It’s February! January flew by in an instant and here we are, already settled into the second month of the year. Today, I’m recapping my January goals and revealing my goals for February. Let’s get started!

Recapping January goals…

Start exercising again. PASS. In January, I exercised 4-5 times a week on average and I’m really loving exercise again. I’m so happy Best Body Bootcamp is back in my life and I am fairly devastated that this will be the last round Tina does. But I’m going to enjoy these next six weeks and hopefully find great results, both on the scale and with my fitness levels. Yay, endorphins!

Meal plan on a weekly basis and only eat out three times a week. PASS-ish. I sat down every Sunday and wrote a meal plan that I usually followed, but I think I ate out around 3-5 times a week. It’s a work in progress.

Decorate the walls of my bedroom with my new floating shelves and goal board. PASS-ish. My goal board is up and it’s a good reminder of my goals and what I want to see happen this year. I keep a list of the monthly goals I set, a little counter for how much weight I’ve lost, and a checklist for workouts. It’s very motivating for me! As for my floating shelves, I was all set to put them up last weekend. I took every piece out of the box, got my tool kit ready, found where on the wall I wanted to hang them… and realized I needed a power drill. I do not own a power drill. But my brother does and I’m sure he’ll be able to help me get them up the next time he’s over. So this goal was half accomplished.

Drink 50 ounces of water every day. FAIL. I didn’t drink 50 ounces of water every day, but I did drink water daily so it’s a win for me. I don’t think I’m going to make myself drink a certain number of ounces of water every day, because as long as I’m drinking water as my main source of fluid, that’s good enough for me.

Start a writing group with a friend. PASS? My friend and I never got around to starting our writing group in January, but we’re having our first meeting on Friday so I think this is a pass, since it is happening, our schedules just never matched up for January.

Three-ish out of five ain’t too shabby! I’m very pleased with my progress this month. I think putting it up on my goal board and constantly seeing it multiple times a day kept me in line. I’m excited to see how this helps me throughout the year with my goals!

In February, I want to…

Pay off my credit cards. This all depends on when I get my tax refund since I am using it to get my credit cards paid off. I have to wait on one more W-2 to arrive in the mail, but the minute it does, I’m sitting down and getting my taxes done so I can have my refund as soon as possible. Last year, I got my refund in mid-February, so I’m fairly certain I can get this goal completed. 

Organize my closet, bedside table, and bathroom. I am a minimalist wannabe, which means I tend to let things clutter up until I feel overwhelmed and annoyed every time I walk into my room or bathroom. The rest of our house is pretty well organized. (Okay, our kitchen and closets could use some TLC, but that may have to wait until next month.) I want to take February to pull out everything in my closet, bedside table, and bathroom and organize it. Toss out or donate things I don’t need and figure out better ways to organize what’s left. I love organization to my core, so I am seriously, seriously excited about tackling this!

Eat fewer sweets. This will be the biggest focus of my month since it coincides with my obsessive goal. Not only is the scale friendlier to me on the weeks I eat sweets in moderation (go figure!), but I feel so much better. Both energy-wise and just feeling proud of myself. I don’t need to eat sweets every day! A few times a week is plenty.

Eat out no more than three times a week. I. Can. Do. This! If I stick to eating at home Monday – Friday, I really think I can kick this goal out of the park.

Look for a therapist. The first step is admitting you have a problem, the second step is finding someone to help. My anxiety hasn’t been out of control, but I really would like someone to talk to about my, um, issues who can give me strategies and feedback and advice. Finding someone is going to be difficult because it’s very hard for me to open up and be honest about how I’m feeling. (I know, I know, I have no issues blabbing about my personal issues on my blog. In real life? A much, much different story.) A simple goal is to do some research and find someone I could possibly start seeing.

Do you have any goals for February?

Well, here we are. The new year is upon us. We’re declaring themes for the year, setting goals, and getting back into the routine of life after the holiday season. I am really excited about what this year holds for me. The truth is, I have some of the same goals I had for 2013, but something feels different. I still want to lose weight and get out of debt, but I feel like I am finally ready. I am ready to make the changes, do the work, be committed, and trust the process. It’s my time, and I’m ready to prove to myself that change is possible. These next twelve months are going to fly by in the blink of an eye, and I want my life to look drastically different. But instead of feeling dread for all the change that is to come, I am welcoming it with open arms. I am tired of feeling defeated and broken down and out of control. I’m ready to take back control.

And all that starts with my first set of monthly goals. I didn’t end up making goals for December, because it was a bit of a crazy month and it was all I could do to keep my head above water. With the new year comes a new month and a new set of goals to achieve.

Here we go!

