Day 8 or day 1?

When I sat down to write, I was feeling a bit discouraged about how things have gone these first 8 days of 2018. But then I reread what I wrote on Jan. 1, and I see that I'm probably exactly where I'm supposed to be.

The two biggest steps toward improvement are that I've gotten to bed earlier several nights and I've started the next day with a clearer focus on God.

I'm making intentional efforts in both of those areas. My target is to be in bed by 10:30, with a goal of 11 p.m. This is because I really want to be able to be able to get up by 7 a.m. . with eight hours of sleep. I had doubts that I would be able to sleep if I was in bed by 11, but that hasn't been too much of a problem. The main problem is getting to bed, turning off the light and turning off the phone!

Upon waking, I want my first thoughts to be of God. Typically that is coming with a silent recitation of the Lord's Prayer. One morning, I read one of my devotionals under the covers while my husband still slept. Another day I read the devotion when I got up to use the bathroom an hour before my alarm. But most days, I've stayed with the Lord's prayer and prayers for people on my mental list while in bed, and then turning to Bible reading and devotionals after I get up.

Another positive change has been adjusting my water consumption so that I drink more of my minimum 64 ounces (and more often 72-plus ounces) before 6 or 7 p.m. And immediately I've seen the effect of not waking up needing to use the bathroom after just three or four hours of sleep. I thought maybe the reason I was waking up at night was because of body aches, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

So these are three very positive things I hope I can continue to build on, one day at a time.