How to Accomplish "Hard to Accomplish" Tasks and Goals

I have something on my to-do list that is very difficult to get to with little babies and toddlers. Actually, this task can be hard to get into the habit of if you are used to leaving it until it "works out" in the month. This task is going to the temple. My goal is to go at least once every month, but without a plan on the calendar and the babysitting to back up the plan, it is more like just a nice thought. 

Going to the temple involves a) being awake, b) driving the 20 minutes to the location, c) finding a babysitter or going after my husband is home and d) dressing up nicely. Any one of these things is enough to throw my plan out of wack, but a few years ago I found a solution that has worked so well. 

First, I do have a rotating task that says, "Plan Temple Trip". It is just a reminder to make sure there is a date and plan in place for me to go. I could probably technically delete this task now, since I have a rotating plan in place on the calendar every month, but it does help me remember to work out any changes in schedule with my friend before the day of our swap. 

Second, I found someone who is possibly even more organized than I am to trade babysitting with. Now, here's the thing. While I definitely recommend you finding someone who is organized and a planner who will not let plans with you slip through the cracks, you also cannot be the person that lets things fall through month after month or this plan will never work. If you make a plan with someone, honor that plan. 

Third, put your plan into action by scheduling the agreed upon time on your calendar. Honor your commitments to yourself and to others and actually go at that time. We generally try and get out the door as soon as our children have left for school, which means that I have to get up and get dressed up before my children leave. This can be difficult, but I have gotten better at it and my children know where I am going when I'm all dressed up on a Tuesday. 

For the past 30 months my friend and I have honored our commitments to be available to babysit for each other and to drop off our children when we say we will to be on time to visit the temple. It has not gotten easier, things still come up, but it has gotten easier to follow through and for a few hours, to push away the worries of everyday life and head to this place of peace and quiet. It is one of my favorite places and something I now look forward to because there is not a big hassle putting a plan in place - I just follow the plan put in place a few years ago. Soon I will not have to trade babysitting, but I can just go when kids are in school. But I wish I had someone I had thought about doing this with years ago. This trading babysitting has been a monumental blessing in my life. 

So, if you have a goal to be consistent with something that has several variables, consider bringing another person into your plan and offering to help them with their plan. Yes, I have to sacrifice my time both when I go and when I am babysitting for my friend, but are not all things worry of our time and attention things worth sacrificing for? The bonus to this story is that I was not super good friends with the woman I trade babysitting with. I knew her from church and I trusted her, but we became friends through this service to each other. And to top everything off, our children are friends and look forward to playing together when their mom's take turns fulfilling something important to them.