Goals - 2011 In Review
Boy, 2011 has come and gone.
How did that happen?
This year was a very strange year for us. It was very, very difficult emotionally - and we aren't really sure why other than that we were definitely doing way too much. But it was very difficult before the amount of things on our schedules exploded too.
I think for me, part of it is uncertainty. I don't do well with that. I'm a planner. And I like to know what's going to happen.
A lot of my 2011 goals ended up flying right out the window.
Here's what got done:
* I got certified as a Jazzercise instructor.
* We got the house almost all the way cleaned out (close enough that I should be able to finish it this week - which I have off.) Close enough that I'm calling that goal met!
* I met my price goal in filling Operation Christmas Child Boxes.
Here's what didn't get done:
* My dissertation (though I'm almost there!)
* Reaching my target weight (though I'm close there too!)
* The front flower beds
* The financial goals of having the garage repaired, the floors refinished, and buying a new vehicle.
* Catching up my kids' scrapbooks
We ended up rearranging things:
* We had to pay for major repairs for both cars - there went the new car fund!
* We decided to make our house fit our needs (it really didn't) rather than refinishing the floors, etc. and that meant buying new furniture and getting rid of a LOT of stuff.
* We decided to beef up our emergency fund, which we'll need in a year or two for sure when John has to quit his current day job for full-time school.
* We took our first "real" family vacation (other than camping), which is probably our last "real" family vacation for several years.
* We had some unexpected medical expenses.
* John ended up taking 4 (yes, 4) classes this fall, on top of working full time.
* My dissertation adviser's wife had a heart attack and he ended up having to take the whole fall semester off.
* Our daycare lady quit daycare (after 32 years - sniff) and I wasn't able to work this summer as we'd planned because, well, we can't leave the kids home alone! (And I really enjoyed spending the time with the kids so it was worth it!)
I learned a lot about goal setting this year and I'm changing the way I set my goals. I also learned for once and for all that a crazy-paced lifestyle does not suit us at all - and John finally agrees with me, something that hasn't happened before.
I'm breaking my 2012 goals down by category (12 categories) and listing one thing to work on per category per month. That sounds like a lot, it really isn't. Many of the categories goals overlap, so I end up with 8-10 things to get done each month - some of them are even one-offs, like baking french bread for the first time or attending a class/seminar/workshop. I'll update my side bar accordingly here, and cross things off as I go - mostly for myself.
We're really hoping that 2012 will be less stressful, less busy and more productive than 2011.
How did your 2011 go?
Care to share?
How did that happen?
This year was a very strange year for us. It was very, very difficult emotionally - and we aren't really sure why other than that we were definitely doing way too much. But it was very difficult before the amount of things on our schedules exploded too.
I think for me, part of it is uncertainty. I don't do well with that. I'm a planner. And I like to know what's going to happen.
A lot of my 2011 goals ended up flying right out the window.
Here's what got done:
* I got certified as a Jazzercise instructor.
* We got the house almost all the way cleaned out (close enough that I should be able to finish it this week - which I have off.) Close enough that I'm calling that goal met!
* I met my price goal in filling Operation Christmas Child Boxes.
Here's what didn't get done:
* My dissertation (though I'm almost there!)
* Reaching my target weight (though I'm close there too!)
* The front flower beds
* The financial goals of having the garage repaired, the floors refinished, and buying a new vehicle.
* Catching up my kids' scrapbooks
We ended up rearranging things:
* We had to pay for major repairs for both cars - there went the new car fund!
* We decided to make our house fit our needs (it really didn't) rather than refinishing the floors, etc. and that meant buying new furniture and getting rid of a LOT of stuff.
* We decided to beef up our emergency fund, which we'll need in a year or two for sure when John has to quit his current day job for full-time school.
* We took our first "real" family vacation (other than camping), which is probably our last "real" family vacation for several years.
* We had some unexpected medical expenses.
* John ended up taking 4 (yes, 4) classes this fall, on top of working full time.
* My dissertation adviser's wife had a heart attack and he ended up having to take the whole fall semester off.
* Our daycare lady quit daycare (after 32 years - sniff) and I wasn't able to work this summer as we'd planned because, well, we can't leave the kids home alone! (And I really enjoyed spending the time with the kids so it was worth it!)
I learned a lot about goal setting this year and I'm changing the way I set my goals. I also learned for once and for all that a crazy-paced lifestyle does not suit us at all - and John finally agrees with me, something that hasn't happened before.
I'm breaking my 2012 goals down by category (12 categories) and listing one thing to work on per category per month. That sounds like a lot, it really isn't. Many of the categories goals overlap, so I end up with 8-10 things to get done each month - some of them are even one-offs, like baking french bread for the first time or attending a class/seminar/workshop. I'll update my side bar accordingly here, and cross things off as I go - mostly for myself.
We're really hoping that 2012 will be less stressful, less busy and more productive than 2011.
How did your 2011 go?
Care to share?
