I hope you’ve had a nice weekend so far. Mine has included some time in the kitchen.
I made something delicious with this
Recipe to be posted soon. Pumpkin Lovers, get ready.
Hint: Something on the order of these
I also can’t believe it’s October 1. Where has 2011 gone?
I’ve never posted monthly goals before because honestly, I don’t really set monthly “goals” in my own head. Yes, I always have things I am working on, projects and tasks I’d like to accomplish, things I’d like to do and items on my radar screen but I don’t write them out because I just keep them all upstairs in my gray matter. A very loose mental checklist of sorts.
I spent some time pondering what I want to accomplish this month and decided to share some goals for October:
1. Financial
Save money. I have a specific amount in mind and I’ll let you know if I meet it or not. I paid off my debt and have been saving money all year, but I’d like to save more before the end of the year. And no, I won’t be going too crazy with holiday gift purchases. At all. Guess I can write off Thursday Things if I want to save more, but I’d rather have zeros in my bank account than random trinkets and knickknacks that don’t amount to much. I think.
2. Exercise
Do different yoga poses than the ones I usually do; work on poses that I don’t like as much or that don’t come as easy.
I have a tendency to practice the same poses over and over at home because I have my little routine and I whip through it. I need to push myself to practice asanas that are not in my current repertoire.
3. Health
Get more sleep. At least 5.5 hours every night. Yes, I get less than this most nights.
This has been goal of mine for ages, including on my 2011 Goals & Intentions list, i.e. New Year’s Resolutions as some people call them, but I have continued to fail at it, miserably.
I’d like to work on this for my overall and longterm health. I don’t necessarily think it’s healthy to go without consistent sleep even if I can function “fine”. I’ve trained myself over the years to function on less and less sleep. I used to be a I have to have 8-9 hours girl. But life changed, a baby happened, demands come up.
I always say, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.” But I would like to sleep a little more now.
4. Cooking
Develop, photograph, and blog about two new original dessert recipes
A few of you have written this week telling me you’ve made Magic Eight Bars which was a fun recipe to tweak and develop. How could sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips, and graham crackers ever be bad though?
5. Photography
Give myself another self-assigned project and just get out there and take pictures. And not of food. People or things.
6. Blogosphere
Comment on less blogs. I know many people want to comment on more blogs and I think that’s great. It mirrors my own journey with reading one blog and commenting on it, to reading and commenting on more and more blogs until commenting has taken on a life of its own and has become a full time job. And it keeps creeping up. It’s also one thing that prevents me from getting sleep, which is when I know that I change is imperative.
For nearly the past three years, I have been what I’d like to think is a team player in the blogosphere by showing my support for fellow blogggers and commenting on at least 30 blogs per day and probably 100 different blogs per week. I have made amazing friends, and have discovered a world that I never knew existed a few years ago. But that world has grown and grown and grown.
I read probably 50 blog posts a day but don’t comment on them all. And going forward, I plan to read in stealth and comment on less. If all of a sudden you don’t see me commenting on your blog anymore, you know why. I need to pull back from this commenting “job” and reclaim precious hours of my day for work, family time, sleep, and just real.life.
I appreciate each and every comment I get, and I appreciate my all readers, including those who read in stealth. I wanted to be upfront that going forward I am going to pare way, way down on the commenting. I am just putting this out there because I have people who used to comment on my blog and then just dropped off the map and they never explained things in any kind of post and I always wondered, was it me?
With me, it’s a time management issue because I can read in stealth about 5 times faster than if I comment.
I’m still reading, just not commenting.
7. Family
Spend more time with Scott and Skylar. At least two extra hours per week of family time over what we have now. Just being together is the most important thing in my life and I want more.
8. Friends
Get together in person with a friend at least once during the month. That doesn’t sound like much, but I have said before that it gets harder and harder to make time for friends when you’re not in school, and when you have a job and a family, but I need to do this for myself to recharge my own batteries so that I can continue to give to my family and others.
A coffee meetup does wonders for the soul. Even just an hour.
