Personal Goals 2018

It is time for may annual post about my goals for the upcoming year, and how I did on last year's goals.

Despite the bad political situation, 2017 was a better year than 2016 for my mental state. I don't really know why that is, but I've decided to put it down to having worked through a lot of accumulated mental baggage in 2015 and 2016, and reaping the benefits of that last year. Here's hoping I continue to reap those benefits!

But how did I do on my specific goals? Eh, not so great. I only did slightly more than half of them. Here's the accounting (you can read more about the goals in last year's post):

1. Keep up my exercise routine. SUCCEED! At least, I am counting it as a success, even though my routine went to hell in November and December. It wasn't my fault I got sick and couldn't really do much exercise. I did manage a couple of rollerblades, but there was no way I could run. Still, the rest of the year, I did well.

2. Read a book instead of playing on my phone at least one kid's bedtime per week. FAIL. I did this sometimes, but not at all consistently. I think the problem was that by the time we got to bedtime, I was often just out of energy and wanted to do whatever sounded best, not what I thought I "should" do. So, failing at this goal showed me that I need to find a different time for reading. I like to read, but my brain is often too tired by the time we get to the bedtime routine to really want to do it.

3. Get making music back into my life. FAIL. Sigh. I haven't figured out why I keep failing at this one. I think I genuinely miss making music, but for some reason I just don't make the time for it.

4. Volunteer - find a regular volunteer thing. SUCCEED! I am volunteering with a local organization that helps foster youth who are aging out of the system. I've only done one event with them so far, but I'm scheduled for another one next week, and I think I'll eventually find where I fit best in this organization and make this a long term thing.

5. Frame the postcards for the office. SUCCEED! I don't think I have them in the optimal arrangement on the wall, but they are in frames and on the wall and so I call this a win.

6. Paint baseboards in the hall. SUCCEED! Actually, Mr. Snarky did this, but I probably did something with the kids that made it possible for him to do it, so I'm claiming success. We're a team, right?

7. Buy a new mattress. SUCCEED! And it is awesome.

8. Invent a signature cocktail. FAIL. I didn't even try. Oh well.

9. Establish a yoga/meditation practice. FAIL. I need a class for this one, I think. I just won't do it on my own. And I haven't found a class that fits my schedule. A new yoga studio opened in my neighborhood and that might work, but they do hot yoga and I'm not sure that's what I want.

Okay, on to this year's goals. I decided to scale back a bit this year, because I have a lot of changes in my routine to absorb, and I think that will take a fair amount of the time and energy that is allocated to me (as opposed to my family). So I only set myself six goals:

1. Establish a new exercise routine. The old one won't work anymore, since I won't be working from home twice a week and I don't think I'll have the schedule flexibility to go rollerblading during the week. Luckily, there is a YMCA very close to my new job, and since I'm already a member (due to the kids' activities) I am going to try to use it. I've got an appointment for an introductory tour next week.

2. Start our backyard upgrade. When we added our office in 2015, we said we'd do up the backyard next. Here it is, 2018, and the backyard hasn't been done up. There's a lot we want to do, so I doubt we'll have the time or money to finish it this year, but I want to at least get started.

3. Organize the kitchen. If I had heaps of money, I'd say "remodel the kitchen" but that's not in the cards, so I need to clean out and organize so that the kids' drink bottles don't fall out of the cupboard when we open it and I don't curse at the cupboard of doom (the big, awkward shaped cupboard that stores the things that don't fit anywhere else) quite so much.

4. Read a short story every week. This is the next iteration of my reading goal from last year. I think that by not saying when I have to do it, I'm more likely to do it. I like reading short stories, so really it is just a matter of deciding to read one now and then. I may read at night, or on my lunch break, or while waiting for Petunia's art class to finish... there are lots of options.

5. Do what I can to help in the 2018 elections. I struggled with what to write on this one. I didn't want to make it too concrete, because I didn't want to give myself permission not to keep pushing to do more. I really do think these elections are that important. (I have my first batch of postcards to write this week!)

6. Try at least one new recipe every month. I am bored with what I've been cooking but inertia keeps me from trying new things. I'm hoping that by making it a goal, I'll do better. I already tried a new recipe this month: sweet potato and corn tacos. We had them for dinner tonight (well, Mr. Snarky and I did: Pumpkin had a plain tortilla with cheese and Petunia had a quesadilla) - and they were good.

I also have a stealth goal: one I didn't want to formalize on this list, but that I'm hoping to make happen, anyway. I want to lose some weight. My weight has crept up over the past few years, and I don't like it. Obviously, the exercise goal supports this, but I'm also trying out tracking calories. I installed an app and have been using it. We'll see if that approach works for me. It is certainly making me more conscious of what I eat! I may or may not lose weight this year, but I think I will at least learn enough about my preferences that I can make it a real goal next year.

I still need to work on my goals for Annorlunda Enterprises for 2018. I'll write about those in my next newsletter. 

Do you have any goals or resolutions for 2018 that you want to share?