On the surface, I bet 13 goals sounds a bit ambitious. A key part of setting S.M.A.R.T. goals is that they are A - Achievable; a long list of goals doesn't really seem achievable. But don't you worry! Some of my goals are to keep doing things that I am already doing, and some of them are to improve what/how I already do something. That makes the whole list a bit less intimidating, I think.
As I said last year, I like to share this goals publicly because I think it helps me be accountable. Plus it means I have to write them all down, including doing some planning on how I'm going to achieve them. You might or might not be interested in knowing my goals. You probably don't care to hear all of my lengthy thoughts. Nevertheless, without further ado, here are my 13 for '13...
Goal 1: Become a more positive, less judgmental person.Time Frame: All year long; every day; every hour, minute, and second.
Difficulty Level: ««« Moderate
Does this goal sound familiar? It was our family goal last year. My personal motto in 2012 was,
Think Positive : Be Positive
Since I completely failed at this goal last year (see my 2012 Goals Recap post), I am giving it another go. My biggest weakness is heckling other drivers when I'm in the car. You know, those "bad drivers" who cut you off or go too fast or don't put on their turn signal until the last second or go too slow or change lanes suddenly or follow too close or make an illegal left turn or start slowing down weeks before they have to turn their car or... you see what I mean? Pretty much everything every other driver does is wrong, and I'm constantly throwing out negative comments at them. I think if I can at least learn to shut my mouth and mind when I'm in the car, I will be in a much better place next year. I think it will also go a long way to helping me control and cut off the other negative and judgmental thoughts that pop up in other circumstances.
It is really wonderful that Nate is working on this goal with me. It helps a lot to have someone who checks me when I start spewing the negative stuff; nice to have a constant reminder of my goal. I think I'd also like to plaster this motto up in our house, on a wall somewhere. So I'm going to take a look around and figure out where it would be most effectively displayed (maybe even in a few places?) and come up with some diverse ways to display the motto. I will check in with you, dear readers, after I spend more time on this.
Goal 2: Study the scriptures every day for at least 15 minutes.Time Frame: All year, once a day, every day
Difficulty Level: «« Relatively Easy
The key this year is quality reading time really studying the scriptures. I had voluminous reading goals for last year (BoM, NT, and BoM again) so I felt like I had to read as many pages as I could during my 10-15 minute stretch each day. I still want to cover a lot of ground this year, but the focus is going to be on quality time. If I can't get through D&C, BoM, and NT this year but I am having educational, insightful study sessions, then I will consider it a success.
I also want to make sure I spent at least 15 minutes reading/studying (up from last year's 10-15 minutes).
Goals 3 & 4: Blog once a week. Write recipe recaps.Time Frame: All year, once a week, probably on Friday or Saturday
Difficulty Level: «« Relatively Easy
I did a great job blogging in 2012; I was very successful with my goal and I want to continue it in 2013. So the pattern will likely continue just as it has, with posts about once a week, usually written on Saturday night. I will have a couple of extra posts, and probably miss a few posts. That's okay.
I also want to expand on my blogging goal, but before I can explain how, I have to explain why: I've started to do a lot of cooking. By that I mean to say, I'm cooking dinner just about every night now. And it's not just pasta-and-sauce recipes; we're talking many layered lasagnas, tofu and veggie curries, minestrone soup, etc. Not incredibly fancy, but a solid step up from basic cooking. Thursdays are always leftover night, so six nights out of the week I'm cooking up a storm. Anywhere from 3-6 of the recipes are brand new; I'm constantly trying new things right now. It is such fun.
As I cook, I discover what works and what doesn't. Was the sauce thick enough? How was the flavor of the chicken? Could I have saved time on the process? I do my best to make notes on the recipes themselves. But I thought it would be nice to share these successes and failures more broadly. Most of us are generally on the lookout for great recipes, things that can become staples in the meal rotation, right? And what is more helpful than a tested recipe from a good friend with some detailed notes? So I'd like to start sharing my menu list and feedback as part of the weekly blog post. Maybe it won't be a very detailed post, but at the least I'd like to share a list of what we cooked, links to the recipe, and quick notes. It's going to take up some time, but I believe I can work it in.