Questions:
1. Do you set monthly goals? Do you write them down or keep them in your head? Do you get down on yourself if you don’t meet your goal?
As I said in the post, yes, I have things I am always working on and a little laundry list that I keep filed away upstairs. But I thought I’d write things out, share, and maybe help keep myself a bit more accountable.
If I accomplish none of these goals, sure, I may feel a little blah but I really don’t care that much, either. Practicing non-attachment is important for me.
Yes, it’s nice to have goals but if things happen that prevent those goals, dreams, ideas, or intentions from becoming a reality, then so be it.
Try again another day, another month, another time. Or don’t try. Some things just aren’t meant to be.
I don’t get discouraged or beat myself up if things don’t go according to plan. Life has ebbs and flows and not all goals are right for certain ebbs. Wait until there’s a flow, and try again if it makes sense.
2. What are your goals for the month?
Have a great weekend and don’t forget to enter the Bella Bars Giveaway
Great goals for the month! I have been commenting less and less on blogs as well. I’m still reading every single last one of them, but it’s so hard to comment on everything! It takes so much time.
I think I have a genuine mental block against the word “goal.” Any time someone says “set a goal,” my brain shuts off. “Set a goal” sounds really trite and contrived to me, for some reason. This is something I’m working on. I’m just not a GOAL ORIENTED person, in a sense, because I look for the bigger picture. Over the summer I got my RYT 200…had you asked me, even in MAY, about me doing teacher training, I may have said something like “Hmmm….someday..” I have a bucket list of things I want to do at some point in my life, but everything is much more opportunistic or gradual than fast and hard with start days and deadlines. Like I said, all that feels very contrived to me. Probably one of the reasons traditional education/traditional occupation/blah de blah hasn’t been my route.
ps…commenting? I used to write a blog and comment on dozens a day. Now I sometimes write in my blog, and only comment on yours :P
I heart you :)
the fact that Im the only blog you comment on w/ any regularity..thank you
and your ryt 200…feels like just yesterday this wasnt even on the radar screen…at all! congrats :)
I agree with you on the commenting thing. I had to cut way back when my second daughter was born. Now I try to still comment on the same blogs, but maybe every other day instead of everyday.
Get to bed, you! :) Without noticing, I have cut way back on commenting too. I still read all the same blogs, but I only comment when I really have something to say. That’s not to say if I don’t comment that I didn’t like the post, it just means I had nothing meaningful to add. Or no time to type. Sigh. Time.
I am a super stealth reader of your blog and others but I love this post so much that I just had to comment to say hi :) Enjoy your extra family time and *sleep*
My goal this month is to make working out part of my everyday routine again. Some how I have fallen out of it and I don’t feel good about it :-/
Good for you for making personal time more of a priority! It is the most important thing, really!
I like the idea of monthly goals… I always keep a running list of goals although I don’t necessarily update them at the beginning of the month. I’ve been reading about how the fall and the change in the seasons from summer to autumn is a great time to make changes in your life… seems like a good idea! It’s always interesting to hear about other people’s goals, it can be a great source of inspiration. Thanks for sharing!
In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve also cut way back on my commenting, but I do try to say hi at least every few days!
I set goals whenever the mood strikes me or as circumstances demand it. I’ve had lots in the past month. One in particular had a domino effect: I decided to get certified for group exercise classes, which reminded the fitness director of my existence and I will start training to work in the fitness center next Friday. Also, I already have a gig lined up to be a substitute for the Arthritis Strength class near the end of the month. (I’ve already been a paid observer, whee!) Plus, they had me working at the Kaiser Wellness Fair last weekend, helping to run an obstacle course.
Did I mention that less than 3 weeks ago I decided to do the 5k at the Harvest Fair Run tomorrow? I’ve only had four practice runs, but I’m hoping to beat last year’s time of 29:01.
I have noticed of course that you cut back on commenting but I also knew that you got a job and then said job ramped up. Way up. Good for you..and for running that race. I remember it from last year as if it was just last month…time flies.
