2022 Goal Group - January

[mom31257]

Checking in!

I weighed yesterday morning and have lost 2 pounds. I was trying to weigh every day, but that gets discouraging if I gain a little. I think once a week might be better. 

The new recipe I tried was just a different way to make chicken pot pie. I found a dairy free chicken gravy by McCormick.  I usually make it just for dh with dairy. It was good, but it needed more salt. 

I walked for 30 minutes 3 days this week. 

I have finished the bullet journal for this week. 

[Hannah]

15 hours ago, wintermom said:

I'm hoping that things will improve this coming week. I'm feeling physically stronger, which will hopefully translate to more energy overall. My eating is already improving.

Hoping for a speedy recovery this week @wintermom!

[Tiberia]

Week 3 check in:

i didn’t reach any of my goals this week, but I did manage to carry on my other life obligations, so we’ll just call this a survival week. 

 The upcoming week might be survival too, but I know I’ll get back on track when life settles down.

I did manage to watch the new Macbeth movie twice, so I’ll consider that a win for the week. 

Hang in there everyone! You continue to inspire me!

ETA: actually, I did meet my gluten-free goal for the week, so that’s a victory.

Edited January 24, 2022 by Tiberia

[Guest]

@Tiberia I understand survival weeks; that was me this week too. I got through the week. So that’s a win. 
 

@Hannahyour crochet is gorgeous! Wonderful job!

 

@wintermom feel better soon. You had a survival week too. 
 

I did not meet all goals this week but we did finally have “Christmas” with my big kids. So good to see them; they haven’t been here since Thanksgiving. 
 

For my writing goals, I did a great thing; I joined Writing Mastery Academy on the Save th e Cat website. The exercises are great and it’s good, solid information there. I thought through parts of my novel, but I got stuck on a couple of details and temporarily lost my enthusiasm for this story. There is a plot point that involved non-consensual s€x, and I got a bit stuck on not wanting this to be too dark and not wanting to treat the subject the wrong way. But I generated some ideas that I think will work, so I suppose I am  un-stuck now. 
 

I did complete one watercolor painting; a tutorial from LMA, “Spaniel Puppy.” 
 

For watering my own grass, I watched a documentary on Sugar with dh, plus an episode of Emily in Paris. Of course, I knew he wouldn’t care much for EiP, and I think the storyline is full of predictable tropes, but I like hearing the French and I love seeing scenes of Paris. I also watered my own grass with something special in our bedroom. (Sometimes you just gotta remember what you did twenty years ago to heighten the mood.)

House goals didn’t go far and I didn’t even start on my dd’s room, but when she came over, she got all her old journals out of there and went through her books. So at least that is something.  
 

Last January full week, friends! I’m going to try to pin up the last few things I didn’t complete so JANuary can be a success in all categories. 🙂 

[deBij]

I also did not meet all my goals this week, but I did have a productive week (aside from playing the Wordle Archives) :).

Two snow days and a PD day had me homeschooling more kids, plus one of my kids had a birthday.
 

January Plans Progress in Week of January 17th:

§    Fasting Did not fast every weekday a.m.  Will try better this week.

§    None-to-Run program Did not complete planned workouts, but still over 11k steps/day.

§    Lose 8 lbs Kind of wish to make this goal disappear since I usually don’t succeed with the scale.

§    Continue morning and afternoon walks Yes!  Even in the freezing cold.

§    Decide on kitchen cabinet doors Later

§    Sell/donate existing boxes of unwanted items.  No progress this week

§    30 minutes per day focused area cleaning/purging No progress this week

§    Create a clear spreadsheet of current investment situation.  Researched new places to invest.

[Eos]

On 1/2/2022 at 8:11 AM, Eos said:

 

Overall 2022:

Better homeschooling relationship with dd17, get through last homeschool season in the way that I want to finish, maintain fitness level with a modest weight loss and increased arm strength, two significant art goals, two craft/handwork goals, staying on top of my volunteer commitments.

