask questions, reflect on the day, and share a meal. We value the table and what it means to come around it together, so we’re choosing to fight for it in the new year.
MONTHLY
Using my Prayer Journal: Now, this is technically a daily, weekly, and monthly rhythm all rolled into one! I use a prayer journal nearly every day, and I’ve made it a practice of mine to reach out to my people at the start of each new month and ask, “How can I be praying for you in the month ahead?”
It’s one thing to pray, and it’s another thing to be specific and direct in your prayers. This journal helps me do both and keep it at the forefront of my daily life.
Monthly Hosting: This is a rhythm that Lane and I are committed to in the new year because a) we love hosting and b) we want to practice hospitality so much that it lives in the DNA of who we are, and c) we love a good meal. The table again? Amen, amen. We’re intentionally hosting a group or a guest every month in the new year. It’s our chance to connect, dig deeper, enjoy a meal, and open our doors to the people we love.
If this resonated with you as you read it, I would love to challenge you to take on this framework yourself. Maybe carve out a little time in your week ahead to pause, power down, brew a cup of something, or pour a favorite beverage and ask yourself some essential questions:
Who am I becoming in this new year?
What daily rhythms support that vision?
What weekly rhythms support that vision?
What monthly rhythms support that vision?
It’s a new year. We’re at the starting line.
We’re not just going through the motions this year, my friend.
We’re getting intentional about the rhythms that frame our daily lives.
xx,
Hannah B.
Read More from Hannah Brencher