Well. It’s nearly March and it is not looking good for my Q1 goals list. It is also not looking good for my January goals list! That’s right — I never made one for February.
While I love my system of nested goals, there are definitely times when I end up just treading water. February started with a tough call week which was followed by a Disney trip which was followed by norovirus which was followed by a rather stressful and busy work week (and some midlife crisis-esque big feelings).
So, not shocking that I am a bit behind.
However! This week is much better and I plan to clear the decks today. Not clear the decks as in “get all the goals done!” but clear as in reassess, clean up my lists + bring them up to date, and have a more realistic and strategic set of goals for March. Also, Q1 isn’t over until mid-April this year (very late spring break!) so perhaps there is hope for some of my goals, though I have decided to abandon any organizing project entirely until we are in the new house. (While decluttering prior to moving seems logical, I am just NOT feeling inspired at all).
Some of these things happened (C’s bday party! Work bag with a zipper – though this was pure luck as one was spontaneously sent from a podcast sponsor, and it’s lovely and I’m using it!). Most of them didn’t, such as “MOVE”. Ha.
I think Todoist is a nice tool, though I will say I somehow feel more apt to ignore it than I do a paper list! I definitely do not feel inspired to use it as a daily task list – more for longer-term collections (travel planning, quintiles lists, etc).
I am really really looking forward to feeling like I have a handle on all of my goals and tasks though — so I will report back tomorrow. I will definitely be DELETING some things, too – similar to my committee-quitting I just feel like now is a good time to really look at what is a priority.
Off to run! (though see above running goal – definitely not achieving that yet. Not giving up though).
Also: world events. While noticeably absent from this post, they are on my mind. These are heavy times.
6 Comments
Well you’re doing better than me because I haven’t even made goals for the year yet! I’ve been dealing with a health issue since last year and decided my only goal will be to get this resolved while I just keep swimming in the other areas of my life. (Procedure is scheduled for next month, and, fingers crossed, once I’ve recovered I should be good!)
Sending you really good vibes for recovery and resolution!
It is certainly heavy times right now. We have struggled with freedom convoys here. I don’t live in Ottawa where it was the most intense. But there was and still is some protesters by our legislative buildings downtown. We had our border shut down for awhile too. Now I see in the news there are freedom convoys heading to Washington. I really think it is a sign of built up frustrations, uncertainty, and anger over the last couple of years. It would be nice though if we could all help each other instead of the destruction. But for right now my part is working on dealing with my own anxieties and helping my kids to process.
I have started to embrace my planner. I’ve never been a very organized planner in the past. Mostly I would do digital for appointments and paper as more of a record after than actually planning. I’m slowly getting into a routine of planning ahead and at the start of the day (5 or 10 minute review of what needs to get done). I can already see a bit better focus on my part and more progress towards my goals.
Thanks Sarah for sharing so openly your processes. And also for the great reminder that this is all a work in process. Self-kindness and compassion when life interrupts plans.
I think it is important to look at your goals and re-assess on a regular basis. That is why quarterly goals seem better than yearly ones, IMO. I am an upholder so sometimes I can lock myself into something for the safe of crossing it out even if it’s probably not something I should keep working towards. That is why I have taken the last several years off from goal-setting. I feel pretty in the weeds of parenting and feel like adding goals which means putting more pressure on myself isn’t a good idea at this stage of life. We are in different stages of parenting and I think/hope by the time my kids are a bit older I’ll feel ready to set goals again. I don’t think I would like an electronic system like todoist. I can see the benefit but I am so tactile when it comes to to do lists and planning and I would get way less satisfaction from checking something off an electronic list than I do checking it off in my paper planner!
It’s hard to wrap my mind around what is happening in Ukraine. I started to listen to the NYT Daily podcast today – I like it when they have audio messages from people on the ground describing what is happening. Geopolitical risk impacts my industry (financial services) so it something I’m reading a lot about, but the on-the-ground analysis is more impactful than anything else I’ve read or seen on tv. Especially hearing a reporter talk about how she will go to the bathroom of her hotel when/if bombing starts as that is the safest place to be. It’s also crazy to think that Putin has been in power since 2000 and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight for him. And then to think of the state-controlled media and how they are describing Ukrainians as Nazis. Anyways, this is so out of my wheel house but this has all been circulating in my mind today.
If you’re wanting to do some simple decluttering before you move try listening to Decluttering At The Speed Of Life by Dana K White if you have the time/capacity. She teaches you how to declutter a little bit at a time without making a bigger mess. You could read it too but it’s an easy, enjoyable listen. As a bonus it will very likely make you feel better about the state of your house comparative to where she started 🙂
ooh good rec – thank you!