May & June Goals.

This month went by so quickly that it's frightening. I thought time flew while I was unemployed, but I was wrong. Seriously, how is it already June!? 
 
12 Changes

May’s goal was to limit my time online, which I accomplished with flying colors. I can’t really take credit, though, because I simply didn’t have any time. By the time I drive home from work and eat dinner, I have about three hours to relax. That’s it. I spend about one hour of that time on the internet, which is such a huge difference from when I wasn't working.

For June, I figure it’s fitting to start putting at least $10 from every paycheck into savings. With my first paycheck, I put 10% in savings and would like keep doing that, but I owe my parents a hefty sum of money and have been making tiny splurges now that I have disposable income. So $10 is an absolutely reasonable goal and I can always put in more if possible.

1. Take vitamins/probiotic daily

2. Exercise at least three days a week

3. Craft at least once a week

4. Journal daily

5. Read every day (from a book, not a blog/the internet)

6. Reduce sugar intake

7. Reduce processed food intake

8. Limit time spent online

9. Put at least $10 from every paycheck in savings

10. Drink more water

11. Get on a regular sleeping schedule

Digital Day Off

To be honest, I completely forgot about this in May (and also for June, seeing as the first Sunday has passed!). My time online has been so scarce anyway that I don't know if it's worthwhile keeping up this goal. For the most part, I spent my time offline on the first Sundays of May and June - in May, I went to the movies with Ashley and her family for her birthday, then hung out with Erik for a few hours. This past Sunday, I was out at a graduation party all afternoon and spent time with Erik until he left for the night.

While this goal made a lot of sense when I was absorbed in reading blogs and spending hours on tumblr, now that I don't go online at work, the weekends present my only opportunity. That's not to say I spend all my time on the computer, but to limit myself when I actually have the time to do it seems silly.

A Goal a Month

Sadly, I didn’t get around to taking myself out to dinner last month. It was a fabulous idea, but then my weekends got busy or I was just plain tired. Because I can’t think of anything better, I’m going to give this another shot for June.

Did you have any goals set for May? How did they go? What's in store for June?

April & May Goals.

April was so crazily busy, but I've already discussed that to death here. Let's launch into how my goals went.

12 Changes

April was insane, but worked in tandem with the goal I hoped to accomplish. My sleeping schedule had previously been disgraceful. Once I started working, however, I really had no other choice but to get up at 7am and get to bed by 10pm so that I wasn't exhausted. Last weekend was my first time deviating from the schedule, but even then, I was sleepy by midnight and only slept late to "catch up" on sleep. (I know you can't actually do that, although I'm convinced that I am an advanced sleeper.) So thanks to my job, my change for this month was definitely accomplished.

Getting used to working full-time is a huge shift for me and the thought of tackling goals this month made me really exhausted. I checked my list and saw that I have one that's forcibly being enacted: limiting my time online.

As far as I know, I'm not really allowed to be online at work. Since I don't have an iPhone, that's 8 hours (plus around 2 for commuting) of not logging into Facebook, Twitter, or reading any blogs. When I get home, I eat and relax, eventually reaching for my laptop but not making it a priority. Basically, this goal will be accomplished pretty easily, but that's exactly what I need during my first full month of work.

1. Take vitamins/probiotic daily
2. Exercise at least three days a week
3. Craft at least once a week
4. Journal daily
5. Read every day (from a book, not a blog/the internet)
6. Reduce sugar intake
7. Reduce processed food intake
8. Limit time spent online
9. Put at least $10 from every paycheck in savings
10. Drink more water
11. Get on a regular sleeping schedule

Digital Day Off

My day off in April was a great success! I will admit that I cheated, but only because I wanted to check for any bachelorette party updates. In the morning, I allowed myself to check my personal e-mail and only log onto Facebook to see if I had any new messages or notifications. After that, I could only use it to look something up or to write something down on my to-do list.

So what did I do in my spare time? I had lunch with my grandparents, read more of The Happiness Project, vacuumed my room, worked on the bathroom, and cleared some clutter in my room. At night I went to visit Mark and allowed myself one more Facebook check, since I was telling him all about the bachelorette party plans. There were some updates, so I responded accordingly, sent out an e-mail, then went back to hanging out with Mark.

A Goal a Month

My little goal for April was to have a "clean" eating week before the wedding. It didn't happen, although I introduced green monster smoothies into my diet, which is some kind of improvement. This month, I want to take myself to dinner.

Going out to dinner by myself is on my 30 Before 30 list and I've been dying to do it. I have plenty of opportunities, seeing as Erik will be away this weekend and then later this month for a trip with his friends. Plus, being at work all day makes me want to do fun, out-of-the-house activities during the weekend, which includes intense cravings for going to dinner. This should be really fun.

