Looking back on the first quarter of 2016, I feel good about it. There’s a lot I didn’t accomplish in terms of my goals, but that’s overshadowed by really wonderful moments of living my life. I can get really wrapped up in my goals, which can result in me feeling upset with myself when I don’t hit the specific markers I set. But there’s also so much more to life than goals.
In the first quarter of the year, I went on a fantastic vacation, invested in my friendships, gave up dairy for a week, celebrated my nephew’s first birthday and my dog’s fourteenth, and read 21 books. I discovered the Gilmore Guys podcast, and I can’t believe I hadn’t listened to them before. I went on some dates and enjoyed a little bit of romance for the first time in a year.
I also experienced a lot of anxiety and loneliness, but that’s pretty typical for me. There were many weeks when I could forget about my anxiety disorder and other weeks when it felt like I was drowning in it. I was lazy with my health and didn’t put as much effort into eating better and exercising as I should have (resulting in a .2 loss on the scale for this entire quarter… ooookay then!).
So, with all that said, let’s take a look back at the goals I set for myself this year and see how they are coming along:
Main goal
- Finish my novel and prepare it for publication
I did not spend nearly enough time on my novel this quarter. The time I did spend on it involved re-outlining and re-imagining specific scenes of my novel, but it resulted in not doing much of actual writing.
My plan for the next quarter: I want to write 500 words every day. Originally, I was going to challenge myself to write 1,000 words, but that feels incredibly daunting. Five hundred words is doable; that’s about half an hour out of my day.
Health and fitness goals
- Lose 20 lbs
No progress made this quarter.
- Exercise 3 or more times per week
There were a few weeks when I fell off the exercising bandwagon, but I’d say I achieved this goal 90% of the time? That’s good!
- Drink more water, less soda
Nope. This is still a huge area of struggle for me.
- Figure out what’s causing my nighttime congestion
Not completely. I bought a humidifier and a Neti pot, but neither eased my congestion. (I couldn’t even use the neti pot correctly, which leads me to think my congestion isn’t exactly sinus-related.) I also eliminated dairy from my diet for a week, which eased my congestion but didn’t relieve it completely.
- Start therapy
No. I called my insurance to find out what my mental health benefits entail (the news wasn’t awesome) and to get a list of therapists in my network. I didn’t make an appointment because I’m now trying to figure out how to afford therapy.
My plans for the next quarter: I want to lose 10 lbs. It’s a lofty goal, but one I know I can achieve if I focus on cooking at home more, eating out less, and drinking less soda (I’m challenging myself to one per day). I also want to make an appointment with a doctor to further investigate what is causing my nighttime congestion.
Money and debt goals
- Pay off my credit card
Achieved, thanks to a sweet tax refund in February. Having this debt paid off feels wonderful.
- Save $1,000
No progress made this quarter, since I was most focused on getting my credit card paid off.
- Spend less than $100 on myself each quarter
Nope, I wound up spending around $200 on myself. I knew this goal would be difficult to complete, but I’m committed to it.
My plans for the next quarter: I am challenging myself to a no-spend month in May. I have never been successful with these challenges, but I am inspired by Nora’s recent no-spend month and I want to prove to myself that I can do it, too.
Adventure and fun goals
- Go on more dates
Yes! I went on six dates this quarter, which is a great number for me. I’m not the girl who can go on multiple dates every week, but I’m trying to go on two per month. This quarter, all of my dates came from Tinder, which has led to some interesting stories, but that’s about it.
- Travel to a new state
No progress made. Most likely, this goal will be accomplished in quarter three.
- Go on monthly adventures
Eh, somewhat. In January, I went to the circus with some girlfriends and in March, I went on a cruise. I didn’t take an adventure in February.
- Get a tattoo
No progress made. I don’t think I’ll accomplish this until quarter three or four.
- Take an online course
No progress made, but I will be completing an online course in quarter two.
