I’ve been writing down monthly intentions or goals to help me focus in on what is important. Many of the things listed are daily habits I’m seeking to maintain or grow in. The goal is not to obtain perfection, but to make steady progress…and months when there isn’t any progress, to give myself grace and start again the next month. That is my hope for you too as you strive to implement daily/weekly/monthly habits. Here are my monthly intentions for August.
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Recap of Intentions in July
Things that went well in July:
- my morning routine continued to go well in July.
- making my bed, meal planning, and intentional movement. I’m happy to say that I think these three things have become a daily and weekly habit after months and months of setting intentions to do them. It now feels strange NOT to do them.
- writing a list of 3 things I’m grateful for every day
- I finished listening to the audiobook You Are a Bad*ss: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness, and Start Living an Awesome Life by Jen Sincero. I was really inspired by her money segment and checked out her You are a Bad*ss at Making Money. I think I have a lot of money blocks and I’m really eager to dig deeper.
- going out with friends. My friend Aimee and I went to a painting class together – it was a lot of fun! If you’re curious how my “masterpiece” turned out, you can check it out here.
- I decluttered our closet one more time.
- I posted at least once a week in July, including a guest post on my friend Rachel’s blog, Smart Mom Smart Ideas. It’s 5 Steps to Create a Kid’s Capsule Wardrobe. If you haven’t read it, click HERE.
- My audiobook is up and available for purchase! If your schedule allows for more time to listen to books rather than read them, give it a listen. The book will give you concrete steps to start making positive changes in your home environment and with your health. Go from overwhelmed to taking control. You can listen to the first part of the book HERE.
Things that were more challenging:
- writing 500 words a day
- getting the guts up to do a weekly FB Live.
- budgeting in You Need a Budget and meeting weekly with my husband. I was tracking my expenses in my planner, but not necessarily doing anything with those numbers! The weekly meetings really help because we sit down and subtract the expenses from the budget categories.
Hitting Refresh
I’m not very tech savvy, but I’ve come to know that if I’m having problems with my computer, I should shut the computer down and restart it, before I call the HELP desk at work.
My family and I just got back from a week at a cabin in a state forest nearby. It was a one room cabin with a small kitchen and very small bathroom (without a shower). There were four bunks and we brought an extra cot for our family of five.
The complaints started almost immediately (from my teens).
“We’re going to be here for 7 whole days!”
“I want to go home.”
“What day is it today? Okay, so ____ more days left.”
As the main vacation planner, it was disheartening. I chose to calmly acknowledge their frustration and then ignore the other complaints that would stumble out of their mouths.
I was encouraged though at the end of the week when the complaining teens each acknowledged that they had had a memorable time (as we were packing to leave).
Getting out of our normal routine and away from technology was a good thing. We all need to shut down and restart on a regular basis in order to function at our best. I hope you’ve had a chance to do that this summer.
July’s Top 3 List:
As part of these monthly recaps and goals, I’m sharing the top 3 posts and top 3 things I was grateful for this past month.
TOP 3 POSTS IN JULY:
- 7 Steps to Start Hand Lettering
- Stress Free Meal Planning for Beginners: Finding what Works for You
- 10 Lessons Learned After a Year of Decluttering
TOP 3 THINGS I WAS GRATEFUL FOR IN JULY:
- Going to the cabin with my family for a week.
- A house with air conditioning. I’m from California, so a total wimp when it comes to humidity.
- Diving into my money memories and starting the work of changing my money mindset
Top 3 Posts and Top 3 Things I was grateful for in July #gratitude #top3 Click To Tweet
Monthly Intentions for August:
SPIRITUAL:
- Daily bible reading from The Daily Message.
- Pray for my husband, children, and loved ones daily using the scripture God has given me.
- Take at least 3 slow, deep breaths in the morning. Silent prayer and meditation for 12 minutes.
PERSONAL:
- Going out with friends at least once a month.
- Finish reading You are a Bad*ss at Making Money by Jen Sincero and working on my money mindset.
- Intentional movement 5 days of the week (running or HIIT video at least 2 of those days).
- I’ve been running 1-1.5 miles in the morning before it gets too hot 1-2 times a week. If I don’t get out, I’m doing a HIIT or cardio video on YouTube, in the comfort of my air conditioned home on days when I don’t work. 🙂
- Be in bed by 11pm. Sleep at least 6 hours a night, with 7 hours being ideal.
- Write down 3 things I’m grateful for daily each evening and plan my top 3 things that I need to do the next day.
HOUSEHOLD:
- Meal Plan dinner for the weeknights (get FREE Meal Planning printables)
- Declutter the storage closet again.
- Work at least 15 minutes in the basement (with or without) hubby on Sunday evenings when I put in a load of laundry.
- Budget and track daily expenses with the You Need a Budget program. Meet weekly with my husband, and talk about money as well as business and home stuff for the upcoming week.
Click the image for more information!
WRITING & BLOGGING:
Elite Blog Academy (EBA) has been my main blogging course that I’ve been going through all year. It’s been instrumental in giving me direction and guidance every step of the way.
EBA only goes on sale once a year. If you’re interested in starting or refining your blog, the EBA Blog Structure Blueprint is a must have! You can download it immediately when you sign up for the wait list HERE.