March & April Goals.

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March was... okay, I guess. I made progress with some goals, completely ignored others, and started getting ahead of my schedule.

12 Changes

In March, I was going to attempt doing two changes: exercising three days a week, which I didn't accomplish in February, and reduce my sugar intake. For whatever reason, the exercising just isn't happening. I think it's because I don't have a normal schedule and if I have other things to do, I set my mind on getting those done instead of exercising first. So for now, I'm putting it back on the list and tackling it some other time.

Reducing sugar has been going pretty well, actually. I've become more aware of how much of it I eat and I try to avoid it whenever possible. Though I'm not sticking strictly to my plan, I've definitely reduced my intake, which is what I hoped to accomplish. The part about eliminating it is mostly a challenge to myself to break the habit; I'm looking into legitimate sugar cleanses that give more instruction on how to stop, so hopefully I'll do that sometime soon.

In April, I want to continue a change I'm already working on: get on a regular sleep schedule. I get up every day around noon, which is an improvement from my old "normal," 2pm. Now I'm inching back a little every day in preparation for the wedding -- I have a hair appointment at 9am that day and would rather have 8am feel normal than be four hours earlier than my normal wake-up time.

1. Take vitamins/probiotic daily
2. Exercise at least three days a week
3. Craft at least once a week
4. Journal daily
5. Read every day (from a book, not a blog/the internet)
6. Reduce sugar intake
7. Reduce processed food intake
8. Limit time spent online
9. Put at least $10 from every paycheck in savings
10. Drink more water
11. Get on a regular sleeping schedule

(Note: I still hadn't figured out my 12th change, and since I didn't succeed with exercising, I'm just going to omit a final change and count out February.)

Digital Day Off

I keep meaning to write about my digital day off as soon as it happens, but I always forget! I think I cheated a bit, checking e-mail in the morning and at night.

A Goal a Month

For March, I wanted to read one of my non-fiction books. I haven't finished, but I did start reading The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. I took forever to start because I was reading the book for March's #twookclub, but I'm glad I did because it's really good so far.

In April, I want to do a week of healthy, clean eating. Or, as close to it as possible. I'm toying with the idea of going on a regimented diet the week before the wedding, avoiding processed and sugary foods as much as possible. Breakfast every day would be eggs and toast, lunch would be salad with shrimp, and dinner would be either what my mom serves (if I deem it "healthy") or chicken with rice/pasta and veggies. I'd also stock up on healthy snacks of fruits, veggies with hummus, and crackers and cheese.

What goals are you setting for April?

February & March Goals.

February was a complete wash. I threw in the towel in the middle of the month and didn’t make any efforts whatsoever to get back on track. It’s sad, but I’m not going to feel defeated by it.

12 Changes

February’s change was to exercise at least three times a week. I was doing well up until the week before the shower (around the 13th), at which point I was busy getting everything together while also wading through my persistent bad mood.

I give myself credit for the first few weeks, for sure. My exercise method of choice is playing Just Dance 3 on the Wii and I was working up a major sweat every time. Once life got in the way, though, I made it less of a priority. And that’s okay.

For March, I’m hoping to pick back up with exercising and reducing my sugar intake. This goal was the obvious choice since I gave up sweets for Lent. I haven’t been doing so well – I sneaked a few pieces of candy on Friday and completely gave in to gummy bears and chocolate chips on Monday – but I’m going to stick to it from now on.

Depending on how my month goes, I’m hoping to reduce eating foods with ‘hidden’ sugars, like peanut butter, pasta sauce, and things like that. There will be an upcoming post with more details on that. For now, though, I’m focusing my energy on ignoring my sugar cravings the best that I can.

1. Take vitamins/probiotic daily

2. Exercise at least three days a week

3. Craft at least once a week

4. Journal daily

5. Read every day (from a book, not a blog/the internet)

6. Reduce sugar intake

7. Reduce processed food intake

8. Limit time spent online

9. Put at least $10 from every paycheck in savings

10. Drink more water

11.Get on a regular sleeping schedule

12. ???

 

Digital Day Off

My day off for February fell on Super Bowl Sunday. I stayed away from the computer most of the day anyway because Erik was here and we were spending time together. Still, I gave in by the end of the day to check e-mail and Facebook, particularly because we were discussing bridal shower details. It was a really great day.

A Goal a Month

My mini-goal for February was to not spend money, except on those things to which I already committed (which were bridal shower expenses, mostly). Well, I ended up spending extra money every single week. However, it was only on food – a Subway sandwich during my trip to the mall, some candy the day before Lent started so I could savor my last day with sugar, etc. – and it was only around $5 per week. It’s not a success by any measure, but wasn’t a complete failure, either.

