Mid-Year New Year's Goals Review
Jul. 8th, 2021 06:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fuzzyredThis is my in-depth six month review of how my goals are going so far. Most of this will be behind a cut because it will probably be gigantic, but I figured an intro was a good idea. The goal of this post is to look at my goals and see how much progress I've made on them, which, if any, I've finished, which, if any, I need to change, and to set up a tentative plan for accomplishing my remaining goals.
Exercise: Yoga every Sunday; skipping 10 minutes 3 times a week
Doing yoga got off to a slow start, but I got into it by the end of January/beginning of February, and I think I've only missed two Sundays since then, both recently. Skipping has been a lot more hit and miss. I revised it early on to 6 minutes at a time and that seemed to work better. I don't have an exact count for this one, but I'd guess I've hit between half and two thirds of the skipping days, possibly more. I want to do this one, because I want to be fit, in shape, and a few pounds lighter, but I don't find exercising all that fun or particularly satisfying so it's easy to put it off if I'm not feeling like it. I've done better with the goal than any health related things I tried last year though, so it's still an improvement on the whole, and I do actually like the yoga quite a bit and I'm looking forward to a time when I can go back to in person classes for that.
Knit Dad's mittens
I have not done this one yet as I've had a bunch of other knitting and crocheting but I plan to work on them in the early fall so they will be done before it turns cold. If I can time it right, I might get them done before his birthday in early October.
Use at least one ball of yarn
This goal was written with the intention of using up some of my stash of wool. I used one autumn-coloured varigated ball of yarn to make myself a circular scarf, so this goal has been met. I'm also working on making a blanket for my nieces with burgundy-pink-white wool that I bought a while back so that will be an extra check mark for this one. If I have the time, I'll be trying to use up more of my stash if possible, since I keep buying pretty new things XD
Meet daily Duolingo goal
I'm doing really well with earning my 30XP a day on Duolingo, which is usually two or three lessons a day. I think I've only missed one or two days entirely, and maybe two to four days where I did some lessons but not enough to make my daily goal. Missing only three to six days out of 190 or so is not bad at all, if I do say so myself.
-Get a Golden Owl in French, Esperanto, Hawaiian, and Polish
So far I have gotten a Golden Owl (finished the course) in French, Esperanto, and Hawaiian. I don't think completing the Polish course this year is possible with what else I also want to achieve and having an actual life. Instead, I'm going to aim for getting Section 2 up to Level 5 (max level) and getting all of Section 4 to Level 1. This might still be a bit of a reach, but is a lot more doable than finishing the whole course.
-Get French to Level 5 and Hawaiian OR Esperanto to Level 5
This is going to be tough, and I'm aiming to get all of the Hawaiian course to Level 5 since it is shorter than the Hawaiian one. I'm going to have to do a lot more work than I've been doing to actually make this goal, but it is still one I want to try to achieve.
Work on Emotional Awareness, coping skills, and self-improvement
I made my plan in January, and I've managed to do at least something towards my goal each month, though I didn't do so well in June, and I haven't even looked at July's yet, but I do have an official therapist now, so there's that at least, and it does seem to be going well so far. I was really worried about getting one of the horror story quacks I've heard about but I seemed to have lucked out with mine.
Do dishes twice a week
This has been a tough one for me. Dishes are my nemesis, even worse than the skipping I think, and I will avoid them any time I can. I have actually been doing okay with this one and I don't think I've had any instances of skipping the dishes for two weeks like I did last year. I have gone a week between a few times (missing two consecutive days) but I've mostly been managing not to. It's much less overwhelming when I don't let the dishes pile up so I've been trying to stick to every Monday and Thursday. I'm thinking I might need to add a third day soon so that the dishes don't pile up as much over the weekend. I really don't like the dishes though so I'm not sure if this will work or not.
