My November Personal Curriculum Plans

Simple plans for learning, reading, and enjoying the season.

white casserole with gray spoon on black surface — Photo by Gaelle Marcel on Unsplash

Last week, Rosemary McGuire Berry and I talked about writing books. One piece of that conversation keeps coming back to me. I shared that I have a book idea marinating and taking its time forming within me.

I love the very fall-coded visual of a pot of stew or soup simmering on the stove. 🍂🍲

To me that is what November feels like. It is the transition into Winter and it often gets a bit swallowed up by the holidays trying to rush in early.

The fall is the perfect time to let ideas slowly form, to soak in good reading, and enjoy habits that bring me life and abundance. My personal curriculum brings so much life and joy to my many responsibilities.

I hope that by sharing my unique list here that you are inspired to make a plan of your own.

So, let’s jump into it!!

but first, my inspo collage > >

A list of things to do just for my well-being:

a few caveats:

✳️ Here in the Arizona Desert we are finally leaving our long indoor season and just beginning our beautiful weather season. Fall is my favorite because at last I can enjoy parks, nature trails, outdoor sports, and a cup of hot tea on my front porch. I finally get to open the windows and wear long sleeves on walks.

✳️ I am still in the midst of my Jane Austen Fall🎥📖 and I am loving it! The gritty, approachable Sense and Sensibility movie adaptation was fantastic and I want to see it again (with subtitles). I am also finishing the Late Victorian Era books: 📚The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion by Beth Brower and you will see related era books in my TBR.

so, here are a few things I hope to add into my month…

🧽🎧deep cleaning and audiobooks — There are a few areas of my home that have been a bit neglected and need a good wiping down or a deep clean. (baseboards, bathtubs, my kitchen backsplash, hallway walls, bookshelves that need dusting…ugh.) I like to head into the Christmas season knowing that the house was cleaned well and reset for the upcoming holidays before I get out the decor tubs. We will see how ambitious I end up being.

🧩🎧jigsaw puzzles and audiobooks — Yes, those of you regulars will notice that this was also on my October list and in my confessions section of my recap post. I hope to actually do a few puzzles this month. 😉

🚶‍♀️‍➡️long walks — I have a step goal I’ve been trying to reach daily and so far it has been going well! It can be hard to walk when my arthritis in my knee kicks in but getting my shoes on and out the door is always good for me (even if its just around the block).

Also pairs well with a good audiobook! … there might be a theme here! 😜

📝📓writing, personal study, my Commonplace notes — This month will be the last big push for me before I take my Christmas break. I want to lean into my creative work and writing routines to be super productive this next month.

🚙🏜️outdoor adventures — We often go off-roading in our Jeeps or the guys take the dirt bikes out. I’m hoping to get something on the calendar for this month.

🥧pies & baked goods — Tis the season for all the yummy goodies and I love making them! I would like to make a few pies from scratch as well as my usual berry cobblers and special breads. But I also saw that Costco has some amazing things in their bakery section so I might just choose the easy route and get those instead.

Inspired by our Tiny Habits Book Club, my non-book list this month is looking more specific. I’m sure you’ve noticed that I hold the term “personal curriculum” very loosely these days because of my schedule and life-stage. And that’s okay. 😁

I give you permission (not that you need it) to do the same!

I hope to lean into the fall season and slow down more by having this list ready when I’m doing my weekly planning or when I have a free afternoon.

Please share this post with a friend!😁

Fiction:

📖🎧The Hawthorne House book series by Kristi Ann Hunter are set during the Regency era and I found them on my bookshelf while doing some sorting last month. This goes perfectly with my Jane Austen Fall🎥📖and I’ve heard good things about the series. I have books 1-3 and I found the audiobooks for free on Spotify Premium so that’s exciting.

📖🎧Emma by Jane Austen
📖🎧Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen.

📚The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion by Beth Brower — these Late Victorian Era books have been so fun to read! They have kept me up late at night giggling and saying “just one more journal entry” and kept my attention so strongly that while reading one evening I forgot to make dinner! So fun! (more about these in my October recap)

Non-fiction:

📖When Jesus Is Everything: 365 Days of Faith, Purpose, and Freedom in Christ by Jennie Allen — Get ready, I am about to make a wild suggestion. I’m starting this new yearly devotional by skipping to p. 292 and starting my reading at the Oct. 1st entry in November. I want to read the fall and winter themes along with the time of year and I will probably read 2-3 entries 3 mornings a week. I love the dark color pallet, the short entries, and the approachable feel of this book, so why wait till January?

Guess what!?! = When it comes to your reading life you get to make up the rules!! 😉

📖🎧Into the Quiet by John Mark Comer — “Drawing on the wisdom of the contemplative tradition this book invites readers to step out of the chronic noise and constant motion of the modern world into the still, silent presence of the God of peace.”

I have been anticipating this book coming out! I preordered it and might have danced in my living room when it arrived. This book will show up again in December as I plan to take my time Commonplacing notes and doing a slow read. Comer has a way of writing that is so approachable, yet philosophical, Bible based, and deeply researched. I’m excited!

📖The Unplugged Hours: Cultivating a Life of Presence in a Digitally Connected World by Hannah Brencher — I feel like this is the perfect book for November going into Christmas break and then New Years. Brencher challenges readers to log 1,000 phone-free hours over the course of a year to combat digital overload, improve mental health, and rediscover everyday presence. Her site contains fun printable trackers and tips for unplugging and I’m excited to gather more ideas about staying present.

Magnolia Table Volumes 1-3 by Joanna Gaines — In the fall, browsing my favorite cookbooks becomes an art form for me.

These cookbooks feel like magazines and I love flipping through them and getting inspiration for meals and family gatherings. I have a whole shelf of cookbooks I’ve collected over the years but these are some that I return to.

Keepsake Christmas Planner by Paper Source — I strongly believe in being firmly planted in the current season without rushing into the next, but I have found that I need to start my Christmas planning a bit early. I enjoy mapping out Christmas plans at the same time that I organize all of my Thanksgiving details. So if you are the same way (or live in Canada and celebrate your Thanksgiving early) here’s a helpful list.

Some other Christmas prep resources I love:

So, how about you??

I’d love to hear what’s working for you in this fall season!

Please share your tips and ideas in the comments.

📒🍂 Happy Reading —

brown leaves on white background — Photo by Tunafish on Unsplash