For March, I want to read one of my non-fiction, ‘self help’ books. I have a few that have been collecting dust on my shelves: The Happiness Project, Life After College, and 20 Something 20 Everything in particular that I’ve been meaning to read.

What goals are you setting for March?

January & February Goals.

January was a combination of complete failure and great success. Thank goodness for the latter part of that sentence, because otherwise, I’d likely throw the towel in on setting goals for the year. (Okay, so maybe that’s a little dramatic. But only a little.)

12 Changes

Well, crafting once a week, my change for January, was a big flop. Not completely – I worked on two projects this month – but they were small and not what I had in mind for this goal. The problem was that I didn’t take time to look up new projects or set a time to get anything done; it was always something I’d do ‘tomorrow.’ When I go to work on this change again in the future, I’ll make it a daily task or set a specific day every week and dedicate time towards finding new projects and gathering supplies.

Thankfully, I had another goal to replace that one:  taking vitamins and probiotics every day. This habit didn’t start up until the middle of the month, but I’ve kept with it ever since.

So what's in store for February? A change I've already started to put into motion:  exercise at least three days a week. To make sure I don't fall into the same habit as last month, I'm making an effort to work out every day. The 'at least three days' is so that if I miss a day because I feel sick or don't have time, I won't beat myself up.

1. Take vitamins/probiotic daily

2. Exercise at least three days a week

3. Craft at least once a week

4. Journal daily

5. Read every day (from a book, not a blog/the internet)

6. Reduce sugar intake

7. Reduce processed food intake

8. Limit time spent online

9. Put at least $10 from every paycheck in savings

10. Drink more water

11. ???

12. ???

Digital Day Off

Since I’m doing the first Sunday of every month, I have yet to take my day off. I’m looking forward to keeping my computer shut and fully enjoying Super Bowl Sunday away from the internet. More on that next week!

A Goal A Month

Last month, I vowed to finally go to the dentist… and I did! After putting it off for three years and actively ignoring it all throughout last year, I was so glad I did it. For this month, my goal is to not spend any money on things I don’t need. There are a handful of things I need to spend money on, but I know what those obligations are and I’m not spending anything outside of that. This means no fast food, no Dunkin Donuts, and no spur-of-the-moment purchases at Target (even if it’s at the Dollar Spot). My bank accounts will thank me later, for sure.

What goals are you setting for February?

2012 Resolutions.

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Happy 2012, friends!

Did you have a wonderful New Year's Eve? I did, though it was a bit too low-key for me. I spent the evening having dinner with Erik's family and hanging out with his friend who came over to play video games. The last half hour was spent just with Erik, watching TV and flipping to one of the NYE specials three minutes before the new year. It was nice, but a bit anticlimactic - it felt like any other day.

Now that the new year is here, it's time for goal-setting!

12 Changes

For 2012, I'm doing my resolutions a bit differently -- I'll be participating in 12 Changes in 12 Months, the brain child of Katherine and Stephany. A huge group of us (50+, I believe!) is setting monthly goals so that we can keep our focus on each one. Instead of a big list of goals to tackle all at once - which, for me, usually means a few get ignored - I'm setting up a list of habits I want to develop to make my life better.

So far, I only have a list of nine things. But that's the added benefit of this method of goal-setting: I don't have to figure those last three out right away because they can be accomplished later this year!

1. Take vitamins/probiotic daily
2. Exercise at least three days a week
3. Craft at least once a week
4. Journal daily
5. Read every day (from a book, not a blog/the internet)
6. Reduce sugar intake
7. Reduce processed food intake
8. Limit time spent online
9. Put at least $10 from every paycheck in savings

10. ???

11. ???

12. ???

For the month of January, I'm focusing on crafting at least once a week. I already did a lot of craft projects in December to prepare for the holidays, so it should be simple to keep up the habit.

Digital Day Off

In addition to my 12 Changes, I was inspired by Amy to take part in a "digital day off" every month. She's choosing to take a complete break from technology on the first of every month; I'll be doing the same, except on the first Sunday of every month. Which means that yes, I've already done this for January!

It was pretty simple this month, because I was still at Erik's for most of the day. I will admit that I 'cheated' a bit and checked my e-mail in the morning and at night, but I'm planning for all future digital days off to be completely internet-free for twenty-four hours.

A Goal a Month

And finally, for each month I'll be setting one specific, to-do-list type goal. These specific goals probably won't be set far in advance, but instead at the beginning of each month. For January, it's going to the dentist. Despite setting this as a goal every month last year, I still never made my way there. It's finally time because I have a cavity that's freaking me out and because I need to put on my big girl pants and be responsible for my health.

What goals are you setting this year? Are you doing things differently in hopes it'll work better than past years?