Happy Friday, friends! It’s been a doozy of a week for me… the kind of week where I realize how much I cannot hang with a busy life. I like my weeknights free and my weekends fairly plan-less, but that’s not the case for me this week. I’m just thankful that this is not the norm for me – doing it every now and then is okay, but I am not cut out for doing it long-term. Kudos to everyone who enjoys a busy life – it’s not for me.
Since we just entered the second quarter of the year on Sunday, I figured it was time to write an update on how I’m progressing with my yearly goals. I’m actually pretty happy with my progress and I think it’s due to the fact that I consistently make smaller goals to attack the larger ones I’ve set.
Let’s take a look:
- Lose 30 lbs
In progress. I’ve lost 8 lbs so far this year and I’m really happy with that progress, especially since I only started getting serious about eating better and exercising more near the end of February. I’m feeling good about this goal and that I’ll finally end the year weighing less than when I started it.
- Complete the Whole30
No progress made. I’m kinda wondering if I even want to do this goal anymore, but I also think it would be a good experiment to figure out what my food sensitivities are. I’m thinking of doing this in August or September, though.
- Cut out soda completely
In progress. I haven’t cut it out completely, but I have seriously cut down on how much soda I drink. When I made this goal, I was having at least one can of Dr. Pepper a day, but a few days a week, I was having more than that. Now I’m only drinking it 2-3 times a week and when I do drink it, it gives me an upset stomach. Hopefully, with my next update, I’ll be able to say I’ve cut it out completely.
- Buy a new couch
No progress made. I’m hoping to do this sometime in May or June. I need to sell my sectional (I love it, but it’s just way too big for my small apartment) and then I’m going to use the money made from that sale to put toward a new couch. I went to a furniture store earlier in the year to get a feel for what I could expect to pay for a new couch, and I’m just so excited to make this happen and open up my living room more.
- Complete a yearly shopping ban where I don’t buy any new clothes
Well, I can say that I won’t be able to mark this complete, as I bought a pair of black skinny jeans to wear to work since my current ones were getting too tight. But that’s actually the only piece of clothing I’ve bought so far this year, and I’ve also donated three other pieces of clothing. So, I may not be perfect with this one, but I’m still going to do my best to not buy too many new clothes (I think it might be better for me to adopt the “one in and one out” rule rather than a complete ban).
- Stop using plastic bags at the grocery store, Target, etc.
In progress. I’m not doing great with this goal, although I’m trying. I could do better and I really want to track how many times I use reusable bags vs plastic bags when shopping this next quarter to get an idea of how many plastic bags I use.
- Read 100 books, including four classics
In progress. Ah, the easiest goal I ever set for myself. I’m already at 39 books (remember, I read a lot of romance. This is not 39 dense, heavy reads). I also read my first classic for the year (A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith) and in quarter two, I think I’m going to tackle 1984 by George Orwell.
- Give up all dating apps and websites for the entire year
In progress. Yep! I’ve successfully spent the first quarter of 2018 without succumbing to the desire to re-download Tinder to my phone. After Dutch died, I was super lonely and suddenly had more free time than I knew what to do with, so I contemplated adding dating apps back to my phone but I knew I wasn’t in the right state of mind. And I’m still not. There are definitely some mental roadblocks that I need to work out in therapy because I feel like I’m not really in a healthy place for dating.
- Try something new once a month (i.e., kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, yoga, etc.)
No progress made. I forgot about this goal, but I’m recommitting myself to it in the second quarter of the year.
- Start therapy
No progress made. In January, I sent some emails to potential therapists, but they either didn’t accept insurance or never responded back. And then Dutch died and my world collapsed and I just couldn’t deal with finding a therapist. But I know I need therapy more than ever, so I’m really hoping that I can say I did this the next time I update you guys on my yearly goals.
- Finish my novel
In progress. I’m behind on this goal (only about 6,000 words into my novel), but I’m working toward it every week and that’s all that matters.
- Figure out what my Enneagram type is
No progress made. I need to buy a book and get cracking on this one!
- Travel to one new state
No progress made. This is a goal I’ll most likely complete in quarter three of 2018.
- Exercise at least three times a week, every week in 2018
In progress. I haven’t exercised three times a week every week, but I have done it most weeks. Progress, not perfection, right?
- Create a wedding album for my mom and stepdad
No progress made. This really shouldn’t be such a hard goal to complete, but it feels so massive that even crossing off a small step is overwhelming to me. Ahh!
Out of the 15 goals I set, I’m consciously making progress on 9 of them and I’m really happy about that! I never set yearly goals with the intention of crossing each and everyone off, but just working toward something is what matters most.