Cook one meal weekly (make a meal plan first)
I think I've only missed one week of cooking so far, although I didn't make a real meal plan, just a list of interesting dishes. All of the meals are ones I previously had the recipe for and have never cooked, so they have all counted for the cookbook challenge run byconuly. I like making my own food but cooking for one is a lot of work and means I always have a ton of leftovers. If I'm lucky I eat all the leftovers, but most weeks I end up wasting a little bit of food. I might try to modify what I'm doing so that I end up wasting less, but for now, I'm just going to keep cooking once a week and eating what I can.
Take a class -> in person or online (July check-in). Ideas: language, people, dance, art
I haven't taken a class yet because in person hasn't been available, but now is the time to try to find an online class so that I can meet this goal before the end of the year. I'm still not sure what kind of class I want to take, but I'm going to try to do research this month and see what I can find.
Post Thursdays, Comfort Corner on first, third, and fifth Sundays
I've been doing really well with posting my weekly updates; I've only missed three Thursdays, and managed to post the next day in two cases. I also haven't missed a single Comfort Corner post, though I did post one at 11:43pm on the preceding Saturday *laugh* This has been a successful goal so far. I've also noticed that I've been posting more this year than last year on top of the regular posts, so that's a bonus that I'm happy about.
Take care of garden all summer - WATER, weed more than last year, trim things
I've managed to water the garden most days, though I have had a few issues in the past week or two. I haven't really done a lot of weeding yet, so I'm falling down on this one, but it has also been super hot lately so weeding has been less than advisable. I still have at least two months left to work on this goal so I'm hoping to set up a more regular schedule of weeding very soon. I've trimmed my lilac trees and the dead bits on my mountain ash which is all I can do right now. I will need to trim the bushes soon, and the rose of charons in the fall.
My 5 goals for writing up entries and working on updates forysabetwordsmith
Well... I have not been doing very well with these ones at all. I did some work early on in the year, but haven't done much since then. I don't know how to re-work these goals to actually get stuff done, but they are still very important to me as I want to continue helping with the website. The work does eat a lot of spoons though and it's hard to find time and energy in my schedule to work on the entries. Maybe setting a very small amount to do every day? I definitely need to find a way to rework this goal but I'm at a loss of where to even start.
Ask grandma about making a quilt
I've talked to my gram a little bit about quilting and I actually got to see her make a whole quilt which was really cool. I'm not sure I'll actually be able to make one myself yet, butysabetwordsmith did give me some good starting places for building up skills I would need for quilting. I also have an offer from dialecticdreamer to answer any questions I may have, so that is really nice too. Perhaps I'll see if I can find an online or in person class related to sewing or quilt making...
Personal goals
These are goals I didn't feel comfortable sharing with the whole world but did feel like noting existed. I've been doing about 75% or better on these goals, which is much better than last year, so I'm happy with that progress.
Savings
I've been mostly making my weekly savings goal, though I did miss a few weeks, some under target, some zero dollars, because I had it set slightly too high and I didn't have enough extra to put in savings. I have also dropped the goal lower for the rest of the year to make it more achievable, and even lower for June and July while I pay insurance and property taxes. However, thanks to some recent changes at work, I may be making more money soon and may possibly be able to raise the goal again soon.
Get a bingo - bonus: get a blackout bingo
I achieved this one very early in the air. In January I believe, which was a surprise but pleasantly so. I haven't done a lot of writing lately but I'm hoping that the mood will strike me again soon.
Finish puzzle by end of January
I got this one done in time which was very nice since it had been in progress for over a year.
Finish paint by number by end of May
I also got this one done in time and it was well worth it. It turned out really well and since it was a present from two Christmases ago, I wanted to make sure I didn't let it sit for any longer.
Start new puzzle by March
I got this one done too, and it was a surprise because I started and finished the puzzle in the same day. It was only 500 pieces and had distinct designs and colours (it was a puzzle of tropical flowers) so it went together pretty quick and easy. It was still fun to do though, so it was a good one. :)
Start diamond painting in June
I started this one well before June but I haven't gotten very far on it. I'm hoping to work on it more soon, but my temperature blanket is taking up a lot of my crafting time right now.