Two weeks from now: have a new morning routine with dd17.  Today: order lightbox, write intention for 9 - 3, find vitamin d, find an uplifting, day-starting video.  Start tomorrow without lightbox, incorporate as soon as it arrives. Be prepared for eyerolling and No declarations, do it anyway.  This is your last homeschooling term, Eos, hold it together.  Did these, and yes, we both feel like we are better footing and I'm holding it together.

Also today: Finalize and write down the books, readings, podcasts and movies.  Describe in words the expected outcomes and deliverables. Get out the Atlas and remove the pressed flowers. Make a beautiful chart she can refer to.  Limit timeline creation to one week. HAHAHAHA clashed, renegotiated, she declared the deliverables and it's going surprisingly well.

Two weeks from now: lose the holiday weight and started a daily arm workout.  This week: no cheese or bread, no stuffing, no chocolate. Learn to do rows and presses with hand weights. Yes and no - no cheese, no bread, no chocolate sure, but shortbread cookies and homemade pretzels upended all my intention here.  Holiday weight not gone, in fact a small weight gain.  Did not do any arm work but the ice has been incredible so I'm spending a lot of time skating on ponds and marshes.

Three weeks from now: have received magic sculpt and started learning how to use it. This week: buy some. Did these.  I need the large background frames to start this project.  Next: buy the right paints.

Three weeks from now: see that I am on my way to my big puppet goal.  This week: take over a physical space and draw the puppet. Fully not this.  Working out what space to take over involves possibly rearranging the whole house.  A friend is giving us a couch which will also entail rearranging the whole house, so this might just happen!  I have drawn a few iterations but I'm not motivated and started a spin-off thread about creativity.  I think the poster who suggested my heart might not be in this project was right, and I need to reexamine my motivation.

End of January: have met with my committee and sent email to consultant.  Done and moved forward.  Need to ask for minutes.

 

 

OK, back to the format @Granny_Weatherwaxsuggested, since I think it's working.

For the last week in January I will:

Homeschool goal: keep going with what has been achieved so far!!

Weight and exercise goal: lose the holiday weight and what I've gained this week to reach my goal by my birthday in 16 days.

Today: skate.  For the week: I will have played/exercised outside every day for two hours, and did one indoor exercise stint inside every day for 20 minutes.  This will be 10 minutes of lunges and ten minutes of rows with weights. I will have not eaten flour, yolks, red meat, sugar.

Creativity goal:

Today: rearrange the house and figure out how to make permanent the space that I want to have, which I think is right where I'm sitting now. For the week: I will have examined my heart for why I want to do what I say I want to do and decided if that actually nourishes me.  

Committee goal by the end of this week: I will have connected the two people who will be doing strategic planning, asked for minutes, started to prioritize the list we've been generating.

 

Edited January 24, 2022 by Eos

[Granny_Weatherwax]

My week three check in:

I also didn't meet my goals this week but I focused on other things and was ill for three days.

I painted my entry way and 90% of the bathroom. I cannot finish the bathroom until my DH removes the old vanity so I can paint behind it and then we can install the new vanity. I love the new color (which is out of my comfort zone). I completed over 10 hours of CEUs and online training. Participated in my first three Zoom meetings.

Being ill meant cancelling three out of town trips, two tennis lessons, and 6 hours of tennis doubles while waiting for a COVID test. I watched a lot of the first week of the Australian Open.

I am not discouraged, though, because, I am still making forward progress. Being intentional in my choices and knowing I have something to work toward is empowering, esp after not having a paid job for 18 months. I need goals to provide motivation in all areas.

Outside - 9.25/15

Bike - 10/75

Walk - 22/30

CEU - 3/4

Books - 6/10

Tennis - 8.25 (just tracking play time, not really a goal, and I have no idea why I put it on here)

 

Edited January 24, 2022 by Granny_Weatherwax

[Granny_Weatherwax]

It's a new week and the final week of January. 

Take a look at your goals and find areas of focus this week. 

Do not berate yourself if you did not or will not achieve your goals. Reassess the feasibility of the goals you set. Are they goals in which you are truly interested? Have a good "Why"? Are reasonable for your circumstances?

Remember, these are yearly goals we are working on. If you wobbled this month, you have 11 more months to figure out how to achieve your goals. We are taking baby steps to get to the end.

