When we turn our hobbies into businesses, it can take away the fun or the enjoyment of the hobby. And that's ok if you're ok with that, but find a new hobby to replace what you're turning into a business.

Hobbies build resiliency. It's good for us to not be great at something right away. We can learn lots of new skills through hobbies.

Books: 

Resilient by John Eldredge
Resilient Kids by Dr. Kathy Koch

See Episode 8 about seasonal living

We create our margin, and it's ok to remove things that take up space.

Rest is good; laziness is not. When we try to get back into our routines, it might feel difficult, but we start small to get going again.

We found some things that helped us rest, slow down, and breathe. We can take inventory of the things in our life so that we can remove them if needed, and then add them back later—like we did with this podcast!

see Episode 4: Everything Has a Home

Tips on eliminating potential stress stacks:

• be mindful of your season, your stage, and your stress tendencies
• consider implementing a nightly reset (or a reset that maximizes the best time of day for your current season and stage)
• take care of the little things while they are still little
• identify what things are not a big deal until they become a big deal / identify optimal times to take care of these tasks

The Bomber Mafia, by Malcolm Gladwell

Hoopla, Libby, Cloud Library via your local library

At Your Best, by Carey Nieuwhof

Find your zones! Where are you most productive? 

If you're a leader, you are responsible for knowing your most productive times but also the most productive times of those on your team.

Like anything with personal development, this should not be used as a crutch. We don't say "well, I'm not productive at this time so I'm never going to do anything in this space." We can have high, average, and low levels of production times throughout our day, but these will flex and change with the seasons we are in.

Good to Great, The Flywheel (see Chapter 8)

Habits of the Household

1. Get up at the same time each day | this is a great way to keep your body in generally the same cycles and sync each day. Your natural sleep pattern and rhythm will appreciate the consistency!
2. Make your bed | this is the easiest win! It's such a super simple and quick task, and you start your day with an immediate accomplishment. It also makes our whole room feel nicer and it's much easier to keep our room tidy when the bed is made.
3. Get up before your kids | we never feel more rushed or out of our routine than the few times we have been woken up by our kids!

Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life...And Maybe the World, by Admiral William H. McRaven

See also, Episode 9 for more tips on how to read more this year!

Jake:

1. Surprise the World, by Michael Frost
2. Culture Wins, by William Vanderbloemen
3. At Your Best, by Carey Nieuwhof
4. Bonus: Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey

Jess:

1. Soundtracks, by Jon Acuff
2. The Common Rule, by Justin Whitmel Earley
3. Essentialism, by Greg McKeown
4. Shoe Dog, by Phil Knight
5. Delivering Happiness, by Tony Hsieh

2022 Goals
Jake: 36 (read 32 in 2021)
Jess: 40 (read 37 in 2021)

Looking forward to reading this year:

Do It For a Day, by Mark Batterson
The Storyteller, by Dave Grohl
Habits of the Household, by Justin Whitmel Earley
The High Five Habit, by Mel Robbins
The Genius of Jesus, by Erwin McManus
Every Body Matters, by Gary Thomas

Backin' Up News Interview & Song 

See also: Episode 10, What Gets Scheduled Gets Done & Episode 18, How to Know if You're Too Busy

Carey Nieuwhof, At Your Best

Apps: Evernote, Goodreads

"Gratitude turns what we have into enough."

Things to try:

1. Ask your spouse/kids/friends/colleagues what made them happy today
2. Keep a specific gratitude journal (try 10 things to make sure you get specific!)
3. Celebrate small wins along the way to your big goals / don't forget to be grateful for all the little pieces that will make up the big piece!

Ben Rector - The Thanksgiving Song

Daniel Pink, When

Simon Sinek, Leaders Eat Last

see also, Episode 5: Fringe Time