Try to make/use plarn
I haven't done this yet but I would still like to because I have a bunch of extra plastic bags that I'm never going to use.
Donate to charity monthly
I wanted to do this one to give back to people who aren't as well off as me, but I haven't done it at all. I do give change to the homeless sometimes, and I plan on donating around the holidays. I am also going to make a list of 12-20 charities, most local if possible, before October. This will give me a ready made list for next year so I'm not hunting for ones as I go, and I can start in the waning months of this year if I so choose.
Make a temperature blanket
This one is well under way. I currently have all squares done, minus today's, and almost all of them sewn together in rows. I'm almost at the point where I'm going to try sewing the rows together, since I am almost done my fourth row. I'm pleased with how it's going so far and since the last two days will form the border, I may actually be able to have this blanket done on September 1. I for sure want to have the blanket done by the end of the first week of September at the very latest.
Read one book a month
I accomplished this goal for the first 5 months, but I missed last month. I'm not sure if it was the book I chose or the lack of time, but I just didn't feel moved to read this month. Of course, I still read as voraciously as usual online so I didn't do no reading, I just didn't manage to get a book in. I'm planning to move on to July's book and hopefully get it read on time, and perhaps come back to June's book later in the year if I feel the urge.
Go rollerblading at least once a month from May-September
I went in May, but not in June, though I am hoping to manage to go once or more in the remaining months. I enjoy rollerblading and getting outside is actually good and fun, it's just hard for me to remember to do sometimes as I get distracted by technology and my couch XD Perhaps scheduling a tentative day will make this one easier to remember, or setting a date with a friend, so that I'm not going alone.
And that's the end of my giant goal review. Overall I'm doing pretty well. I've gotten just about all the one time goals done which pleases me a lot. I'm having better than 50% success on my continuing goals which is frankly better than I expected because I kind of suck at setting new habits and sticking to them. It's turning out okay so far though, so hopefully I can keep it up for the rest of the year. I only have one or two goals that aren't working for me, so hopefully I can get those re-framed and restructured and back on track. And if you read all the way through, you get a gold star!
Exercise: Yoga every Sunday; skipping 10 minutes 3 times a week
Doing yoga got off to a slow start, but I got into it by the end of January/beginning of February, and I think I've only missed two Sundays since then, both recently. Skipping has been a lot more hit and miss. I revised it early on to 6 minutes at a time and that seemed to work better. I don't have an exact count for this one, but I'd guess I've hit between half and two thirds of the skipping days, possibly more. I want to do this one, because I want to be fit, in shape, and a few pounds lighter, but I don't find exercising all that fun or particularly satisfying so it's easy to put it off if I'm not feeling like it. I've done better with the goal than any health related things I tried last year though, so it's still an improvement on the whole, and I do actually like the yoga quite a bit and I'm looking forward to a time when I can go back to in person classes for that.
Knit Dad's mittens
I have not done this one yet as I've had a bunch of other knitting and crocheting but I plan to work on them in the early fall so they will be done before it turns cold. If I can time it right, I might get them done before his birthday in early October.
Use at least one ball of yarn
This goal was written with the intention of using up some of my stash of wool. I used one autumn-coloured varigated ball of yarn to make myself a circular scarf, so this goal has been met. I'm also working on making a blanket for my nieces with burgundy-pink-white wool that I bought a while back so that will be an extra check mark for this one. If I have the time, I'll be trying to use up more of my stash if possible, since I keep buying pretty new things XD
Meet daily Duolingo goal
I'm doing really well with earning my 30XP a day on Duolingo, which is usually two or three lessons a day. I think I've only missed one or two days entirely, and maybe two to four days where I did some lessons but not enough to make my daily goal. Missing only three to six days out of 190 or so is not bad at all, if I do say so myself.