Let's do this!!

[Granny_Weatherwax]

A few days left in the month to work toward your goals.

Don't plan a 72 hour marathon. just look at what you can reasonably accomplish and take those steps.

It's time to begin thinking about February's steps toward your larger yearly goal. Take a look at your goals and your obligations, appointments, weather, and other resources and determine what your February steps will look like. Begin working out your plan. Write it out. 

[SKL]

I took a break from reporting anywhere on WTM self-improvement threads, because I spent a weekend at Kalahari (a waterpark resort for those unfamiliar) with 7 teens and a friend mom.  I did a lot, just not the same stuff I had in my goals.  Over this weekend, I will try to decide how much I need to adjust my goals.

Since I finished my goals, excluding the Kalahari weekend, I have been good about eating fruits and veggies and doing daily yoga and reading (though I'd like to do more reading).  I learned a new skill for client work - something I used to dump on members who had experience with it.  I completed 7.5 hours of CPE, I think.  I researched options for driving schools and summer camps.  I cooked with a kid at least 2x.

I have to revisit outdoor plans with the pup, because of ice, snow, and road salt considerations.  We still go out in the back woods at least 2x per day (it's averaging maybe 10" of snow out there, so not a super easy walk).  Between that and the extra exercise I get from cleaning off my car and other snow/cold-related actions, it's not that much less than taking a short walk.  But still a goal that needs adjusting.

As for drinking water, keeping it positive, I was watching this for a while, and plan to start watching it again.  🙂

House projects I got done this month include fixing my closet door and having the electrician in to install my bathroom fan and wall light in the pup's room.  He may or may not finish the family room job before January ends.

I listened to good music daily.  I played the piano a few times.  I even sang in front of people several times.  These are progress steps for me.  😛  I spent time studying Korean and practicing several other foreign languages.  I've mostly kept my room clean and cleaned elsewhere in the house daily.  My sleep has been sufficient if nontraditional in structure.  😛

I have an appointment next week to xray my tailbone and see what can be done about it.

[Moonhawk]

Week 4 January Goals

House goals:

• 3. Clear out any bedding that is not being used: summer sheets into one box, heirloom blankets to 1(!) box (ok maybe 2), rest to donate.↗️
• 4. Donation run last week of January.↗️

Account goals:

• 3. Check paycheck withholdings and adjust as necessary. Do a split deposit amount straight to savings??✅
• 4. All business receipts/accounting together and ready for taxes; any business subscriptions put onto calendar based off 2021 receipts. ❌

So the House goals will be done on Saturday, just squeaking into the January deadline. I've changed this a bit so that we will double-make the beds with summer sheets underneath the winter sheets, to free up storage and so they can't get lost.  I took a cursory glance at the blanket situation and all blankets are being used except for some baby blankets; they're small but blankets never fold small enough, lol. I remember the trashcan on wheels idea someone mentioned for clothes during moving, and think I might use that for blankets, anyway.

Account goal 3 was done. I didn't split straight to savings because my in is too close to my out for me to feel comfy doing that, but we should be in the green.

Account goal 4 has no hope, lol. But, in my defense, I've put in about 28 hours on the business this week already for a more pressing project. Future me will just have to deal with it. This will probably roll to mid-February.

[mom31257]

I'm not meeting all my goals this month, but I'm not going to give up or beat myself up over it. I've never really set goals before, so I'm trying to think long term rather than short. 

I did a terrible job of tracking my food and staying within a shorter eating window, and I gained back 0.2 pounds (so only 1.8 lost for the month). 

I have only walked twice this week, and it's really cold outside, but I think I'll walk in the house to get in a 3rd. 

I tried a new recipe, so at least I'm being successful with that one. Of course it involves eating, so it's easy! This recipe is for one serving in case you want to try it. 

I did my bullet journaling, except I didn't track everything well. I plan on making the spread for the rest of January and the first of February this weekend. 

 

[DreamerGirl]

The one goal I have consistently kept up and now I hope a habit is hiking in bad weather. We shall see about the heat, but cold which is my kryptonite has been something I think I am better at.

