It’s time to check in on how I’m doing on my 2024 goals! I set a lot of goals for myself this year, as I always do, and it’s been fun working through some of them. I feel like I’ve gotten a lot more accomplished than I imagined, so that feels good. It helps to make my yearly goals an active part of my monthly goal-setting process so I remember what I’m striving for! So, without further ado, let’s get into it:
HOME
1. Create a book nook in my bedroom. I made huge progress on this goal by finding the perfect cozy reading chair for the corner of my bedroom. I also added a side table (which I already had on hand, so I didn’t have to spend extra money!) so things are going well with this goal. Next up is to decorate the wall with some floating bookshelves and bookish prints.
2. Finish my living room gallery wall. I should be able to mark this complete in Q2! I added some pieces to the wall in Q1 and it just needs a few more prints to be complete.
3. Move to a two-bedroom apartment. This will be a Q4 goal.
4. Buy a new area rug and a new coffee table for my living room. No progress made. Maybe a Q3 goal.
5. Reorganize my home: add shelving to my kitchen, hang an organizer in my kitchen pantry, and buy new organizing containers for my closet. Complete! The shelf was hung in March. I hung a headband organizer that I already had on the pantry door to organize small items like cat treats, oatmeal packets, snack bags, etc. And I added organizing containers to the shelves inside my pantry to make it easier to store things.
MONEY
1. Switch to a rewards credit card. No progress made.
2. Complete monthly budget posts on the blog. So far, so good.
3. Add at least $1,000 to my emergency fund by the end of the year. No progress made.
4. Pay off the majority of my LASIK bill. I’m making payments, but I’d like to start making extra payments toward it in Q2, if possible.
5. Complete a no-spend month. Not yet. Maybe a Q3 goal.
HEALTH
1. Figure out an exercise routine that works for me. When I originally made this goal, I wrote, “I do not want to join a gym.” Joke’s on me because I joined a gym in March and I’m so happy I did! Right now, taking two workout classes a week at the gym is working well for me. I’m also trying to get movement in other ways throughout the week, like a 15-minute walk outside, a stretching workout, etc. So far, so good.
2. Lower my resting heart rate. Currently, my resting heart rate according to my Apple watch is 92 BPM. Hopefully, after a few more months at the gym, that number will improve!
3. Use my standing desk more often – get to a place where I’m standing for two hours each day. I was doing pretty well with this goal (standing for about 30 minutes of my day to work my way up to two hours), but then sciatica hit. Hoping once I’m doing with my chiropractic treatments, I can get back to this goal!
4. Get a sleep study done. I’m picking up the equipment to do an at-home sleep study on Tuesday, so I’ll have this done in Q2!
5. Be able to comfortably walk 3 miles regularly. No progress made toward this goal specifically, but I am trying to do harder workouts at the gym, which will increase my endurance and fitness levels.
HOBBIES
1. Read 100 books. (28/100) I am one book ahead of schedule!
2. Read 6 books by Agatha Christie. (2/6)
- Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie – ★★★★☆
- Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie – ★★★★☆
3. Reach 100 listeners per episode on the podcast. So far this year, our best episode was the one we recorded with Mikaela all about being an enneagram 1 (71 plays). We’re averaging around 52 listeners per episode, so we’ve got some work to do to bring up those numbers!
4. Update the blog with a new theme and reorganized categories/tags/pages. I’m working on reorganizing my categories and tags right now, but I’m hoping to launch a new blog theme in Q2.
5. Watch one season of a show every month. (1/12) I am behind on this goal!
- January: Only Murders in the Building, season 3
FUN STUFF
1. Spend a long weekend at Rainbow River. Take a solo vacation. We decided not to do the long weekend at Rainbow River, so instead I’m thinking about doing a solo vacation. I’d like to make it a reading vacation where I wouldn’t feel pressured to get out and see the sights, but rather enjoy some time to myself in a cute Airbnb. I have my eye on a trip to the other coast of Florida, Deerfield Beach, because they have a new romance-centric bookstore called Steamy Lit that I’ve been dying to go to! So we’ll see if I can make it happen.
2. Get my nose pierced. Done!
3. Get more tattoos. No progress made.
4. Take a cake decorating class. No progress made.
5. Find a dry shampoo that works for my hair. So far, I’ve tried two dry shampoos – I Dew Care Dry Shampoo Powder and Not Your Mother’s Plump for Joy – and neither have worked like I wanted them to. I received some good recommendations in my original post so I need to go back and try one of those!