In January, I want to…

Start exercising again. It’s been way too long since I stepped foot inside my gym. Lately, my form of exercise has been taking Dutch on his usual walks, which involves a lot of standing around while he sniffs every blade of grass to find the perfect spot to pee. I want to start by working out four times a week, for 30 minutes, and then amp it up to five times a week, when the winter round of Best Body Bootcamp begins on January 20.

Meal plan on a weekly basis, and only eat out three times a week. I have to get back on track with meal planning. The holiday season threw me for a loop. I spent a lot of money eating out in 2013 as a whole, and it’s a habit I need to stop this year. (Not completely, but going out to eat 7-8 times a week on average is not something to be proud of.) I am planning on doing a “No Spend” month in March, which will include 31 days straight of not eating out. That’s a drastic lifestyle change for me, so I want to gradually work on how often I eat out in January and February, so it feels less scary when March rolls around.

Decorate the walls of my bedroom with my new floating shelves and goal board. I bought new floating shelves with a Target gift card I was given, so I want to set them up and decorate them this month. I also bought a bulletin board that is going to serve as a daily reminder of my goals. It will be a place to literally pin motivational quotes, display my monthly goals, and remind myself of certain weight loss or financial goals I’m striving for, and how I’m going to reward myself when I make them. I’m really excited about making a goal board, and I think it will keep me focused and committed.

Drink 50 ounces of water every day. I should be drinking more than 50 ounces a day, but I’m taking baby steps to get there. Fifty ounces is doable.

Start a writing group with a friend. Sometime in December, a friend in my book club posted on our Facebook group about starting a writing group (a la The Wednesday Sisters, a book we all read this year). She has a novel she wants to write, I have a novel I want to write, it’s the perfect setup! We’re hoping to have our first meeting sometime in mid-January and I’m really excited to get started.

Do you have any goals for January? If you haven’t heard, I’m on a mission to send more snail mail to blog friends throughout the year. Sign up here if you want a little something from me in your mailbox this year!

Oh, goal-setting, how I love thee. I am really excited about September. Not because I have anything fantastically awesome planned, but it is the beginning of my favorite time of year. We’re back to football, Halloween decorations are out, and it’s really not too soon to be thinking about Christmas and singing holiday tunes now, is it? (Don’t answer that.) Plus, I have a really, really, really exciting fall planned. September is also a huge birthday month – my brother turns 27 (WHAT!), my nephew turns 5 (I don’t even want to talk about it), and it’s also my mom’s boyfriend’s birthday. Celebrations all around!

Let’s dive right into goals!

August Goals Recap

1. Be more social, by going out at least twice during the month (excluding book club). Yes! I actually ended up having three nights out this month: dinner and a movie with a friend, a night out at a yummy restaurant downtown with my book club girls where I also had my first taste of gelato (!), and then book club was basically canceled because nobody read the book (except for me!) so four of us met at a Mexican restaurant after work one Thursday. I made way more of an effort this month to be social, and I realize going out three times in one month isn’t crazy for most but for me, it’s a solid social month.

2. Take Dutch to the dog beach. Yes! Well, actually, we took him on the first day of September but whatever, I’m counting it. Ha. He had a blast, we had a blast, and we’re already talking about going again. Yay!

3. Ask five bloggers if I can post on their blog and pitch topic ideas. Ugh, still no on this one. It’s something that’s SO easy to let fall to the wayside because I feel a little uncomfortable about asking people if I can post on their blog. (What if they say no?!) I still need about 20 blogs to reach my goal so I just have to get over myself and just ASK.

September Goals

1. Try out a trampoline fitness class! A while back, my mom bought a Groupon deal for both of us for an “Airobics” class at a local indoor trampoline arena. The Groupon expires in mid-September and we have three classes to use, so I’m really excited to try this out! It just seems like a ridiculously fun way to get some exercise, you know? I’ll be sure to report back on how the classes go!

2. Go back to church. So, big confession: I haven’t been regularly attending church for well over a year now. And I know you don’t need to attend church to maintain your faith, but I actually think you do. You need to be around other believers, need to worship, need to hear the Word. I always feel more centered after a church service, because I know it’s where I’m meant to be. I want to regain control of my faith and I think a big step is to just get back to attending church every Sunday.

3. Sit down and create a new budget. Along with my new job came a significant pay raise, so I will need to sit down and rework my budget. My immediate goals are to bring my credit card balances back up, start helping out with household bills more (I’m in charge of our grocery budget, but want to get to a point where we’re going halfsies on all bills), and get back to a cash budget system for all unnecessary purchases (i.e., eating out, shopping, etc.).

What’s your favorite thing about fall?