I did make some progress on some other goals like make kimchi. I bought a piano. But I don't think I made enough progress on those to justify them as a success.

But I am not going to beat myself up. Goals are just that. Something to work towards, it is a destination and I am more on a slow walk than a sprint apparently. So I am going to smell the roses, take a detour and eventually get there. 

That right there is one of my biggest goals. Not beat myself up. 

 

[wintermom]

I'm finally feeling like I've recovered more or less "fully" from covid. I have energy again, I actually "care" more about what I'm eating, and I'm feeling stronger. I still feel a little hesitant that I'm 100% again, but I'm definitely on an upward swing. It feels so good!

I went for a really long hike in the woods and intentially chose a trail with lots of hills to test out my strength and endurance. I felt good, but had some weird tendon tenderness in my bottom - probably from too much sitting for the past 4 weeks. 

I've started back on my daily push-up routine and intentional streching. 

I don't want to overdo it, but I'm thrilled to be building back up to where I was before Covid. I also just found out that my indoor tennis is starting back up next weekend! I'm really looking forward to that. 😄

[Tiberia]

Week 4 review:

Work out Goal:

Weekly: Work out 3 hours per week, to include Tai Chi, Strength, and Cardio, and anything else 

I was able to accomplish this goal this week! Yay!

Weight loss goal:

Lose 12 pounds in the year

I might be down a pound this month. Hard to tell on our scale.

Eating goal:

Eat Gluten-free and wheat-free in January to help support DH's health

This has been my great success of the month. I've been gluten-free and I feel pretty good, so I'm going to keep it up for February.

Drawing goal:

draw one picture per week/about four per month/ 50-52 per year

I did my four drawings for January, so that was successful. I'm still not a good artist, but it's fun to try. 

Piano:

Play piano one hour per week/four hours per month/50 per year

Didn't happen this week. Might need to evaluate if I want to keep this as a goal.

Russian:

Watch one Russian movie per month. Find a workbook/curriculum I like, and set a new goal when I find it 

Rewatched my go-to Russian movie. 

Overall, I'm happy with how I did this month. 

[Guest]

This wasn’t a great week for goal completion. 
 

Watercolor: I started a painting but made a mistake that may not be salvageable and I lost my enthusiasm for the project. 
 

Writing:  My writing goals imploded. I was moving along on this idea I had, when I read something in the Writing Mastery course about, “how to know if you have a good idea.” Suddenly, I wanted to re-visit an old idea for a middle-grade fantasy with a young female protagonist. I had brainstorms on this story and wrote a bunch down. Now, I don’t know if I should develop the old story or just move forward with the new story. 
 

One thing about me is that I never have a shortage of ideas; my head bursts with ideas. The bad thing about this is that I don’t know if I sabotage myself with this or if I should just accept it and work on whatever is pouring out. It may be a way of procrastinating, though, because I keep chasing the next butterfly and so I don’t capture any of them. So this week’s writing goal may need to be: decide what project I want to complete and set others aside for a year. 
 

Watering grass: Didn’t necessarily do this because dh was away to visit his mom. 
 

House: I didn’t do anything on the house and I did not have time for it. 

[Eos]

I missed the thread this weekend since I was {too busy playing in the snow and} doing some of the final sort, purge, assigning new homes, and containerizing of stuff in my shed.  It's not really a shed but an unheated part of the house and is mostly storage space. 

Not my achievement but my inspiration, maybe: my kids cleaned out and sorted/purged/archived their cubbies!  This was kind of a big deal - dd applying to grad school had leftover high school stuff in hers, college grad found an old DS game with game cards, dd17 got to ponder her 13 year old self through writings and drawings.  Please don't judge!  This took a fair amount of my time in helping them.

As far as finding my space to create...I now have a better desk but no real work space.  This week I will try my idea of storing stuff in my desk and moving to the table to work.

January was all about picking up loose threads to reweave or snip and clearing mental space as well as finding the words to think about my next steps.  Welcome, February!

This week I will have dh cut the boards I need, experiment with mixing large amounts of magic sculpt, rewatch the video I need to learn and order the right paints. 

I'm halfway to my weight goal for these two weeks, so will make the effort to succeed. 

