I’ve been writing down monthly 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.
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RECAP OF GOALS IN September
Things that were challenging in September: running twice a week (I’ve started running at least once a week, and hope to get up to twice a week again now that the weather is SO much cooler!) , decluttering in our basement, meal planning (hubby did most of the cooking during the first two weeks of September without a meal plan), and blogging! I’m starting to get back in the swing of a blogging routine, especially after I stopped working full-time in the middle of September.
Things that went well in September: my morning routine, making our bed, keeping my gratitude journal, getting at least six hours of sleep, tracking expenses, and dates with my husband. We actually got out for dates twice this month! Woo hoo! It was our 18th wedding anniversary in September so that was one reason we made time to focus on us time.
Fall…Oh How I love thee!
As a California transplant to the East Coast. I love Fall and Spring – the moderate temperatures make it so lovely to be outside.
Fall along with the children going back to school also feels like a fresh start – a new year for me as well. I find myself dreaming and planning for the additional hours of solitude. How will I fill them in a purposeful and meaningful way?
One of the things that I’m finishing up this Fall is my very first e-book! I hope to have it completely written and laid out in October, launching in November. I can’t wait to share it with you guys! It’s a combination of things I’ve learned about habit formation and the topics I write about here on the blog. Stay tuned for more details!
September’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 September
- 10 Lessons Learned After a Year of Decluttering
- Stress Free Meal Planning for Beginners: Finding what Works for You
- Meal Planning for Beginners
TOP 3 THINGS I WAS GRATEFUL FOR IN September
- My oldest son’s smooth transition to 9th grade
- My youngest son easing into his new school, slowly but steadily.
- Consistent freelance work for my husband as I return to a part-time schedule.
Top 3 Posts and Top 3 Things I was grateful for in September #gratitude #top3 Click To Tweet
MONTHLY GOALS FOR October
SPIRITUAL GOALS:
- 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.
PERSONAL GOALS:
- Intentional movement 5 days of the week (running at least 2 of those days).
- 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.
HOUSEHOLD GOALS:
- Meal Plan dinner for the weeknights
- Maintaining the decluttered areas
- Work at least 15 minutes in the basement with hubby.
- Budget and track daily expenses using the free EveryDollar app.
WRITING & BLOGGING GOALS:
- Continue with a blogging editorial calendar for the month! The Elite Blog Academy has been super helpful in helping organize all my ideas so that my editorial calendar is a cinch to plan.
- Post at least once a week on my blog for October
- Write 500 words at least 3 times a week (daily is too much for me right now!)
- Complete my first e-book that I’m working on – more details to come!
- 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 (where we actually go out of the house together…without kids)
- One on one outings with each son.
What are some goals that you have for October?
This post shared at these lovely link ups.
Congrats on your anniversary AND actually making TWO date nights!!
Everything is going great!
An E-book? WOW!! And I knew you when! lol
Thanks so much Melinda. I have always appreciated your consistent support and enthusiasm!
oooh, I forgot to say how gorgeous that orange, and red leaf pic is!! Breathtaking!
Congrats on your anniversary – 18 years – just awesome! Also, great job on meeting many of your goals for last month and I hope you get even more accomplished in October. That book, btw, sounds like a great idea! 🙂
Thanks Kendall!
The fall is such a great time to enjoy running outside!
Good luck on your eBook. Such a fun goal…I hope it’s a success for you!
Thanks Emily – I hope you get the chance to run before winter! Although I know you’ll be enjoying walks with your new little bundle through the Fall.
Such a beautiful pictures of red leaves!
Thank you Bethany – I agree. I hope you’re enjoying the fall leaves in your area!
I find that I also have to set goals for the month or I look up and have accomplished nothing! Looking forward to your ebook.
It’s so true Shelley. I’ve found that I have to print out the goals too so I can keep it in front of me!
I have been doing a similar series on my blog – focusing on a monthly goal. It’s not as much in detail as yours is, though. You have chosen wonderful goals, Angela.
visiting from Monday Madness 🙂
Best,
Bibi
https://simplesummit.blogspot.com/
Thank you Bibi! I look forward to checking out your monthly goal. I’ve found that it really does make a difference in my ability to focus.
I love that you’re calling them intentions! For October, I’m hoping to breathe a little after finishing two intensive MBA classes. I’m also planning to get holiday-related blog posts written and scheduled.
Congratulations Abby on finishing those MBA classes. You are a busy lady!
Running is so much nicer this time of year, isn’t it? I would love to get back into that myself. I started EBA a long time ago, but never made it past the first couple of weeks. Love to see that it’s working so well for you. Thanks again for sharing at the #happynowlinkup!
These are great goals,I amsoimpressed that you are already writing abook! I am still on unit 2 of EBA, updating oldposts and blog structure. I look forward to the next recap and seeing what you accomplished! Thanks for sharing with Small Victories Sunday linkup, pinned to our Linkup board.
Congratulations on your first e-book! I can’t wait to find out more about it! I’m also glad that your son had a good transition to 9th grade…that can be hard. Thanks so much for sharing with us at Share The Wealth Sunday!
Thanks Lisa! I’ll let you know more when it’s ready!
Hi Angela, I like your approach. Just because we don’t succeed with all our goals doesn’t mean we must forgo them. Carrying them on to the next month rather than feeling like a failure , is a positive thing to do.
I also like the way you set yourself, small doable tasks. Writing and ebook doe’s sound like a scary task. but with your approach, I’m sure it won’t be long before you are a proud author with an ebook under her belt!
#HappyNowLinkUp
Thanks for your kind words and encouragement Debbie. Slow but steady is definitely the way I roll!