Health
1) Spend 1000 hours outside. I'm hoping this will encourage me to take my lunches outside when the weather is nice, take more leisurely sniff-walks with Hannah, and do more yardwork.
2) Do something in the yard every week. In the winter, that might literally be just filling the bird feeders, but something.
3) Do at least five yoga poses a day. Imagine if I just did mountain, forward fold, plank, child's pose, and a twist every day. It would take like two minutes and feel so good. I have always hesitated to do daily yoga practices because even 10-15 minutes a day on top of my daily routines feels like too much, but just five poses? That seems doable.
4) Go to a new-to-me fitness class.
5) Drink 20 ounces of water a day. Sometimes I will sit down to dinner and realize I haven't had water at all that day. It's not hard. I just need to do it.
6) Exercise for 30 minutes at least 80% of days.
7) Only eat dessert Thursday - Saturday (or special occasions like holidays and birthdays). No, just making it through Tuesday at work does not count as a special occasion.
Connection
1) Message my accountability buddy every day and M/T/T at least once a week.
2) Do two Cool Blogger Book Club sessions.
3) Send at least one fun piece of snail mail every month. Track snail mail.
Adulting
1) Figure out a will or whatever. I really should have this done.
2) Order new checks. I don't actually write a lot of checks and I think I've had 100 for the last five or six years, but I'm down to my last pack, so I'll have to order them this year.
3) Limit my clothes buying to the following: two new dresses/season, new mary janes, anything that was on my Christmas wish list that I did not get, necessary bras/underwear/workout gear/replacement leggings or tights (one-to-one replacements on those).
Home
1) Paint the porch and garage.
2) Hem the stupid pants.
3) Consult an architect/contractor for our bathroom remodel. We got an extra bit of cash over Christmas and we've had increasing problems with the upstairs bathroom, so this needs to be a priority for us.
4) Clean and organize my closet and dresser and keep them that way.
Fun
1) Learn three new hairstyles: French braid, an elegant low knot, and something else TBD.
2) Have one day a quarter where I take off work with no plans.
3) Watch at least one makeup tutorial every quarter.
4) Go on a girls trip.
5) Go to at least four new-to-me museums. (Ideally it would be once a quarter, but you know I'll probably do it all in Q4.)
6) Once a month dates with my husband. Only he can't know that's what I'm doing. He gets antsy if it feels like "forced time together." It can be as easy as just playing a board game together or something, as long as it isn't just us watching television/reading. But this is TOP SECRET from him.
7) Actually train Hannah at least three times a week.
8) Read big books. This is the year of the Big Book. I want to read at least twelve books over 500 pages this year. Some ideas that I have that I may or may not actually read are:
Maybe there will be a new Cormoran Strike book in 2025?
9) Make six new-to-me cookie recipes.
10) Do a 30-day project each month. TBD what that will be.
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Does this all seem crazy to you? I suspect it may very well be, but let's do it!
Let's do it!!! I see a lot of good stuff on the list.
ReplyDeleteAt first I was like "duh anyone with a dog spends 1,000 hours outside easily" but then I did the math on 1,000 hours divided by 365 days. 2.75 hours a day is a lot of time outside. I don't think I could do it. The closest would have been back when I was running which would have netted me an hour with the dog and an hour for fitness.
I can only speak from personal experience, but getting a will gave me huge peace of mind. I only did it when I got married, and before that I thought it was pointless because I didn't have a family so I figured that my money would just go to my parents. Well yes, but they would have had to deal with probate and yada yada so it would have been stress on top of losing a child. By contrast, it took less than an hour and a few hundred dollars for me to come up with a piece of paper to save them the trouble.
Happy Goal Digging!
Yes, I think that 1000 hours outside will be a stretch, but I'm really hoping it will encourage me to do things outside. Take my book outside to read. Go for bike rides with my husband. Do yard work. Let Hannah take longer walks that are focused on what she wants to do, not necessarily just looking for distance. It seems insane right now especially when I'm barely getting an hour a day. But maybe I can do it?
DeleteEgads. I don't really even want to spend money on a will. I think I'm just going to look for an online template and move on with my life. I just hate thinking about it.
