My social media feeds have been ablaze with everyone’s goals, plans, and dreams for the coming year. The past year was rough on so many people that they vowed to have a better one. The belief is that if we throw ourselves into the right routines and rituals, we can make the next year better than the last, or at least have some resemblance to normal.

I want to suggest that as you are writing your “to-do list” of the coming year, you also have a “NOT to-do list.” There are some things that I hope you do not try to recover to make things feel normal again. Quite possibly, the existence of your long list of things to accomplish is the first step in the wrong direction.

There are innumerable things we can do in the coming year. We can develop routines that give us control over the things we can control. My one word of warning is not to attempt to return to normal if your normal was not godly or healthy.

One of the most significant issues COVID-19 fixed for many people was the chronic busy lifestyle people try to live. We rush from activity to activity with our phone in hand as we attempt to be productive every minute of the day. COVID-19 forced us to slow down and change our schedules. We made time to sit and read, eat together, play a game, study the Bible, put together a puzzle, pray, or have a family night.

My encouragement is for us not to load our schedules and fill up every minute with activity. Use the past year to achieve a new normal – one with space for relationships with God, family, and one another.