It’s been quiet on the blog since the end of the year. Originally I planned to hop right back into reviews, but the holidays cascaded, then I had to work myself out of the email/task black hole at work, and before I knew it I’d unintentionally taken all of January off from blogging.
At first this made me feel bad. I had set my schedule, and each deadline I missed was a sign of failure. Then last week I realized that is my blog, and I can post as much or as little as I want. And let’s not kid ourselves, I don’t have zillions of followers waiting with bated breath for my next post.
I’ve scaled my schedule back, which feels great. It lets me savor every book I read, because I’m not rushing to review it. It’s also helped me dedicate more time to reading for book club — the stuff we’ve read recently has been involved, and I want to spend more time working through my thoughts on those selections.
This doesn’t mean I’ve been sitting my laurels. I spent January putting together my 2018 goals, and have already reached a couple.
It started with this article on performing a life audit. I had vague ideas for goals, most of them work-related, but this article kicked me into gear.
Using the article as a starting point, I did the audit then set up my goals in a way that makes sense for me. I have about 40 goals spread over 12 months. Some of them are recurring (like giving a Toastmasters speech every other month), but they’re all set up as separate goals in my Trello account. They’re organized into different categories (like Personal Development or Fitness), and they’re all assigned due dates.
(Have I mentioned that Trello is the best damn thing in the world? Oh my god I love it.)
Writing out and tracking my goals has forced me to hold myself accountable. It’s early days and I know a lot of resolution-type stuff falls by the wayside before March, but I’ve already accomplished multiple goals:
- I did an extreme clean of my iTunes music. I deleted hundreds of songs I never liked/don’t like as much as I used to. Now I’m able to carry all my music on my phone, and am listening to it more.
- I completed a 30-day yoga challenge! This is huge for me, and I’m so proud of myself. I’ve got other fitness challenges on the calendar, but for now I’m celebrating by scheduling a massage.
- I gave my third Toastmasters speech. It was the first time I felt vaguely comfortable speaking to a crowd, and I crushed it.
There’s lots more on my list, and I love seeing it all and planning how I’ll tackle each one. Here’s to kicking ass in 2018!