What great goals Averie! I make monthly goals too, but the problem is that the majority of those goals are career related and I end up disappointed and mad at myself when I don’t reach those goals. Maybe I just need to chill out a bit :)
This month I’m working on a 30 day photography challenge that a whole bunch of other bloggers are participating in as well. You should join in! Here’s my blog post with the list: https://www.dashofeast.com/2011/10/30-day-photography-challenge/
just peeked at the challenge..cool :)
I hate when people comment just to have their names out there anyway, so I prefer real comments with meaning. If you don’t have time, that is totally understandable. We all have ups and downs in our lives! I started working outside the home recently and dang, my commenting time has been cut way back. I think we all should understand that and really support each other in whatever journey we are in at the time! Sometimes you have more time and sometimes you have less…that’s life! Enjoy your family my friend!
true friends (and also moms!) 100% get this all…thank you my friend :)
i totally appreciate where you’re coming from in this post today, averie. on so many of your points!
first: i LOVE setting goals and working towards them, daily, monthly, yearly…goals motivate me. i may not always achieve what i set out to do, but i like having those dangling carrots.
yoga: SO much easier to do the poses that come naturally and that we enjoy…but also nice to see progress – > and to do that, it’s necessary to work on those tight muscles, inflexible parts.
money, family, sleep – i hear you on all fronts.
blogs – totally get you. commenting IS time consuming. i have my list of blogs i read and less that i comment on. i really commend you for switching things up.
happy october 1st!
I appreciate each.comment.you.leave.me
on every.single.post
xoxo
I always appreciate your comments on my blog, but understand 100% where your coming from with trying to fit it all in and live more real life. As I’m trying to grow my blog and make more connections and meet people and learn from others I find commenting to be important for me. But its tough sometimes too… being out for a day or a weekend and feeling obligated to catch up and always throw your 2 cents in. Sometimes we need to give ourselves some grace and just say, its okay to back off and do less. I think its awesome that your working on more self assignments too and I can’t wait to see your pictures :)
yeah when a weekend away or even a day away from your google readers stresses you out, you know you need to re-examine your priorities (talking about myself, not you :))
Setting monthly goals is something I should definitely do and WILL do :-)
I like you am a stealth blog reader, actually this is the first time I have commented on your blog. Happy sleep to you :-) some nights I look forward to my sleep so I know how important it is!
thanks for reading AND for delurking!
hehe…when I first saw this title, I thought to myself “huh…I don’t think I’ve ever seen/read Averie mentioning setting goals for herself!” then I read and realized I was correct in my hunch :P These all sound like great ones, though. I’m making October my month to save. I say that now, but I’ve been a little too loosey-goosey with my wallet this summer, lol. (uh, okay, so I mean I’m going to try to be better about saving in general – but hopefully after a conscious effort in October it will become a bit easier from here on. there we go.)
As for reading/commenting…I have always thought of you as super woman for having such a “team player” attitude when it comes to reading and commenting! I don’t think I could do it, but know that you are very much appreciated and I know I can certainly relate to feeling the need to pare it down! I think we’ll all still love you just the same; I’m happy to hear you’ll be getting more sleep, anyways ;)
“I have always thought of you as super woman for having such a “team player” attitude when it comes to reading and commenting!” <-- thank you :)
Can’t wait to see this recipe! I think spending more time with family and friends should always be a top goal. I don’t really set monthly goals. But I’m thinking perhaps I should. There are some things I have been putting off out of fear mostly that I just need to say that I’m going to do and then do.
I am totally one of those people who used to comment all the time on your blog and have stopped – so sorry girl! I am still reading. Life is just crazy hectic right now, and I haven’t had as much time to comment.
Still love ya just as much! I admire all of your goals – good luck with them! xoxo
No explanation necessary! :)
Same here. With a slow internet connection now, it takes a lot more time to comment, but I still love ya, and stop by *almost* everyday! Lately I’ve been stopping by here more to re-print your recipes because I keep making stuff, getting rave reviews, and giving away my copy!
Thanks for LMK you’re making things and they are a hit. And for reading…no commenting explanation necessary :)