Goal 5: Turn my 2012 blog posts into a book
Time Frame: Sometime this year, whenever I have time (pref by July 1)Difficulty Level: ««« Moderate
I'm sure I'm stealing this idea from one of my SIL's sisters, but I can't remember who. Thanks to whichever Arnold gave me the idea!
There are many websites that allow you to create and publish your own book, such as Blurb and Lulu. (Or Blog2Print -- I need to look into this option.) Even Costco has some kind of service, although I haven't looked into it. Personally, I've used Blurb a few times and it is reasonably easy to work with. If memory serves, it can even "ping" my blog and pull in all of the posts on its own! Then I just have to do a painful amount of formatting to get it set up and add a zillion pictures (all those ones I took last year, the ones which probably only I have ever seen and are now just hanging out on my computer).
This could get done any time this year, and it will be a gradual process. But ideally I'd like to get it done before the summer, when yard work and gardening will require a lot of attention. I would also prefer to keep the final cost under $25. (I haven't checked printing fees in awhile so I don't know if that's still reasonable; sometimes there's a sale or coupon and I can get a good deal.)
Goal 6: Continue biking to workTime Frame: All year, every week, 2-3 days a week
Difficulty Level: « Easy
I'm a big fan of exercise, but I'm not very good about it on my own. I don't like to run or to swim, and don't have any physical hobbies or do any sports like soccer or skiing or tennis. The one exception is bicycling -- I love to cycle! I can't quite put it into words, but there's something about the fresh air in my lungs, the freedom to ride where I please, the sense of fulfillment from propelling myself along... these things bring me joy.
Driving myself to work is a silly, unnecessary expense and it rarely happens. (Maybe once a month, if I have a meeting or need to pick something up.) All of the parking options are expensive, and who wants to burn cash just to have a car sitting around all day just for a short home-office-home trip? Plus, it's important to get some exercise in a few times a week. So why not save some money and use my commute time to get in my exercise? Yes, it takes longer to get to and from work on the bike, but I don't have to find other time to exercise. Biking is a win-win.
Is it always easy? Heck no. There are plenty of challenges, like cold weather, rain, the physical exertion necessary to tow a kid-carrying trailer. Sometimes I step outside and I don't want to put in all the effort it takes to bike. But by the time I get to the end of my trip, I always feel pleased and satisfied with my efforts. It is very rewarding.
All of that is a lot of words to just say: I like biking, it's how I get to work; I'm going to keep it up this year. There will be challenges, but I'm confident that I will face them and overcome.
Goal: Better night routine, specifically...7. Dessert after dinner, not after 8pm
8. Technology off at 9pm; lights out by 9:30
9. Blitz journal (daily recap) every day
Time Frame: All year, 365 days, every night, no exceptions
Difficulty Level: « Easy
I'm pretty good about getting to bed at a decent hour. This wasn't always the case, but now that I have a daughter who pretty much insists on getting up before 6am every single day of my life, it's a requirement. I'm a person who needs sleep. A full night of sleep. Preferably extra sleep. If it doesn't happen, I turn into a crazy beastly version of myself, fully grumpy, very emotional, and impossible to please. A real monster. I don't mean to be this way, it's just something about the way my hormones do (or don't) regulate correctly relative to my levels of sleep. In addition to my mood, it also affects my eating habits and my skin, and my overall productivity levels.
So really, for my sake and everyone around me, I need to get enough sleep. Abs as long as my kid chooses to wake up early, this means notching up my efforts, improving the habits I established last year.
Ideally, I would like a night routine that looks something like this: Technology off at 9pm and get ready for bed (jammies, wash face, etc.). Read scriptures with Nate at about 9:15, then do a "blitz" journal writing (five minutes). Pray. Lights out by 9:30.
