Personal: March Update of My 2022 Goals

March 31, 2022 | 1 Commentary

It’s the end of the month, which means I get to share an update of my 2022 goals.

Write with my fountain pen. Yes. I still use it daily. It’s so pretty.
Complete house projects. Sort of. Our powder room refresh is nearly complete; I’m waiting for the shipment of a delayed towel bar/toilet roll holder. Our kitchen refresh is also on hold while we wait for a delayed sink. Delays have been common since the early days of the pandemic, so I’m not surprised. We have been scheming a refresh of another bathroom, too, so that might happen in April.
Practice yoga. No. I wonder if I should take this off the list. I think I’ll change this to “stay active.”
Host people. Yes. We’ve continued with our nearly monthly music night, which brings together a great group of people and fun music. We also hosted dinner with new friends (met via Facebook marketplace if you can believe it…story for another day).
Travel. No travel in March, but something is in the works for April. Oui, oui!
Read more. Yes. I’m flying through audio books on account of my commute, which has been great. I listened to The Dutch House by Ann Patchett (read by Tom Hanks), The Vintage Caper, by Peter Mayle, and The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris. All three were good, but I really enjoyed my time with Tom Hanks! I’ve also been reading a lot for work.
Tame garbage. Reduce waste. Sort of. I’m making slight improvements, I think. It’s hard!
Floss regularly. Yes. Daily. How have I never added daily flossing into my routine before? It just makes sense. Let’s see what my dentist has to say!
Walk regularly. Yes. I feel like I’m doing okay with my walking. There’s room for improvement, and I anticipate better weather will motivate me to get outside more.
Stop procrastinating. Sort of. Some days I just need a break from my computer.
Have fun! Yes! March was a good month overall. And I hope the positive flavour continues into April, too!

Personal: Goals for 2022

January 10, 2022 | Leave a Reply

Last year, I drafted a list of goals, and I checked in monthly about my progress (or lack thereof). I liked the exercise, so I’m going to repeat it for this year.

Here’s my current list of goals for 2022 in no particular order. I may add or delete goals as the year moves on.

Write with my fountain pen. It’s so beautifully designed, and it writes so smoothly. I’m going to try to use it as my regular pen, so that my mundane notes (e.g., weekly to do lists) are prettier.
Complete house projects. I’m drafting an evolving list of house projects for 2022, so the aim is to complete them. Obviously.
Practice yoga. My back has been sore for several months now, so one of the things I’m doing to improve it (and hopefully my general health) is yoga. I’m going to stick with Yoga with Adriene for a while and see if I notice any changes in my back and general flexibility.
Host people. We love having people over, and we did a good amount of entertaining since we moved into our house, even with ever-changing restrictions. We’ll continue to do so.
Travel. I am really hoping to travel outside of Ontario in 2022.
Read more. I will aim for 1-2 books per month, I think.
Tame garbage. Reduce waste. One of the things that I noticed early on in my days of cohabitation was the increase in garbage production. Oh my goodness. There’s just so much garbage (compost, recycling, regular garbage, yard waste). I’m going to try to reduce the garbage we produce (and get the rest of the household members on board, too). I don’t yet know how I’m going to put this goal into action, but I’ll use this month to brainstorm some steps.
Floss regularly. A couple of months ago, I started to floss every day. Every day! Who flosses every day? Now, I do. I feel like this is a very responsible goal. I use disposable flossers, which is great for function, but terrible for waste (see #7).
Walk regularly. I’m not going to worry about how long and how much, but I’m just going to walk regularly.
Stop procrastinating. This goal mostly relates to when I procrastinate on marking my students’ work. Some weeks are just so slow going!
Have fun!

Personal: October Update of My 2021 Goals

November 1, 2021 | Leave a Reply

Wow. October has come and gone. That was fast! Here’s an update of my 2021 goals.

