I'm really geeked up for the new year to begin, but I'm also a little sad in that I want to find a way to bottle up this enthusiasm so that I can feel the newness each day. Why is it that we feel a sense of revitalization and excitement to start a new year but we don't do the same thing with each day? 

I think it can all begin with the way that I start and end each day. A little over a month ago I started my 5-Minute Journal, and I absolutely love it. It has actually started to impact how I view each day, because I write down what I'm going to do to make the day great and then at the end of the day I reflect on amazing things that happened during the day. 

So, in that sense I feel like I'm moving closer to appreciating each day for what it has to offer, but I also want that sense of newness and energy that can accompany it if I truly am excited about it. 

Lesson Learned: Treat each day like it's about to be the start of something new, because it is! 

How do you keep the excitement for a new endeavor from lessening over time?

Time away from something often allows us to appreciate it more. I have been away from the gym for a couple of weeks. On some days I was out of town, on others I had family commitments, and then there were those days that I just didn't feel like going. 

Well, today I learned that I need to make time for myself to work out. Whether it's for 30 minutes or 2 hours, it's important to do those activities that we truly enjoy, and I rediscovered that today. I was at the gym for almost two hours. I alternated between cardio and super sets, and I enjoyed some conversations in between what I was doing.

Today, I realized how much I missed being at the gym, and I'm glad to be back. I do appreciate it a lot more, but I won't take that much time away from it again. 

Lesson learned: Time away allows us to be more appreciative.

What is something you've been away from that you've missed?

I don't think you can ever put too much emphasis on naps. Naps are the best thing ever invented. Whoever came up with the idea of taking a rest in the middle of the day was a genius. I'm not sure how to get that organized into the work day, but I definitely appreciate them on days I have off.

And don't confuse a nap with a respite. A respite is a quick-hitter, maybe 15-20 minutes tops. A nap, on the other hand, is a commitment. It's an hour and sometimes more. When you are taking a nap, you are saying that the outside world is off limits for the equivalent of a half of a football game, potentially an entire movie, or an hour-long drama for sure.

But, what do you call those times when you can sleep for longer than a respite but not quite long enough for a nap? That's the situation I had today. I laid down for 45 minutes, and I wasn't quite sure what to call it. A resnap? A napite? What do you think?

Lesson learned: I enjoy the time when I can take a rest in my day.

Today I rediscovered the pomodoro technique. It's the technique where you work for 25 minutes and then take a 5 minute break. I used it a lot in the summer, because otherwise I think I would have floated and not gotten much accomplished when I had the time to do so. For me, it's a big time way for me to be productive. 

With the weather outside being less than agreeable today in Nebraska, I've spent the day inside getting different tasks and projects either completed or at least started. 

I set my phone timer for 25 minutes and then I get to work and focus on what I'm doing. I don't check social media, send texts, or check my email, unless those are my tasks for the 25 minutes. For example, this 25 minute segment is being spent working on this blog post and retooling my website.

When the timer goes off, I will walk in place, get a drink of water or something else that gets me up and moving around.

​At the end of the 5 minutes, then I decide if I want to continue with this work or move on to something else.

Have you tried the pomodoro technique? If so, how did it affect your productivity?

I love the innocence of babies. 

I got to spend the day with grand nephew who is 5 1/2 months old. He's such a happy baby. He giggles and loves to hang out. He's figured out an unconventional way to start moving around. When he's lying on his back, he gets his legs under him and he scoots himself backward. He's teething, but he isn't fussy. He just grabs your finger, stuffs it in his mouth, and gums it to death.

While hanging out with him today, his diaper leaked and he peed on me, he spit up on me twice, and I changed his stinky diaper. But you know what? I didn't mind a bit. His sweet, innocent smile melted my heart and I knew that everything was okay.

We can learn a lot about how to treat each other when we're around babies. We are observant, patient, and loving. We live in the moment with them. We simply enjoy the way they learn, the way they trust us unconditionally, and the fact that their smile lights up our lives.

Imagine how much better our relationships will be when we do the same thing with each other.

If you haven't been around a baby in awhile, I urge you to find one to hang out with and note how positively you're affected by the experience.