If you've been following this blog for long, you know that I like to set annual goals and then I do quarterly check-ins. You can see Q1 results here. Here are more Q2 goals; many of these goals are similar to last quarter, but I did tweak a few.
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1. Create and implement a system for onboarding online students by the end of the year
2. Do a networking event on campus at least once a month
3. Do another Excel course at a a slightly more advanced level
4. Maintain fifteen or fewer emails in my work inbox - the rest must be filed appropriately
5. Take off one mental health day for myself as a do nothing day during the quarter
Area II: Pets
1. Continue to track the number of times I walk Hannah, as well as the length of the walks
2. Grooming of some sort for Hannah every week (bath, nails, etc.)
3. At least one brief training session for Hannah 70% of the time - This used to be every day, but it's just not realistic for me to do it every day. Some days I am not at home when Hannah gets dinner. I'm also going to be out of town a bit this quarter.
4. Play with Zelda with her fishing pole at least once a week
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| This face!! What a cat. |
Area III: Health
1. Formal exercise of at least 30 minutes or more on 80% of days - This is going to be a challenge. I'll be going back and forth to Michigan to help with my mother, so this might be a real stretch, but I'll bring a yoga mat with me and try to squeeze in some yoga here and there.
2. Meditate at least three days a week - Rollover goal. Why is this so hard for me?
3. Go outside for at least 24 minutes a day - Should be easy, but can be harder when I'm visiting my mother.
4. Figure out a decent post-workout recovery shake - Rollover goal.
Area IV: Reading
1. Read at least one non-fiction book a month
2. Read at least one book I already own this quarter
3. Keep my reading spreadsheet up to date
4. Read at least one book every month to complete the top fantasy books by women authors list
Area V: Fun stuff
1. Finish the dress I'm currently sewing and complete at least one more clothing project - Rollover goal.
3. Go out of Wisconsin at least once (trips to Michigan and Iowa don't count unless I don't see family)
4. Track number of pieces of snail mail sent
5. Learn to play chess - Rollover goal.
6. Do at least one thing outside of my work, household, grocery store, or public library every week
7. Continue tracking expenses
Q2 Fun Stuff
8. Figure out the earbud situation.
9. Not necessarily "fun," but I need to figure out my finances ASAP. I've had a full quarter to see how I'm spending money and now I need to figure out how to allocate money so I'm putting more in savings.
10. I have three photos from my mom's house that I'd like to get framed and display in my office.
I would be so interested to hear more about the dress you are sewing. My mom is a really good seamstress - she used to make clothes for us when we were little, remember those old Butterick patterns? She also made Halloween costumes, and for my children as well.
ReplyDeleteI think the pattern I'm using might be a Butterick pattern? They're still around! It's supposed to be "easy" (which is my level of sewing) and I've been stuck on a step for going on two years at this point. *sigh* I'll definitely write up a post when/if I sew something.
DeleteI'm a fan of the way you "squeeze in" yoga here and there! And the photo-framing task sounds fun... are you planning to share these pics? I bet they're adorable!
ReplyDeleteI have to squeeze in whatever exercise I can! Maybe I'll share the photos - they're mostly of my family when I was pretty young - in one case I'm a tiny baby!
DeleteWHY is it so hard to keep to a meditation routine??? At this point in my life, I've officially given up. Maybe someday I'll come back to it.
ReplyDeleteI think it's good you've set the exercise goal- even if you don't hit 80%, you'll still do more than if you didn't set the goal at all.
Sounds like you have a challenging month ahead of you. I hope you get your mental health day!
P.S. Love the Zelda pic!!!
I threw in the Zelda photo just for you. She needed some glory.
DeleteMeditation is so hard! I really only tend to fit it in on days when I do yoga and it's either part of the practice or I can convince myself to stick around for an extra three minutes and do it. *sigh* I need to do better because it does really help with my anxiety.