- Post at least once a week on my blog for August
- Get the guts up to do a weekly FB live video on the decluttering process in the basement.
- Write 500 words at least 3 times a week
- Write one guest post for August, featuring ideas from my eBook
- Finish creating a course in Teachable for my eBook, How to Start when You Feel Stuck
- Contribute an old post on Huffington Post. I was so excited to become a contributor to Huffington Post. You can find my entries so far here.
Monthly Goals:
- Date night with hubby.
- One on one outings with each son. This should be a lot easier since it’s summer.
What are some monthly intentions that you have for August?
This post shared at these lovely link ups.
Wow I so agree about unplugging. I really need to do that this summer too. So happy your teens ended up having a great time. I would love to get away to a cabin! Also your post sharing really encourages me to yes even redo my closet this week. No joke #productreviewparty
Yes Suzie! Before the summer is over I hope you can get unplugged. You don’t need to go to a cabin to unplug though (although it’s certainly easier!)
Those are wonderful goals!
Thanks Joanne!
Great post! It’s such a good idea to get your goals down on paper; I think you’re much more likely to get stuff done that way and you’ll feel like you’ve achieved so much! X #kcacols
My biggest goal for August is to set up a workable schedule so I can maximize working time and homemaking time during the day. I’ll need to figure out what works best and then stick with it.
I would love to read more about the cabin adventure! That sounds like such a challenge, but also such a fun time.
It’s so hard when the kids aren’t in school or daycare. I know I feel like I should be spending all my time with them when they’re home, but it’s not possible (or even wanted from my children!)
a break from technology is always great, I hope your August is as eventful as your July #DreamTeam
stopping by again from #KCACOLS
I like the sound of meditation and deep breathing each day, I need to de-stress daily and learn to relax! I also wonder if I write at least 500 words a day, I think I do most days, but it would be interesting to know for sure.
That’s wonderful if you are able to write 500 words a day – good for you! The meditation and deep breathing don’t have to take long either Victoria. I hope you’ll give it a try!
Such great intentions! I LOVE that you are acknowledging the need for progress and not perfection. It’s so easy to make lists with “great” intentions but have them be almost completely unattainable. Speaking of being unplugged, we are just packing up to go to the lake and be unplugged for the rest of the week. We go every year and all very much look forward to it.
Good for you Rosanna! I hope you had a wonderful time. It’s so good for the soul (and family) to be unplugged.
I’ve been reading You Are a Bad*ss too, but haven’t finished it yet. I mainly read it when I need a pick me up.
With my daughters back in school I’ll be focusing more on my blog and content, coming up with content ideas for the holidays.
I, too will be decluttering my closet as well.
#ProductReviewParty
It’s a helpful book – with good writing prompts that help you think. Good luck on your planning for the holidays once school goes back into session – we still have 3 more weeks!
I just started reading You are a Bad A** and I’m really enjoying it! Glad to hear you found it inspiring
I found the money section the most inspiring Nicole. I’d love to hear what you think!
It is so good to have the “progress, not perfection” mindset… and continued progress really adds up over time. Interesting post.
Yes! Baby steps add up to leaps!
I appreciate this forward-focused idea of recording intentions along with the month’s happenings!
Thank you for stopping by and commenting Michele!
You’ve shared so much encouragement and inspiration in this post, Angela! Love the resources you have shared too. Pinning and sharing this post. Thank you so much for being a part of Hearth and Soul. Have a lovely weekend!
Thank you April! I appreciate it – and appreciate your lovely blog party!
Ugh. I’m so terrified of FB live! Congrats on making so much progress and best of luck on keeping it up. Thanks so much for sharing at the #happynowlinkup!
I know it’ll probably be okay once I actually start – it’s just starting that is so hard! I’m going to do it the last week of August when I come back from another trip!
I like this idea a lpt. Helps put things in order and give you something to work towards. I should do this. #kcacols
Great post ! and wonderful goals
So many great things in your list. I take my hat off to you, I doubt I would have time to remember these things let alone doing them. I am always in awe of people, like you, who make it a priority to set plans and stick to them. Here’s to a productive August! #Deamteam
Annette – it’s so nice to hear your perspective on my goals and intentions because it shows me that I have indeed made progress. Two years ago I was a person who didn’t have much discipline or regular routines or habits. I started with one thing and built up from there.
Seems like you have a very busy life. Nice that you could take a week to chill out in nature with your family. I like how you are breaking up your goals into smaller, more manageable pieces.
I am also trying to ‘declutter’, or downsize actually. I make small progress each month. 🙂
My goals for August include:
1. Finding a real job!
2. Keep working on my blog (post at least once/week)
3. get out of the house and do something fun/interesting at least once a month!
Those are great goals Jill! Good luck – excited to hear when you achieve your goals!
You have some wonderful goals here.
#KCACOLS
I think our family would benefit from a digital detox and having a week away from it all! My August goals are to schedule blog posts for September so I can work on my blog design. Thank you so much for linking up at #KCACOLS. Hope you come back again next time.
That sounds great Kerry. We try to do mini digital detox’s on Sunday on a weekly basis. It helps make it a part of our family culture.