The month of February has come and gone, a fact I am grateful for! It just wasn't a very good month for me. Never mind the LEEP (which totally threw me off course for the following week after because of pain and side effects, which I'm still experiencing), but I also did not reach my "book goal" for the month. My book goal for the year is to read a new book every month and while there WAS a new book out I could've ordered and read last month, I just didn't get around to it.
Some other things did not work out very well for February, either. Such as:
1. My visit to an elementary school class to talk about sign language. We've been having scheduling conflicts for this thing for months! I am beginning to wonder if they still want me to come by.
2. My goal to write in my personal journal every day. Didn't happen! I have pretty much resigned myself to not being a "daily journal writer" but I'd really like to see if I can change that, just for the challenge of TRYING to change that! (Can you tell I like to challenge myself??) Soo, didn't happen. Sometimes I go weeks or months between writing in the personal journal! I don't know why. Even when I have things to write about or thoughts to put down or dreams to write about, that stuff may not get written down!
3. Start saving money. It scares me that we don't have an emergency fund. That is really NOT cool! We really need to set up an emergency fund.
4. My training for the race was totally thrown off schedule, because of the LEEP. My doctor said I have to take it easy for 2 weeks. And there's one more week to go. Argh! IT'S DRIVING ME CRAZY!! I have itchy feet and wanna get OUT THERE! Watching the movie Chariots of Fire last night did not make it any easier to be on the DL. (Why, oh why, did I watch Chariots of Fire when I'M NOT ALLOWED TO DO ANY RUNNING???!!!!)
5. I didn't finish the haunted cities book. Darn it! Yet another month of NOT finishing this book! I am trying to be patient but it's really getting to me. I'd like to think I'm on the last chapter. (I am also disappointed that I won't be able to include Tombstone, AZ.)
6. Another goal I have for the year is to get EVERYBODY in the family a birthday present every month. This did not happen in February, unfortunately. There was just too much that went wrong there.
7. The February newsletter DID NOT get sent out. Heck, I have yet to put the January issue up on my site. Good grief!
And while some things did not happen in February, I am happy to report that some things DID happen. For instance....
1. I took the first class required for childcare training. Yay! I am in the process of being scheduled for the next class. I have to take Child First Aid & CPR, Recognizing and Reporting Child Abuse, Early Childhood Development and I also have to get a food handler's card. Then I'm in. Like Finn. :)
2. I managed to go over the proof for the Parenting Pauses book in a timely manner, which will be out any day now. Woo-hoo!
3. I got more research done for the health book! Yay!
4. The cover goof that was on the new edition for the poetry book Follow That Dream has been FIXED! I am so glad it is of much better quality now. Many thanks to cover designer Charlotte Holley for getting the new image to me and I am glad it all went through okay.
5. I figured out a new plan to ensure I can get everybody their birthday presents!
6. I FINALLY got caught up on books to review for Night Owl Reviews. Wow, I really fell behind!
So, not as many good things as the things that didn't happen. I hope March will be different! March needs to be a better month than February was!
Today, I am also thankful for something that I myself did not accomplish last month but still thankful for all the same: I am thankful my senior dog survived another month. He turns 21 years old today!
Showing posts with label accomplishments. Show all posts
Showing posts with label accomplishments. Show all posts
Saturday, March 01, 2014
Thursday, January 31, 2013
The goal chart
Before the year 2012 ended, I made up my mind on what kind of goals I wanted to accomplish for the year. Some of these goals were from last year, ones I could not accomplish, so I decided to try again for this year.
The problem is, I did not write any of these goals down. I know they say the first step towards accomplishing a goal is to write it down, but I have been very busy and just didn’t have the chance to do that yet. I was carrying them around in my head for all of January. I kept planning to write these goals down, but never actually got around to it.
Today, I finally got around to it. I had some free time so I sat down, created a chart and wrote down all my goals for this year. I had two goals to accomplish for each month of the year: A personal one and a professional one. One goal is something I really cannot control on WHEN it will be accomplished, so in the event it is resolved by that particular month, I added an alternative goal. Additionally, I left one blank for a professional goal because my writing life has been known to take so many twists, turns and surprises that I can't really say for sure if things will be the same way they are now three or four months later on down the road. So I left that blank in case I need to train for a new gig/job or have to do something (attend a conference, etc.) in light of those developments. But if there's nothing else by that time, I'm sure I will come up with something to do for that month. (As it is, I have been thinking of going back to publishing a magazine or an E-zine but not sure yet if I will actually do such a thing.) I also had one personal goal I would spend the year accomplishing and one professional goal I also hoped to achieve for the whole year, and not just for a particular month.