6. Listen to one new album every month. (3/12) On track!
- January: Olivia Rodrigo, GUTS
- February: Noah Kahan, Stick Season
- March: Florence + the Machine, Dance Fever
7. Learn how to back into a parking space like an overconfident white man. I’m working on this, but I haven’t seen much improvement, HA.
8. See a Dolphins game in person. This will be a Q3/Q4 goal.
9. Buy new luggage. No progress made. My current priority is getting a new carry-on suitcase, which I’ll need for trips I have planned in May and June.
10. Start working through the “I’m Dead, Now What?” planner. I bought the planner! But I need to start working through it.
What’s something you accomplished recently (big or small!)?
I love having the option of a standing desk, but I hardly ever use mine. It was really useful when I worked in an office to fight the afternoon slump, but now that I’m home I can just take a minute to rest. It really bugs my back to stand still for too long. Standing while moving is a different story.
Of course you know I love the goal of a solo trip! Deerfield Beach sounds perfect.
Oh, that makes me feel a lot better! It’s nice to switch to standing when my butt starts hurting… but I also can’t stand in place for very long. It doesn’t feel comfortable. 30 minutes is my limit right now! I would like to eventually get one of those portable treadmills and try walking slowly while standing, but gotta get the sciatica dealt with first!
You’re crushing so many things…but I have to admit reading this made me SO GLAD I’m taking the year off having goals. I’ve had annual goals for years and years and it’s been nice to just sit back and do stuff and not have a big list. It’s motivating and I’ll likely go back to this approach next year, but it’s a nice break to not have Capital “G” Goals for 2024!
I love that! It sounds like you made the best decision to take some time off setting goals. I’m glad I was able to play a small part in helping you feel good about that decision. Yay!
“Learn how to back into a parking space like an overconfident white man.” ME, TOOOOOO
LOL I’m terrible at backing into spaces/parallel parking. hat’s because we are in a suburban area in NJ. If I lived in the city, then good luck to me 🙂
Loved reading your report!
I have given up on parallel parking. If I can’t easily drive into the space, I’m not doing it! HA. But I am determined to get better about backing into spaces!
I am 100% here for you to do a big dry shampoo roundup of all the brands you’ve tried. You know what does not work at all? Batiste. All the reviews of dry shampoo wax poetical about how great it is for the price point, but it literally did NOTHING for me, except maybe make my hair oilier. BOO. I want all your thoughts on this.
I really think it differs from person to person… I love Batiste. Is it my holy grail? No. But it works better for me than any other dry shampoos I have tried.
Glad you’ve found an option that works for you! Batiste did nothing for my hair. Wahhh!
I am also a no-go on Batiste. It doesn’t work AT ALL for me.
I’ll have to do a dry shampoo roundup if I ever find my holy grail product!
Do you intend to use dry shampoo in place of washing your hair? Asking because my daughter uses it, but I’m not sure if it would work well for replacing a hair wash. She washes her hair before bed, and uses dry shampoo in the morning as part of her routine. She loves Living Proof.
Regarding the credit cards, a points credit card is great, there are a lot that give you 1%, 2%, or 3%, and some that give 5% in rotating categories. I love them, it’s like a game to figure out which one to use for which purchase. HOWEVER, if you can’t pay them off every month, it’s better to use cash/debit, because the interest rate you pay is much higher than what you get back. You’ve talked before about paying off your credit cards (I think). Have you tried a credit card with zero interest and zero balance transfer fees? When I was finally able to get out of credit card debt, that’s how I did it. I figured out how much I owed, divided that amount by the months I had free, and then paid that amount every month. (So if you owe $1,400, and you have 14 months, you would pay $100 a month.) You have to be brutally honest with yourself as to whether you can manage those payments, but if you can, it’s a good way to get them paid off.
I haven’t backed into a parking space in awhile, but I used to be really good at it. It’s great for times when you will need more visibility coming out of the spot. Good luck!
It looks like you’re making great progress on your goals!
Yes, the idea with dry shampoo is to freshen up the roots on a day I’m not washing my hair. That’s the way dry shampoo is intended to work – and how it works for MANY people, but I’m starting to think I don’t have the right hair texture for it to work like it does for others. But I’m going to keep trying some products and see if I can find that holy grail dry shampoo that works for my oily scalp.
Appreciate your thoughts on the rewards credit cards!