Because I want to get more sleep, I really want to say lights out at 9:15. But I just don't think that's possible. So I'll start here with these goals, improving upon last year by really truly turning off the technology by 9pm, and then also adding a quick journal session and consistently reading with Nate. Totally do-able.
Goals 10 and 11: Grow a Garden, Do Some CanningTime Frame: A few Saturdays in the summer and fall
Difficulty Level: ««« Moderate
My mother in law is BIG on canning. Last summer she even built a whole special "canning kitchen" just to enjoy her craft. I think that's spectacular, but it's very intimidating. I'm not planning to put up 100 gallons of juice or hundreds of jars of food each season, not now or ever. Plus there's the whole food safety factor. In doing some canning research last summer one of the blogs I read said this: "Botulism will kill you and it will kill your whole family." Yowza. That's almost enough to scare you away from canning for life!
Thankfully, tomatoes are fairly resistant to botulism because of their acidity. They are also a food that I use in abundance -- paste, sauce, diced and stewed -- and they are fairly easy to grow where we live. So if I get some starts in the greenhouse early, get the plants to grow healthy and strong, and gather up right tools, I think I reasonably expect to do a little bit of canning. This is a Saturday activity because it requires time and attention, so I will set aside at least two Saturdays in the summer-fall season to do canning. I want to try my hand at canning at least one Saturday each month, but even that might be too much. I'll just promise two for now, but do more if time allows.
Right now, in preparation for the canning season, I'm gathering supplies. I have a jar lifter and some jars. I will buy a set of jars each month to build up my supply. I also need to get a water bath. I will need to find and study recipes for the different types of tomatoes (sauce and diced, especially).
Goal 12: Do Some Creative WritingTime Frame: This year...?
Difficulty Level: «««« Hard
I originally set this goal as to both write and self-publish something by the end of the year. Now that I've had time to think about it, I'm reaching beyond my grasp. My writing skills are rusty. My focus for now should be dusting them off and getting back into the groove. Publishing creates its own list of challenges and headaches, so I dropped that component.
I need to work out the details on this goal; I haven't finished formulating my idea. I think I want to work on a new project this year, write a new story. I want to get some writing time in every week, and I think setting a word-count goal will help. I want to set a reasonable goal for myself and I don't know what that looks like yet, so a bit more time and thought will go into this. I will report back later, ideally by February.
Goals 13: (Break a bad habit)
Time Frame: All year, without fail
Difficulty Level: ««««« Very Hard
Sorry to be vague, but this is one of those things I'm not going to explain in detail. We all have bad habits, some worse or more embarrassing than others, and we don't always like to talk about our shortcomings. Suffice it to say that I have just such a habit and I'm determined to overcome in 2013!
For all of these goals, I will check in here on the blog in this delightful public forum at least once a quarter. But I will also check in, especially to post successes, as things happen. I already owe you more detailed plans displaying our family motto and for doing my creative writing. And I need to develop a plan for canning.
Now, I won't subject you to all of the lengthy analysis and explanation, but here in brief summary is the list of goals Nate and I made as a family for 2013:
1. Speak and think more positively; avoid negativity. (Family motto, Think Positive : Be Positive)
2. Hold Family Home Evening (FHE) once a week, on Monday night (we already do this and have been doing it for ages; so really the goal is just to keep it up!)
3. Attend the temple at least once per quarter (four times this year)
4. Finish the electrical work in the basement (primarily my responsibility)
5. Finish the upstairs bathroom (primarily Nate's responsibility)
6. Add insulation in the attic
There are a lot of other things Nate and I hope and plan to accomplish this year, but we decided not to make them our goals. We'll just put them on a to-do list and see how it goes. These include getting the roof and chimney repaired (that's a priority right now), finishing our entryway, building a new "pantry shelf" in the kitchen, hanging some drywall in the basement, several small landscaping projects, expanding our garden area and growing lots of food, and finishing the chicken coop (painting it). We might or might not also replace some windows this year, depending on our financial situation. Lucky you, I'll share all of these projects as they get underway and/or finished.
For now, I think that's quite enough from me!
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