Eat more vegetables. Yes. I have been eating more salads each week, and a few veggie soups, too.
Travel. Sigh. Nope.
Save money. My budget spreadsheet is new and improved thanks to some brainstorming with a friend about Excel formulas and pivot tables (thanks JM!). Saving continues!
Pass on magazines/books/clothes/puzzles. Yes. I keep things moving around here. I have a pile of books for friends to sort through and to move into Little Libraries. I have brought yet another carload of items to the thrift store.
Crochet a blanket. Nope. Not done quite yet!
Reduce social media consumption. I feel like I have reduced consumption, but maybe it’s just my imagination.
Play games. Oh yes! Bananagrams and Saturday crosswords continue. I want to get into Backgammon in November.
Edit my magazine subscriptions. Done. I feel like I accomplished this goal several months ago. My magazine subscription list has been reduced, and anything I don’t get, I end up borrowing from the library.
Read more. Yes! I have been reading. I finished Matt Haig’s The Midnight Library. I skimmed through The Clarity Cleanse by Habib Sadeghi. I am ready to start Amor Towles The Lincoln Highway now.
Blog. Yes…I’ve been blogging three days a week!
~~Bike ride regularly~~. I’m deleting this from my goal list because it’s too cold for my liking to ride now.
Have fun! We’ve had a very fun October, including a memorable last-minute impromptu music night which brought together a great group of people – and amazing music!

Previous updates: January, February, March, April, May & June, September.

Personal: September Update of My 2021 Goals

September 15, 2021 | 2 Commentaries

Obviously, I haven’t checked in with you – or myself – about my 2021 goals. Mid-way through September seems like a good time to review them – and revise them!

Eat more vegetables. I’m keeping steady with this goal. I don’t eat salad every day, but I do eat vegetables regularly.
Travel. Sigh. Should I just remove this from my list? I did spend a week in Ottawa in August, so I guess I did make a bit of progress with this one!
Save money. Ha ha ha. Funny considering a big move in June! The good news is though that expense tracking continues! It was a useful practice for me on my own, and it continues to be useful as a couple.
Pass on magazines/books/clothes/puzzles. Yes. I have passed on so many things over the last few months. It’s been great for me and appreciated by the recipients (I think!).
Crochet a blanket. Hmm…this project was put on pause as we went through the house drama. I have just a few months to finish it before winter arrives.
Reduce social media consumption. I think I’ve reduced consumption without really thinking about it. Mostly, I think, I’ve reduced consumption because it’s been summer, and I’ve wanted to be outside with people instead of online.
Play games. Oh yes! Bananagram tournaments galore! We played with three new people over the last couple of months, so that’s been fun! And, oh yes, that good ol’ pickle ball. I played that this summer. Once.
Edit my magazine subscriptions. I’ve done well with this goal in 2021. I especially appreciate my subscription to Veranda.
Read more. Yes! I have been reading. I finished Anthony Bourdain’s A Cook’s Tour (really really really enjoyed it!) and I’m just starting Matt Haig’s The Midnight Library. I never did finish listening to Barack Obama’s A Promised Land. I’ve also read a couple academic books: Ungrading: Why Rating Students Undermines Learning edited by Susan D. Blum and Distracted: Why Students Can’t Focus and What You Can Do About It by James M. Lang.
Blog. I’ll keep this on my goal list, but I recognize that I haven’t been reaching it.
Bike ride regularly. Because of the move, I didn’t bike for much of the summer. I rode it only once in August.
~~Cross stitch~~. I’m deleting this from my goal list until I’ve made more progress with my crocheted blanket.
Have fun! In between some stressful days and weeks, I have been having fun. I had an awesome birthday party with a handful of friends in our new house, we took a road trip to Ottawa, we hosted friends here in Waterloo, I have enjoyed morning walks in the park (and recovered from the dog attack way back in June!), and I’ve baked new things (like peach torte from Ina Garten’s new cookbook which was gifted to me!). Let the fun continue!