Here’s what I want to focus on in quarter two:
- Continue eating well and exercising so I can continue losing weight
- Sell my sectional and buy a new couch
- Keep track of how many plastic bags I use vs how many times I use reusable bags
- Try three new things, one a month
- Find a therapist
- Consistently work on my novel every week, even if I only write 1,000 words – progress is progress
- Buy a book on the Enneagram and read it cover to cover
- Work on my mom and stepdad’s wedding album by sorting through the pictures I have and choosing the website I want to use for the photo book
Whew! That feels like a lot, but it encompasses three months and I’ll be using this as a guide as I plan out my monthly goals. I think it should set me up for a successful Q2.
How are you doing on your yearly goals?
I need to get back to not drinking soda. I was doing good but then I started getting a meal (chips+drink) at Jimmy Johns twice a week and I drink Dr Pepper there. It’s really not hard to just have my La Croix and that way I cut out the chips too, but I have to work on it.
I just bought myself an Enneagram book, so I’ll let you know how it is and if I don’t want to hold onto it after, I can pass it to you!
It’s really hard to get OUT of the habit of drinking soda when you’re in it. Especially when it comes to Jimmy Johns. There’s just something so satisfying about having a soda with your sandwich! I totally understand.
You’re doing awesome!
My soda habit ebbs and flows. I usually love Diet Coke, but I don’t drink it while pregnant… and it usually gives me a headache. Right now, I drink Sprite about once a week and some Ginger Ale. At the gas stations, they sell these HUUUUGE fountain pops (and I LOVE me a fountain drink) for 89 cents or something. UGH. I’m weak! LOL.
We also got rid of our sectional and got a regular sized couch and it made the living room feel and look so much bigger.
Oh gosh, there is TRULY nothing better than a fountain soda, that’s for sure. I just truly, truly love the taste of soda and I wish I could give it up completely, but it’s so hard. Thankfully, LaCroix has been a decent substitute!
I love that you share this range of goals with your readers! It gives me a kick in the pants to consider what goals I want to accomplish!
I’m very into the Enneagram – my Catholic high school incorporated it into our religion classes junior and senior year, and we took the test both years to see if our personality results changed. We had a book about it that we read once we took the test and knew what type we were, but I’ found the test very accurate in nailing down my personality – mine didn’t change between years, and I still resonate with a lot of my Type’s qualities! Funnily enough, the majority of my high school friends were Virgos, and a good chunk of us were also Type 4, which we were taught was the Romantic. I know you’re not supposed to take those kind of things too seriously, but I just find astrology and personality tests so accurate!
Oh, that’s such an interesting story about the Enneagram because I heard you weren’t supposed to learn your type until you were in your 30s! (I actually have no idea WHERE I heard that, though, maybe it’s an old wives tale, haha.) I’ve listened to a few podcast episodes about Enneagram types and I just am so curious as to what mine is and how it will affect the way I view myself and the world in general.
I’m doing ok on my goals for this year, although my running has taken a hit due to an injury. I’m taking it easy though, and listening to my body, and hopefully I can get back to it soon.
Good luck with your goals!
Oof – sorry about the running injury! Hopefully it heals, so you can get back out there.
I’m so proud of you for cutting back so much on Dr. Pepper. That’s HUGE! I haven’t made much (read: any) progress with my own health & weight loss goal, either, but I know that if I finally start working out (what is wrong with me & why am I so afraid?!) it shouldn’t be hard for me to lose at least a few pounds. I’d like to feel slightly better about my body because we head to Costa Rica in May, but that’s such a small window of time. We’ll see!
Working out can be a super scary proposition! It’s hard to know where to start and how to motivate yourself to do it. My advice is to take it slow, maybe just one or two days a week until you get used to it. I’m also a huge fan of just going on long walks – it’s prime podcast listening time for me and a chance to be outside and feel like I’m moving my body in a natural way. I hope you find what works for you!
Maybe instead of doing whole 30 you could pick a few things to eliminate one at at time, like dairy one month, grains another, etc. Whole 30 is so much work and pretty expensive and
You have to REALLY want to do it to stick with it and then it’s hard to figure out which things you elimated make you feel like crap!
I didn’t set goals this year since we had a baby. But I want to set a few goals during mat leave that are achievable. Like cleaning out our cupboards (I did half in Jan before the pain of the blood clot set in) and lose the rest of my pregnancy weight before returning to work so my clothes fit, and swap out my maternity clothes for pre pregnancy clothes.
I really love the idea of doing a few elimination challenges, rather than committing to Whole30. That’s a great idea and I’m going to look into it more!
I like that you set some goals for your maternity leave and I hope you can knock them off. 🙂
I love that you set all these goals for yourself (and that most of them are goals that you keep chipping away at, instead of just checking them off…. I think those are the goals/habits that stay for the long run!).
I am doing good with my goals (as far as I set them)…. I should be better about writing specific goals down and making sure I am on track.
Breaking down the big yearly goals into more manageable chunks is what has been helping me the most with my goals this year. It’s much easier to make progress when I’m not attempting to do it all at once!