goal update {january 2011}

in early january, i laid out goals for the month based on my goals for 2011. my plan is all about taking baby steps to tackling bigger things and was partially inspired by the concept of 3 in 30, as presented by ap freewriting 101 and the tuckers take tennessee.

my concern was tackling eight mini-goals in a month might be too much. so, let's see how i did...

{organization}
purchase and implement a system for organizing coleman's toys in our den. complete.
we are considering the addition of a toy box also, but right now, this is working well. my other small organizational project was the dresser in our bedroom.

{time management}
master using my new organizational binder and daily calendar. complete.
i have spent the month using these things daily. i absolutely adore my moleskin weekly notebook. it is truly perfect (particularly for work). though my new binder is bulky, it has been incredibly helpful to have everything together in ONE spot. i am thoroughly enjoying both pieces of my new process. i plan to post more detail on this now that i've tested it for a while.

{blog improvement}
choose a digital kit to use when re-designing the blog. complete.
i purchased a kit, at a great price. the colors are reflective of my *color crush*. as for blog content, i seem to be struggling the most with weekend posting. this is partially a good thing because it means i'm living life and enjoying my family. but i'd like to get better and scheduling posts to come out on the weekends.

{scrap studio}
re-claim the room from the havoc reaked during the holiday season. sort of complete.
i have worked on tidying up this room. a couple of times. and then it falls apart again. it's definitely in a better state than it was during the holidays, which is good. the bad thing is that i'm now planning two (back to back) parties in our house at the end of february. this room will become the "catch all" for party supplies and planning so i need a way to keep that organized and tidy!
as for scrapping...i didn't. but i did order a photobook from shutterfly of our december family photo shoot. i also ordered prints from snapfish that completes coleman's first year.

{weight loss}
this is actually going to be more of a three-fold goal. instead of just saying "lose 5 pounds" in january, i want more tangible & specific goals that will hopefully lead to weight loss. complete +.

1. do the elliptical four times
2. go on a walk four times
3. brainstorm healthier meal ideas with matt

i did a lot more in this area than i set out here. i joined weight watchers and lost 6 pounds. i did the elliptical machine exactly 4 times (though it wasn't consistent each week, as i would prefer). i nixed #2 because it's just too darned cold. and, amazingly i got on my bicycle once (for a very leisurely ride) for the first time in probably two years! i can't say that we accomplished much with #3...i am eating healthier but not doing such a great job of working with matt on that.

for more details on my weight loss adventure, check out my weekly *dieting for dummies* series: january 16 + january 23 + january 30

{faith + spirtuality}
read 4 chapters of the New Testament every weekday morning. complete.
as of today, i've read through the Book of John and i'm currently in the Book of Acts.

{financial}
put together a realistic monthly budget and review in detail with matt. complete.
this one got put off to the very end of the month. but, matt and i did finally sit down and review our february budget. we have vowed to discuss our finances more openly and consistently (instead of just letting me deal with everything). we also made a "wish list" together of bigger projects/purchases and prioritized them. as a bonus, we had our taxes done on the last day of the month. Wooohoo! nice to have that out of the way so early.

{writing}
finish reverb 10 prompts here on the blog and write four journal entries. complete + half complete.
i did complete writing based on the reverb prompts, but i actually only completed two journal entries.

reflecting on the month:
i took a long look at this list after about 3 weeks into the month. i realized that i had done a great job in most areas. so, where was i struggling??? financial, scrap studio and writing. those became my priorities for the final week of the month. it's good to know my weak spots so i can make more effort next month.

coming soon: february goals