These all sound like great goals to me! You can do it!
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I started a weekly cocktail hour where we have no phones/ books/ tv/ whatever and just talk. I guess it's forced time together but I think it's good for our marriage.
Yes, a will is always a good idea! And so is 1000 hours outside, I'm trying to think if I'm on track to make that goal or not. I think I would, especially in summer I'm outside all the time.
It's tough right now to figure out if 1000 hours is crazy because I'm lucky to get an hour outside because it's so cold. But I'm willing to give it a try!
DeleteOMG! I have no goals at all. It’s surprising that humans are so variable in how they approach life.
ReplyDeleteReading long books seems to be a theme this year! I'm also hoping for a new Cormoran Strike.
ReplyDeleteI guess it's REALLY BAD that I don't have a will and neither does my husband. I should actually mention that on my blog so people can yell at me and tell me how stupid I am. Why is it so hard? Does it have to be expensive? i'm looking into it.
I think it's hard because we don't want to think about it! I don't think it has to be expensive - I'm going to look at templates online. Maybe it's more detailed for you because you have children? Especially a minor child? I don't know. I'll dig in at some point and report back.
DeleteEngie, I LOVE these goals. We used to do #3 on your health list when the kids were little, and I think #2 on the health list would be perfect for me now.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious about "accountability buddy" and "30-day project." If you feel like saying more, I'm ready to listen.
I really hope you do the bookclubs! The name always makes me uncomfortable 😬, but if it's book-related, I'll overcome it!
Also, I've never read _Moby Dick_ and I'm ok with that.
DeleteOh, I have a friend in New Hampshire - she used to be my roommate in grad school - who is my accountability buddy. We keep each other honest about movement. I sort of fell off the wagon of letting her know what's going on each day at the end of 2024, so I needed to reprioritize touching base with her because I know it gives her motivation.
DeleteMy current 30-day project is to work on my posture. It's not going well, but that's okay. It's just 30 days!
I think I'll like Moby Dick. I like books set on boats!
Yes, do get the will accomplished. You'll feel Very Adult and it will last for a long, long time before you feel you have to make any changes, if at all. Rick and I just updated ours last year, and we also had our sons go with us to make sure they were aware of certain wishes. I'm so glad we did.
ReplyDeleteI've read several of your Big Books. You can do it. I might advise that you don't START with Melville or Dostoevsky, though.
Our porch needs to be painted again, too. Ugh. Not a fun goal!
I feel like we just painted our porch, but it was actually a few years ago. I guess I didn't realize it would really need to be painted EVERY YEAR. What?! Who thought that was a good idea?
DeleteYou are SO good at setting and crossing off goals, so I expect you will knock all of this out of the park.
ReplyDeleteI read Crime and Punishment years ago and loved it, though it's definitely an "old classic"!
I am also doing the snail mail at least once per month.
Just a thought - could you outsource the pant hemming?
Another thought - if not, put it as the only item on a to-do list and don't let yourself do any other non-negotiable chore until the hemming is done. I think you will feel 1000x time better when you have this one item off your to-do list!
I LOVE your yoga idea. I should steal that for myself. I don't feel like I can commit to a daily practice, but those few poses cover all the main bases and would feel so good!
The thing is that the hemming requires my husband to be around and generally I like to sew when he's not around - it seems anti-social to leave him and head to my sewing machine. They're lightweight pants, so it's not a priority this second, but I should do it in the next couple of months. I'm unwilling to outsource the job because I KNOW HOW TO DO IT!!!
DeleteI'm hoping that a little bit of yoga every day goes a long way. We'll see!
I haven't set myself too many goals for the year because I know what I'm like. Rather, I know what needs to be done and the rest, well, will happen. I do want to get back to reading more this year, but having come back to blogging, I'm finding myself online more than in previous years, so will have to find a balance. And I keep saying I need to get back to yoga but haven't, yet. Maybe 2025 will be that year!
ReplyDeleteHa. If I don't set myself goals, I will accomplish nothing. I mean, even the goals don't guarantee something is done!
DeleteI have so many thoughts! I really like you list - it seems very... just like life, but with some fun things thrown in.