-Get a Golden Owl in French, Esperanto, Hawaiian, and Polish
So far I have gotten a Golden Owl (finished the course) in French, Esperanto, and Hawaiian. I don't think completing the Polish course this year is possible with what else I also want to achieve and having an actual life. Instead, I'm going to aim for getting Section 2 up to Level 5 (max level) and getting all of Section 4 to Level 1. This might still be a bit of a reach, but is a lot more doable than finishing the whole course.
-Get French to Level 5 and Hawaiian OR Esperanto to Level 5
This is going to be tough, and I'm aiming to get all of the Hawaiian course to Level 5 since it is shorter than the Hawaiian one. I'm going to have to do a lot more work than I've been doing to actually make this goal, but it is still one I want to try to achieve.
Work on Emotional Awareness, coping skills, and self-improvement
I made my plan in January, and I've managed to do at least something towards my goal each month, though I didn't do so well in June, and I haven't even looked at July's yet, but I do have an official therapist now, so there's that at least, and it does seem to be going well so far. I was really worried about getting one of the horror story quacks I've heard about but I seemed to have lucked out with mine.
Do dishes twice a week
This has been a tough one for me. Dishes are my nemesis, even worse than the skipping I think, and I will avoid them any time I can. I have actually been doing okay with this one and I don't think I've had any instances of skipping the dishes for two weeks like I did last year. I have gone a week between a few times (missing two consecutive days) but I've mostly been managing not to. It's much less overwhelming when I don't let the dishes pile up so I've been trying to stick to every Monday and Thursday. I'm thinking I might need to add a third day soon so that the dishes don't pile up as much over the weekend. I really don't like the dishes though so I'm not sure if this will work or not.
Cook one meal weekly (make a meal plan first)
I think I've only missed one week of cooking so far, although I didn't make a real meal plan, just a list of interesting dishes. All of the meals are ones I previously had the recipe for and have never cooked, so they have all counted for the cookbook challenge run by
conuly. I like making my own food but cooking for one is a lot of work and means I always have a ton of leftovers. If I'm lucky I eat all the leftovers, but most weeks I end up wasting a little bit of food. I might try to modify what I'm doing so that I end up wasting less, but for now, I'm just going to keep cooking once a week and eating what I can.Take a class -> in person or online (July check-in). Ideas: language, people, dance, art
I haven't taken a class yet because in person hasn't been available, but now is the time to try to find an online class so that I can meet this goal before the end of the year. I'm still not sure what kind of class I want to take, but I'm going to try to do research this month and see what I can find.
Post Thursdays, Comfort Corner on first, third, and fifth Sundays
I've been doing really well with posting my weekly updates; I've only missed three Thursdays, and managed to post the next day in two cases. I also haven't missed a single Comfort Corner post, though I did post one at 11:43pm on the preceding Saturday *laugh* This has been a successful goal so far. I've also noticed that I've been posting more this year than last year on top of the regular posts, so that's a bonus that I'm happy about.
Take care of garden all summer - WATER, weed more than last year, trim things
I've managed to water the garden most days, though I have had a few issues in the past week or two. I haven't really done a lot of weeding yet, so I'm falling down on this one, but it has also been super hot lately so weeding has been less than advisable. I still have at least two months left to work on this goal so I'm hoping to set up a more regular schedule of weeding very soon. I've trimmed my lilac trees and the dead bits on my mountain ash which is all I can do right now. I will need to trim the bushes soon, and the rose of charons in the fall.
My 5 goals for writing up entries and working on updates for
ysabetwordsmithWell... I have not been doing very well with these ones at all. I did some work early on in the year, but haven't done much since then. I don't know how to re-work these goals to actually get stuff done, but they are still very important to me as I want to continue helping with the website. The work does eat a lot of spoons though and it's hard to find time and energy in my schedule to work on the entries. Maybe setting a very small amount to do every day? I definitely need to find a way to rework this goal but I'm at a loss of where to even start.