Fortunately, I have accomplished my January goals so far, and I have already started putting things in motion for the personal goal I have for February. That said, the status is, so far, so good.
These are important things I feel need to be done this year first of all to get things taken care of instead of waiting them out until it’s too late or the last minute and, second, because they will help me to be a better and more organized writer. Well, the NaNoWriMo goal is there for November because I have had to keep putting it off recently to take care of other things. I REALLY want to participate this year! I just hope I can do that.
After I finished creating this chart, I hung it up on my wall so that I will see it every day. That is the second step to accomplishing a goal: Hang it up where you will see it every day.
And I just felt it was better to have two goals for each month instead of a list of 12 or 20 goals to accomplish sometime this year. Every time I created those lists in the past, I never got all of them done. This particular goal chart is more focused and there are only TWO things to get done in each month, instead of three or ten or twelve. Just two. Maybe that will mean less pressure to do them.
And since I already try to do those two things every month already anyway – something personal and something professional – I feel that it will make it easier for me to work my way through them and get them all done.
That is the plan, anyway!
Saturday, January 07, 2012
One thing at a time
You know that mantra, “One day at a time”? I use it often, especially when things get really trying and I feel like NOTHING is getting accomplished. But, lately, I have had to repeat to myself a new mantra: “One thing at a time.”
Especially this week.
I know this week is important, being the first week of the new year, but I can’t allow myself to cave in to the pressure of getting EVERYTHING done or accomplishing EVERYTHING on my list of goals in just the first week.
I have not accomplished everything, but I am getting there. Eventually. It’s been an exercise in taking baby steps towards reaching my goals.
One goal for the year is to get a job – OUTSIDE of the home. No more working from home for me! It’s time to work OUTSIDE of the home. And I’ve been working on that. I’ve been out there filling out applications. I’ve been scouting out places with “Help Wanted” signs, reading the classifieds and checking Craigslist for jobs. In other words, I’m TRYING. It’s not easy – there are hardly any jobs right now that I qualify for – but I’m putting myself out there, at least. You know? I am trying to make that happen. It hasn’t yet, but I’ll get there.
I have to believe that I’ll get there. Won’t allow frustration or pressure or impatience to get me down. This isn’t going to happen right away. I know this. It will take time, and I am willing to take as much time as needed to get there. It’s too bad we can’t afford classes or special training for a job (one reason why I am trying to get a job!), but that’s just the way it is. I hope someday I can go back to school to receive certification in something, something like medical coding (the original plan) or some such.
Another goal was to start my day off with a workout. I want to take my workouts up a notch this year! Last year, I had them here and there. This year, I want them to happen every day and every week. But that hasn’t happened yet, either. I have allowed this setback. It’s okay. I’ll try to start up with that next week!
Another goal was to change my diet – and I DID start out with that this year. But it has not been consistent. I try to eat healthy wherever possible, but those cookies and fudge bars have been a temptation. Ack! I tell myself “those are for the kids” but I have snuck one for myself here or there. I know, bad! But at least it was only one on a particular day (not two or three!). Hopefully, next week, I can put a stop to that. But I don’t think I’ll ever be able to go without chocolate. Maybe I can use a Dove chocolate piece as a reward.
Another goal was that this year, I am going to learn how to make clothes. No, that has not happened yet. That did not get done this week. BUT I did find a class that offers instruction on this very thing. So that's something, right? I found a class for that. I have to find out how much it will cost and what their hours are. (I also found a place where Jennifer can get horseback riding lessons, but I have to see if we can fit it into our budget.)
Still, I have accomplished some things. The big thing is, no more beer. Hooray! I have had beer here and there last year, but I know that beer is not healthy for me. And it’s too easy to have one too many of those beers. (And I think that beer was hampering my attempts to lose weight!) So I took beer out of my diet and, so far, it has stayed out. On the other hand, I know they say that red wine is good for your heart. I have been thinking a weekly glass of red wine might be a good choice health-wise, but as to the beer, nope. It’s outta the picture.
And that is an accomplishment I am glad I made for this first week of the year. (Happy dance!)
Other Week One accomplishments:
*Got Jennifer to either the bus or at school ON TIME every day. Woo-hoo!
*Stayed on top of getting the laundry done. No more mountains of laundry that has me running away screaming!
*Got the house organized -- and have KEPT it that way!
*Found time to read, in a book, every day.