Meet with my committee and finish our goal-setting work.  Make a time to meet with the Director.

Homeschool: will continue with what we started last week for reading and watching.  Adding SAT prep. 

[Granny_Weatherwax]

I'm moving in the right direction. With today being the final day in January, I might try to push to meet one more goal. The weather is nice today and supposed to be nearing 40, 20 degrees warmer than yesterday. I might shoot for those final 3 hours outside by talking the puppy for a long walk and playtime in the park. Since I put it 'out there' it has to happen, right?

I'm going to wait until tonight to post my final January update and goals for February (mostly because I am evaluating what I want to do for February).
 

--

I'm happy to see that, even though we might not be hitting all of our weekly or monthly goals, we are remaining positive and looking at the big picture. It is going to be fun to look back in December and see everything we've accomplished.

Go us!!

[Hannah]

January has been a mixed bag goal wise.

Making stuff.  I completed my Covid crochet project, so a good month for crafts.

Relationships. I made online coffee dates and caught up with a number of friends which was great.  I also made two weekend dates with one friend in another city whom I hadn't seen in person for over 6 months and another that came to visit at home.  

Daily walking.  Walked first thing for 31 days straight.

2l of water per day.  I didn't make 2l every day, but it is becoming more of a habit

Healthy eating.  I used the electricity outages we had as an excuse this month (it was really bad- we went nearly 3 weeks with an 8 hours on, 8 hours off schedule), but no excuses for February. Meal planning has to be done by Sunday night and no processed food in Feb.

[Granny_Weatherwax]

I am satisfied with what I accomplished in January.

14.5/15 hours outside

10/75 miles on the bike

42.13/30 km walking/hiking

6/4 CEUs

7/10 books

I didn't reach some of the goals I had set and I'll need to adjust in other months to make up for those deficits. I did, however, accomplish other things. I am in CASA training and have spent close to 25 hours in class. I painted two rooms in my house. Made 50+ valentines for elderly residents (making more this week). Spent a couple of days car shopping with my DS (lots of time spent on the road and in dealerships).

I did use the cold weather as an excuse to limit outdoor activity. Multiple consecutive days with subzero temps kept me inside with the dogs (my 15yo just cannot tolerate the  cold) hence the indoor projects.

Here is my progress toward my yearly goals:
14.5 /1000 hours Outside

10/500 miles Bike

42.13/1022 km Walking/hiking

7/52 Books

6/25 CEUs for Tennis

I have a few other goals that I am working toward and I am making good progress toward completing those. All in all, I would say January was a success.

 

[ScoutTN]

My word for the year is progress.

I did make good progress in January, though not consistently across all categories.

Met January goals in: finances, spirituality, reading, and family time.

Did not meet January goals in: health or household. 

On to February!
 

 

[Granny_Weatherwax]

Bumping for posterity

[Granny_Weatherwax]

Bumping for year end review

[Eos]

21 hours ago, Granny_Weatherwax said:

Bumping for year end review

Thank you for bumping.  Do you think you will you start a new Goal thread for 2023?  No pressure!

[Granny_Weatherwax]

2 hours ago, Eos said:

Thank you for bumping.  Do you think you will you start a new Goal thread for 2023?  No pressure!

I had been contemplating it but have decided against it. There were a couple us who pushed through (Thank you, @Eos) but not enough participation to justify continuing. A number of the people who began the year here are moving to the Well Trained Bodies thread for physical accountability. If we had a strong core group of 5 or so, it would be different. Don't you think?

[Eos]

5 hours ago, Granny_Weatherwax said:

I had been contemplating it but have decided against it. There were a couple us who pushed through (Thank you, @Eos) but not enough participation to justify continuing. A number of the people who began the year here are moving to the Well Trained Bodies thread for physical accountability. If we had a strong core group of 5 or so, it would be different. Don't you think?

Yes, I can see that.  I have dipped my toe into the WT Bodies thread and may continue there, but I've liked having mental, physical, creative, and other goals in the same thread.  Hmmmmm...