Ask grandma about making a quilt
I've talked to my gram a little bit about quilting and I actually got to see her make a whole quilt which was really cool. I'm not sure I'll actually be able to make one myself yet, but
ysabetwordsmith did give me some good starting places for building up skills I would need for quilting. I also have an offer from dialecticdreamer to answer any questions I may have, so that is really nice too. Perhaps I'll see if I can find an online or in person class related to sewing or quilt making...Personal goals
These are goals I didn't feel comfortable sharing with the whole world but did feel like noting existed. I've been doing about 75% or better on these goals, which is much better than last year, so I'm happy with that progress.
Savings
I've been mostly making my weekly savings goal, though I did miss a few weeks, some under target, some zero dollars, because I had it set slightly too high and I didn't have enough extra to put in savings. I have also dropped the goal lower for the rest of the year to make it more achievable, and even lower for June and July while I pay insurance and property taxes. However, thanks to some recent changes at work, I may be making more money soon and may possibly be able to raise the goal again soon.
Get a bingo - bonus: get a blackout bingo
I achieved this one very early in the air. In January I believe, which was a surprise but pleasantly so. I haven't done a lot of writing lately but I'm hoping that the mood will strike me again soon.
Finish puzzle by end of January
I got this one done in time which was very nice since it had been in progress for over a year.
Finish paint by number by end of May
I also got this one done in time and it was well worth it. It turned out really well and since it was a present from two Christmases ago, I wanted to make sure I didn't let it sit for any longer.
Start new puzzle by March
I got this one done too, and it was a surprise because I started and finished the puzzle in the same day. It was only 500 pieces and had distinct designs and colours (it was a puzzle of tropical flowers) so it went together pretty quick and easy. It was still fun to do though, so it was a good one. :)
Start diamond painting in June
I started this one well before June but I haven't gotten very far on it. I'm hoping to work on it more soon, but my temperature blanket is taking up a lot of my crafting time right now.
Try to make/use plarn
I haven't done this yet but I would still like to because I have a bunch of extra plastic bags that I'm never going to use.
Donate to charity monthly
I wanted to do this one to give back to people who aren't as well off as me, but I haven't done it at all. I do give change to the homeless sometimes, and I plan on donating around the holidays. I am also going to make a list of 12-20 charities, most local if possible, before October. This will give me a ready made list for next year so I'm not hunting for ones as I go, and I can start in the waning months of this year if I so choose.
Make a temperature blanket
This one is well under way. I currently have all squares done, minus today's, and almost all of them sewn together in rows. I'm almost at the point where I'm going to try sewing the rows together, since I am almost done my fourth row. I'm pleased with how it's going so far and since the last two days will form the border, I may actually be able to have this blanket done on September 1. I for sure want to have the blanket done by the end of the first week of September at the very latest.
Read one book a month
I accomplished this goal for the first 5 months, but I missed last month. I'm not sure if it was the book I chose or the lack of time, but I just didn't feel moved to read this month. Of course, I still read as voraciously as usual online so I didn't do no reading, I just didn't manage to get a book in. I'm planning to move on to July's book and hopefully get it read on time, and perhaps come back to June's book later in the year if I feel the urge.
Go rollerblading at least once a month from May-September
I went in May, but not in June, though I am hoping to manage to go once or more in the remaining months. I enjoy rollerblading and getting outside is actually good and fun, it's just hard for me to remember to do sometimes as I get distracted by technology and my couch XD Perhaps scheduling a tentative day will make this one easier to remember, or setting a date with a friend, so that I'm not going alone.
And that's the end of my giant goal review. Overall I'm doing pretty well. I've gotten just about all the one time goals done which pleases me a lot. I'm having better than 50% success on my continuing goals which is frankly better than I expected because I kind of suck at setting new habits and sticking to them. It's turning out okay so far though, so hopefully I can keep it up for the rest of the year. I only have one or two goals that aren't working for me, so hopefully I can get those re-framed and restructured and back on track. And if you read all the way through, you get a gold star!