My plans for the next quarter: I’m planning to buy a six-month subscription to either Match or eHarmony because I am honestly ready to take this next step in online dating. I also plan on starting Gina Horkey’s 30 Days or Less to Freelance Writing Success course, since I’ve heard good things about it.
Books and media goals
- Read 75 books
I read 21 books in quarter one. If I continue my pattern of reading seven books a month, I’ll read 84 books this year.
- Reread Harry Potter and watch all of the movies
I read the first two books in the series and watched the first two movies as well. This goal is so fun to complete!
- Watch 12 movies I’ve never seen before
This quarter, I watched Forrest Gump, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, and Steel Magnolias.
My plans for the next quarter: Nothing set in stone. I would like to read the next two books in the Harry Potter series (very thankful to a sweet friend who is lending me the books from her personal collection!) and watch the next two movies. For the movies I’d like to see, I have a long list to work from, but I think I’ll definitely try to get in a viewing of Top Gun.
So, what are the big goals I want to accomplish in the next quarter?
- I want to write 500 words of my novel daily
- I want to lose 10 lbs and challenge myself to drink one soda per day
- I want to complete a no-spend month in May
- I want to complete Gina Horkey’s 30 Days or Less to Freelance Writing Success
- I want to go on five or more dates
Here we go! Quarter two awaits me. 🙂
Are there any goals you want to focus on in this second quarter of 2016?
I love your goals and how varied they are! They cover pretty much all aspects of your life, which is awesome!
I’ve been wanting to re-read Harry Potter for ohhh, five years now or so? I need to get on it!
Good luck with all of these goals. I have no doubt you will be successful. 🙂
You can totally do the no-spend thing in May. It takes a little planning on the front side but I KNOW you can do it. It’s such a liberating feeling, too! Can’t wait to hear how it goes for you.
Mental health + insurance coverage in the US sucks. Just plain sucks. I was limited to X # of visits which just sickened me for the general population. I was done in about eight sessions but what about people who need to go more than that? Ugh.
Have you tried using an infuser for water? They sell bottles where you can put fruit in this cylinder in the middle and then it infuses the water with that taste? My mom has one and she puts things like lemons or strawberries in it when she wants her water to have a bit more flavor?
Q1 was a weird quarter for me. It felt like a busy quarter of the year, especially in March as I had so much going on. It wasn’t a great quarter for my health as I had an RA flare and then hip issues started to bug me in Jan and I’m facing a potential surgery but won’t find out about that until 4/20. In Q2, I know that I will be moving in with Phil (!!!) so the focus for the quarter will be getting settled in and working on some small projects to make his house feel like “ours” and hopefully I’ll figure out my hip issues this quarter as well, either through surgery or more/different PT.
Good work, Stephany!
My big exciting goal is to book airfare to Spain with Sugarface. Also, pursue more gigs to get the monies for this trip.
Good luck with the no spend month in May! I’m doing a shopping ban again for the next 90 days, which is super challenging because I’m always like, “Well, could this be an exception?” every time I’m tempted to buy something. I’ve done a 30 day ban successfully, but the last time I attempted 90 days I remember HATING the last month (it was my birthday month, so probably not the best timed challenge). Hopefully I’ll do better this time around!
Protein, protein, protein! Lots of veggies, and minimal carbs plus strength training. Make it the center of all your meals and aim to get 1 gram per pound of body weight per day. When it comes to water, just chug it. Seriously. It’s not always fun, but it works wonders.
Great achievements on your goals! To quote off of another commenter, I love how varied and fun they are.
Quarter 1 was mostly “meh” and anxiety-ridden for me. Combine unseemly weather, job searching, little funds, and “friends-on-hiatus” and you get a melting mix of “bleh” lol. The boyfriend and I did accomplish a lot in terms of organization, prioritization, and communication though!
As I have just started my new contract position this week, my goal for Quarter 2 is to settle into the work, learn the ropes, and do my best to have faith in myself, build confidence, and take breaks when it’s called for.
Good luck with your upcoming goals!