I have to back into my parking spot at work, so I’ve gotten pretty good at that one spot because I’ve learned to look in the rear view mirror and line up the fence post behind my parking spot with the head rest in the center back seat. I do not have the same confidence about backing into any other random parking spot, though.
I think a solo trip pilgrimage to a romance bookstore sounds pretty awesome! I hope you report back.
I think my biggest accomplishment in March was sending our tax guy all our stuff a week before his deadline.
It’s so nice when we have a reliable place where we can back up, right?! I feel that way about the parking lot at my apartment, but other places do not work out so well! But all I can do is keep working on it.
Hooray for getting the tax stuff sent off!
I am impressed that you are going to work on the backing up into a space thing. I have just completely given up on acquiring that skill! I am just terrible at things that require spacial awareness. But I believe in you and will be cheering for you from afar.
You did great with your goals! I just bought some living proof dry shampoo. I feel like it’s the best of the ones I have tried. So it might be worth checking out.
My Q1 goal was to go on a date with Phil and I accomplished that. I am really setting the bar low. You know me and my relationship with goals. I am setting that goal again for Q2 and would also like to finish our 2023 photobook. I think I am about 2/3 done so could knock out the rest in an afternoon if I set my mind to it. But it would require giving up a nap/break during quiet time…
I think Living Proof is going to be the next dry shampoo I try because I have gotten a lot of recs for that brand! Here’s hoping it works for my oily scalp.
I love that you set small, achievable goals for yourself! You gotta do what’s right for you!
I so wish I could give you a dry shampoo recommendation, but I have never ever found a good one. So hopefully someone else will, and I can ride on their coattails.
You did well on your goals! I’m excited for you and your gym! It sounds pretty fun.
We just bought new luggage! We are going to Italy in the fall and we wanted backpack style carryon (are we going for 2 1/2 weeks with only carryon, yes we are, omg not sure how).
This isn’t my accomplishment, per se, but my husband has finished building the garden, it just needs the fence. So hopefully we will plant THIS WEEEEEEEK! I’m so excited.
I am in awe of doing carry-ons for a 2 1/2 week trip to ITALY. I’m going to New Orleans for 4 days at the end of May and trying to figure out how to fit everything in a carry-on. I am SUCH an overpacker.
I think you’re doing a great job on your goals. I love how specific you are. I often keep my goals pretty vague… like aspirations, but not “definitive” expected results. LOL
I do want to move into a 2-bedroom place though. Badly.
Let me know if you find a great carry-on 🙂
Yes, I’ve learned that my goals must have clearly defined parameters, otherwise I don’t know how to track them. Vague goals/aspirations don’t work for me.
It’s interesting that you’re still planning to move, possibly later in the year, and yet you’re still getting all these improvements made in your current place. If it were me, I’d think “well I’ll probably be moving soon anyway” and then blow it all off, and live in a place I don’t really love indefinitely. So, you’re inspiring me! I still want a cozy reading nook- I’m just trying to figure out where I can make it happen.
Nice job on getting to the gym! Two trips to the gym a week can really snowball- then you think “well I should probably stretch.” And then you’re walking a little more, etc. I hope your sciatica is starting to feel better! It’s hard to be active when you’re in pain.
I want a solo vacation where I just sit in a cute airbnb and read!!!!!
Sometimes I do feel a little insane about making these changes to an apartment I likely won’t be living at in 7 months, but I figure most of these changes can be carried over to my new apartment (reading nook, gallery wall) and the other changes will just make life a little less annoying while I wait for the move! Seven months is still a long time in the grand scheme of things.
Sciatica is improving! I was a little skeptical if chiropractic care would actually help, but it is!
You are really chipping away on your goals. So good. Reading your achievement made me remember that I also wanted to do a picture wall. I have done some research but than hit a wall. Maybe I’ll share my thoughts on the blog. It worked great with my lamp I needed to pick k out.
That reading vacay sound so good.
Yes, please share your ideas for a picture wall! It took me a while to get everything up on the wall because it’s intimidating at first! I try to remind myself it’s not supposed to look perfect and it’s okay if it doesn’t!
I am always so darn impressed with how you get after your goals. And it’s fun to see where you have rethought what you want to do now, vs when you set them (e.g., the gym :>).
I, too, was a bit skeptical of the idea of updating your apartment when you plan to move…but Jenny makes a good point about loving the space you’re in now. 🙂