ReplyDelete1000 hours outside has always been a hugely aspirational goal for me - like I have it as a goal, knowing I'll never get there, but just having it as a goal gets me outside more than not having it as a goal, you know?
Don't forget shavasana as a yoga pose! I think that should definitely go on your list. I mean I think child's pose and shavasana could be a whole practice in and of itself!
I just picked up The Love Songs of W.E.B. Dubois as my 500+ page read of this year. It took me two years to read that 900 page Bronte biography, but I'm hoping fiction might read faster for me. I do have a biography of Catherine the Great on my TBR list for this year too. I really want to read a Little Life, but I hear that it is super sad, and I don't know that I'm up for that.
I can't wait to hear how you do on these!
So, here's the real truth, friend. Child's pose is not a rest pose for me - it's incredibly demanding. I broke my left leg years ago and the ankle mobility required for that pose makes it one of my least favorites. I would be so sad if there was a whole practice of it! I also am not a fan of savasana (I KNOW) because of my back. I'm a bigger fan of constructive rest (savasana variation bent legs)! I have so many thoughts on yoga. LOL.
DeleteCan the girls trip be a blogger girls trip?
ReplyDeleteHmmm...it's something to think about!
DeleteYes, to getting the will! It will simplify your life and those left behind to deal with "your stuff."
ReplyDeleteI have read A Little Life and Gone With the Wind - look forward to your reviews. Glad you've got plans for the book clubs again!
Yes, I need to get a book club post out this week! It's going to be fun!
DeleteI need details on how you are going to track your time outside! That is something I would like to do just out of curiosity but I am not sure how to track it!
ReplyDeleteHaving a will should provide great peace of mind. We did that a little bit before Paul was born in 2018 and it was not as bad of a process as I had envisioned. We filled out a questionaire, the attorney drafted something, and then we went to his office to sign it. It was not bad at all (but we are very pragmatic about death so it wasn't hard to have discussions about things like living wills, funerals, cremation, etc... I get the sense we are outliers in not being uncomfortable with these discussions.).
Those 9 books you are taking on is quite the undertaking! But you read so much that you can do it! The big classics are very intimidating for me!
Oh, Lisa, I just track my time outside like I track everything else. I have a checksheet I go through at the end of every day and I just go through the day and figure out how much time I was outside. I do track the time Hannah and I are out on an app. I also know how much time I spend walking from my office to other buildings on campus, so I can add those in. And if I'm out at another time, I just try to clock it and then add it all up at the end of the day. Is it perfect? No, but it's good enough.
DeleteOk that is good to know! If I walk or run outdoors, I track it on my apple watch. That's is often the extent of my time outdoors these days unless there is snow and we can go sledding or it's nice enough to go to a park. I'll have to try eyeballing things to get a general sense for how much I am outside in 2025!
DeleteI like your yoga goal, it seems quite doable, and you do so much already.
ReplyDeleteI read A Little Life, and I regret finishing it. I get angry when I see it in a bookstore or on a list of books that exist in the world. The writing is really good, but ugh.
I love Gone With the Wind and have read it many many times. It's so problematic, the racist descriptions of people of color are hard. But Scarlett is a wonderful character. Deeply flawed, vain, selfish, but so loyal and devoted to her family. If you do read it, you might see if you can then read The Wind Done Gone, which is the story told from the point of view of one of the slaves on the plantation. But I really liked it.
I often think I need to do a deep purge on my clothes closet, but I get overwhelmed and don't do it. Bah.
I just did the math and 1000 hours outside a year is almost 3 hours a day. You walk Hannah a lot, and adding in lunch outside might make this doable. But wow. Wear your sunscreen!
DeleteI always have sunscreen on. I'm wearing sunscreen TODAY even though it's approximately 10 degrees and cloudy outside.
DeleteHa on A Little Life. I've heard very mixed things about it. I'll definitely DNF will reckless abandon if I don't like something!
Some of these goals will give you more trouble with others...like reading "Moby Dick." I know it's a classic, and I appreciate that, but it was one of the toughest books I've ever had to slog through. "The Stand" is so much easier (and better).
ReplyDeleteGood luck fake-dating your husband! Can't wait to see how you pull that one off.