 

[Jean in Newcastle]

5 hours ago, Granny_Weatherwax said:

I had been contemplating it but have decided against it. There were a couple us who pushed through (Thank you, @Eos) but not enough participation to justify continuing. A number of the people who began the year here are moving to the Well Trained Bodies thread for physical accountability. If we had a strong core group of 5 or so, it would be different. Don't you think?

And this was the year that I was thinking of joining the goal thread! 

[Lady Florida.]

3 hours ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

And this was the year that I was thinking of joining the goal thread! 

So was I! 

[Lady Florida.]

9 hours ago, Granny_Weatherwax said:

I had been contemplating it but have decided against it. There were a couple us who pushed through (Thank you, @EosA number of the people who began the year here are moving to the Well Trained Bodies thread for physical accountability. If we had a strong core group of 5 or so, it would be different. Don't you think?

So with you, @Eos, @Jean in Newcastle, and me, we'd just need one more dedicated person? I'm joining the Well Trained Bodies threads next year but I also have goals unrelated to fitness. 

[Guest]

I’ll do it! 

[Guest]

I also have goals unrelated to fitness

[Eos]

1 hour ago, Lady Florida. said:

So with you, @Eos, @Jean in Newcastle, and me, we'd just need one more dedicated person? I'm joining the Well Trained Bodies threads next year but I also have goals unrelated to fitness. 

I'm in!  I believe @ScoutTNsaid she might want to as well?  And @Quill  Can we do a simplified version so no one person has to maintain too much structure?

Edited December 31, 2022 by Eos

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, Eos said:

I'm in!  I believe @ScoutTNsaid she might want to as well?  And @Quill  Can we do a simplified version so no one person has to maintain too much structure?

We could! 

[ScoutTN]

Yes, I am in if the thread happens.

[Granny_Weatherwax]

You have convinced me to start the threads for 2023.

Two days till go time!!

[Eos]

8 hours ago, Granny_Weatherwax said:

You have convinced me to start the threads for 2023.

Two days till go time!!

Whew!  Thank you!  Tweak in whatever way makes it easy on you, I'll be there.

I will use it as my meta-thread, and use the fitness thread as my daily for those particular goals.  I like the idea of the 23 things but like another poster there, I am able to do a lot of interesting things with and without planning.  Goals for me are different: more focused on establishing new habits, giving creative projects the focus I need to follow through on them, and saying out loud some things that I might blow off if I don't have the kind of supportive accountability I have here.  I also know this will be a big year of wondering what comes after homeschool and I'm hoping that setting down a few more healthy habits will open space for new ideas.

[EmilyGF]

I would like to join a 2023 thread, too. I've not posted in this group, but found it helpful anyways.

[2ndGenHomeschooler]

I’d post in a 2023 thread too. I may tweak some things this year though. I’m thinking of just starting with weekly goals and maybe working up to monthly, rather than setting specific goals for the whole year. 

[Granny_Weatherwax]

Invitation thread is up.

 

[ScoutTN]

On 1/3/2022 at 8:49 PM, ScoutTN said:

Decided today on some specifics:

Financial
- pay a specific amount monthly directly to mortgage principle
- return to active budgeting, not merely expense tracking

Health
- exercise 3x/week
- hike or other extended time outdoors 1x/month

Spiritual
- consistent work on memorizing/reviewing Scripture
- use Nancy Guthrie’s book as a guide for praying for my kids this year

Reading
- finish the books in my stack before buying any more books!
- complete The Literary Life challenge 

Family
-spend more time with my mom and my MIL
- plan at least one family vacation

Home
-spend 2 hrs/month on beyond maintenance cleaning or organizing 
- replace 2 worn out rugs

Well, I hit half of these.

1 of 2 financial
0 of 2  health
2 of 2 spiritual
2 of 2 reading
1 of 2 family
0 of 2 home

Considering that 2022 has been a hard year in many respects, I am ok with this list. I know now that I really need the substeps, monthly and weekly targets, and some other support to help me achieve my goals. I’ll be making my 2023 list a little differently. 2023 will be a hard year too, but I am encouraged about the possibilities.

I had some 2022 goals I cannot share here. I made progress on those. Not as much as I’d like, but real progress nonetheless. Some things are impossible to measure or quantify.