*Kept up with newspaper-reading every day. On the days I GOT a newspaper, that is. (Growls.)
*Got after Jennifer about her chores and homework. I learned last year that I can't rely on her to do those things herself. So I had to make it a point to check in with her about her homework and remind her that the "chore chart" isn't looking very good this week. Success!
Finally, another goal for this year is to save money. And I am saving money, so far this year. I have put aside some money to save. It's not a lot, and it's less than my $100/month goal, but it's there, and that's something.
We’ll be rolling into Week 2 soon enough. Time to get those other unaccomplished goals – the workouts and healthy diet – into action! It’s actually a good thing I didn’t accomplish some things during the first week, because now I am all the more eager to take them on in Week 2! LET’S DO THIS!!!
Especially this week.
I know this week is important, being the first week of the new year, but I can’t allow myself to cave in to the pressure of getting EVERYTHING done or accomplishing EVERYTHING on my list of goals in just the first week.
I have not accomplished everything, but I am getting there. Eventually. It’s been an exercise in taking baby steps towards reaching my goals.
One goal for the year is to get a job – OUTSIDE of the home. No more working from home for me! It’s time to work OUTSIDE of the home. And I’ve been working on that. I’ve been out there filling out applications. I’ve been scouting out places with “Help Wanted” signs, reading the classifieds and checking Craigslist for jobs. In other words, I’m TRYING. It’s not easy – there are hardly any jobs right now that I qualify for – but I’m putting myself out there, at least. You know? I am trying to make that happen. It hasn’t yet, but I’ll get there.
I have to believe that I’ll get there. Won’t allow frustration or pressure or impatience to get me down. This isn’t going to happen right away. I know this. It will take time, and I am willing to take as much time as needed to get there. It’s too bad we can’t afford classes or special training for a job (one reason why I am trying to get a job!), but that’s just the way it is. I hope someday I can go back to school to receive certification in something, something like medical coding (the original plan) or some such.
Another goal was to start my day off with a workout. I want to take my workouts up a notch this year! Last year, I had them here and there. This year, I want them to happen every day and every week. But that hasn’t happened yet, either. I have allowed this setback. It’s okay. I’ll try to start up with that next week!
Another goal was to change my diet – and I DID start out with that this year. But it has not been consistent. I try to eat healthy wherever possible, but those cookies and fudge bars have been a temptation. Ack! I tell myself “those are for the kids” but I have snuck one for myself here or there. I know, bad! But at least it was only one on a particular day (not two or three!). Hopefully, next week, I can put a stop to that. But I don’t think I’ll ever be able to go without chocolate. Maybe I can use a Dove chocolate piece as a reward.
Another goal was that this year, I am going to learn how to make clothes. No, that has not happened yet. That did not get done this week. BUT I did find a class that offers instruction on this very thing. So that's something, right? I found a class for that. I have to find out how much it will cost and what their hours are. (I also found a place where Jennifer can get horseback riding lessons, but I have to see if we can fit it into our budget.)
Still, I have accomplished some things. The big thing is, no more beer. Hooray! I have had beer here and there last year, but I know that beer is not healthy for me. And it’s too easy to have one too many of those beers. (And I think that beer was hampering my attempts to lose weight!) So I took beer out of my diet and, so far, it has stayed out. On the other hand, I know they say that red wine is good for your heart. I have been thinking a weekly glass of red wine might be a good choice health-wise, but as to the beer, nope. It’s outta the picture.
And that is an accomplishment I am glad I made for this first week of the year. (Happy dance!)
Other Week One accomplishments:
*Got Jennifer to either the bus or at school ON TIME every day. Woo-hoo!
*Stayed on top of getting the laundry done. No more mountains of laundry that has me running away screaming!
*Got the house organized -- and have KEPT it that way!
*Found time to read, in a book, every day.
*Kept up with newspaper-reading every day. On the days I GOT a newspaper, that is. (Growls.)
*Got after Jennifer about her chores and homework. I learned last year that I can't rely on her to do those things herself. So I had to make it a point to check in with her about her homework and remind her that the "chore chart" isn't looking very good this week. Success!
Finally, another goal for this year is to save money. And I am saving money, so far this year. I have put aside some money to save. It's not a lot, and it's less than my $100/month goal, but it's there, and that's something.
We’ll be rolling into Week 2 soon enough. Time to get those other unaccomplished goals – the workouts and healthy diet – into action! It’s actually a good thing I didn’t accomplish some things during the first week, because now I am all the more eager to take them on in Week 2! LET’S DO THIS!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