Meditation is a hard goal for me as well, and I'm retired! I'm very distractable lately, and that's a problem. I also feel like I'm Not Really Doing Anything when I meditate, and no matter how much I tell myself that I AM, and that it's important, I still have problems. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteMy walks are almost a form of meditation for me, as far as what they accomplish being similar. At least that's what I tell myself.
I like your goal of going outside every day. I try to do this, too, and I want to get better about walking in the rain. (No dog, so no impetus here.)
Yes! I think of walking as a moving meditation a lot, especially if I focus on my breathing while I'm doing it. I think you can count it!
DeleteWould you consider just...not trying to meditate? There are seasons to everything and maybe a time will come when this clicks for you. But, if you're anything like me, having it on your list and then struggling to do it can just feel like a ball-and-chain. Maybe you dread it/don't do it/find it hard because it isn't filling a need, right now? If it hasn't worked thus far, perhaps it's just not your thing? And that's totally cool and okay! You have so many other great things!!
ReplyDeleteI'm not trying to sway you either way, but if you want permission to drop this as a goal from some rando on the internet, I AM GIVING YOU PERMISSION <3
For years I kept all the items needed to do a particular craft project. One day I decided to throw them out (it was rocks, so nothing big was wasted, here) so I didn't have to look at them anymore. I liked the idea of the craft, but didn't actually want to do it. Ditto with making compilation videos of videos of my kids. I like the idea but have zero desire to learn to use a software and make them. So I just permanently took it off my list and it felt like such a relief.
The thing is that it really does help my anxiety when I meditate regularly. I just need to do it instead of being a weirdo about it and getting into bed and realizing I forgot to do it! So I refuse to take it off my list. If, however, I don't make progress on it after this quarter, I may revisit it.
DeleteI'm also feeling that way about this dress project. If I don't do *something* with it this quarter, I'm going to toss the whole thing. It will be wasteful - I bought a pattern and cut out the fabric - but I'm going to have to relieve myself of the mental load.
Meditation is easy for me. But exercise- ugh! I like tapping (EFT) as it helps with anxiety. I have been using Insight Timer for a long time and it works well. Of course, some meditations are better than others but you have a variety. In March I slipped from this habit but I am determined to continue. I love your pets goals!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I have the Insight Timer on my phone. I just don't use it. LOL. I need to channel my inner you.
DeleteThat Zelda photo is amazing! I discovered meditation is not for me at this point in my life. No matter how much I want my mind to quiet down like that, I find that kind of "chill" only when I'm working out hard (I need to be focused on doing the thing to get my head to stop thinking about things). I love the Fun Stuff goal "6. Do at least one thing outside of my work, household, grocery store, or public library every week" - that would such a stretch for me, but so valuable!
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of people are overscheduled and do lots outside of their work or home, but it's a real stretch for me some weeks! If I added the community center to that list, I'd really be in trouble!
DeleteOoh, I love the goal of taking a day off this quarter for a day just for YOU. YES! What a great goal!
ReplyDeleteI made it my goal to play with the cats for TEN MINUTES EVERY DAY. What was I thinking? I should have made this a weekly goal because some days it's a struggle.
I find meditating easiest when I do it while I'm lying in bed, usually right before I go to sleep. (Or maybe it's right after you wake up, for you?) It's a great way to calm my mind and really helps me drift off peacefully. So maybe try that?
I am excited about a do-nothing mental health day. Hopefully I can swing it!
DeleteHa ha ha. Ten minutes a day doesn't sound like much, but it IS. Zelda's barely awake for ten minutes a day unless she's yelling at us for food.
If I meditate while in bed, I just fall asleep, so that's not much of an option for me. Maybe I could try laying down on the bed right after yoga or something, though, to try to encourage me to meditate. Or maybe I'd just fall asleep. I'll give it a try.
I feel like, meditation is something you have to grow into. It's awkward and boring in the beginning. I am not good at doing it all the time but when I have phases where I do it more often, I feel like I am getting better at it and more out of it.
ReplyDeleteOh, I definitely notice an improvement in my anxiety when I do it!! It's just it feels like a waste of time *in the moment* even though it's not. I need to be better about prioritizing it.
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