September 2020 Goals

[Raenia]

New months, another fresh start for goals!  Hoping it's better than last month.

Continued Goals:
1. Better sleep - maintain bedtime routine, hit lights-out target at least 28/31 days. (Last month 26/31)
2. Meditate daily - 10 min per day, target 25/31 days. (Last month 18/31)
3. Exercise - take a walk or exercise every day. Target 20/31 days. (Last month 16/31)
4. Reading - Read 4 books, at least 1 nonfiction
5. Try something difficult or new - target 3 attempts (Last month 6)
6. Show Up - Connect with people at least twice per week (Target 8)
7. Bring People Together - Host a (remote or distanced) gathering at least three times
8. Cherish/Create Traditions (Target at least 1)
9. Make Time for Fun.  Target 25/31 days. (Last month 14/31)
10. Don't Argue on Autopilot

New Goals:
11. Make Time for Projects
12. Learn a New Skill (Practice French)
13. Focus on Process, not Results

Bonus goals:
12. Declutter - find something to donate (target 4)
13. Tidy - find a home for wandering objects (target 4)

[ixtap]

I was thinking of making "Wake me when September Ends" my theme song,  but this seems like a better idea.

[LinneaH]

New months, another fresh start for goals!  Hoping it's better than last month.

Thanks Raenia!



So here goes for September. I do have a lot of same same , but as I am moving in October, there will also be som unique ones.

• Continuous goals: Keep up w/Italian, walking, keyboard writing, keeping in touch w/friends and parents, up to date w/finances at least once /week.
• Main goal: Better sleep, try to be in bed by 10pm, lights out at 10.30 pm when working the next day. Try to go to bed early and rise early also during weekends. I can be pretty sure the kids will continue to not sleep well.
• Try to not gain any weight. Will be difficult, as I eat when stressed and this will most likely also be a rough month. Starting the month at 71.0 kilos this morning.
• Yoga as many mornings as possible.
• Pack and plan for move. Create a list and action it.
• Plan for the new place. Painter, plumber etc. Furniture. Contact sellers to see if I can visit and measure the living room.
• Full day hike w/DS1 if weather is nice enough.
• Go to practice at least four times (if healthy).
• Go swimming, either on my own or practice w/teacher at least two times.
• Shape up at work. At least four pomodoros/work day. I need to get back on track.

[Rusted Rose]

As a preamble, I heard of the "depth year" concept recently and found it a super valuable idea. I know some here are familiar with it. I'm starting mine now to run through 2021, with my monthly goals supporting my reinvestment in the most meaningful processes, endeavors, people, and things that I've already chosen.

I'm open to new things and people just showing up in my life of course (and letting go of what no longer serves), but I'm making a point of curtailing the novelty-seeking startitis and "oo, shiny!" that leads to spending creep, time sinks and procrastination, and not actually accomplishing stuff.

@Raenia, I borrowed a little from you. :)

Goals:
1. Biz/Hustle -- at least 3 hours per weekday doing what my roadmap calls for at that time.
2. Weekending -- take weekends OFF from work! Listening to industry-related podcasts and books while I'm doing other stuff is OK.
3. Meditation -- 15 min per day (I use Insight Timer, free. None of the paid options).
4. Exercise -- walk or lift.
5. Skincare -- follow the schedule I already set up.
6. Show Up -- connect with people at least twice per week. Actually express gratitudes vs. just feeling them and saying nothing.
7. Financial Awareness -- track it all and don't get distracted again.
8. Tidy -- every day, set a timer for 20 minutes and put things away or clean something.
9. Dryish September -- just don't buy any wine, etc. It's OK to have a little at the rare, tiny socially distanced things with friends these days, but I seem to not be in the mood for booze overall right now. So let's just make it a thing.
10. Check in -- reread this post every day to keep myself pointed in the right direction, dammit.

Just mentioning, partly for the sake of allowing myself to be "known" (something I'm trying to be better at :P), that some good habit types are not listed here because I've already successfully put them in place. Like reading, for example: I far, far prefer nonfic and have been going through more than 100 books a year for the last few years (library audiobooks at 1.4x speed FTW!).

As a side note, I am very discriminating about the books I spend attention on, especially deeper into subject matter I'm growing more familiar with. If something proves to be a waste of my time at any point, I drop it and move on without guilt. It's not always the author's fault; it's sometimes because I'm already past the level they're teaching at. I do finish most books though, squeezing out as much learning from life as I can. <3

Thanks Raenia for starting these threads!

[TheFrenchCat]

I've never joined the monthly goals challenge before, so I'm excited to start!

1) Wake up at 6:30 on work days-I need to be up by 7:30 at the latest, but I'm hoping to create some more free time in the morning before my daughter wakes up.

2) Clear the living room floor twice a week-the toys have gotten out of control.  If I keep up with it, it shouldn't take more than 15 minutes each time.  And my daughter can help; they're her toys after all.  I'd ideally like this to be done daily, but I want to start small.

3) Read to my daughter every day.  I'm already close on this, but I'd like to be more intentional about it.   

[Rosy]

1. Savings - DONE! Actually I was able to stash an extra $1K - so there is that, small victory!

2. Decluttering
Keep the kitchen counter clear for the next 31 days. I don't know why this is so hard to do.
Sort, toss, file the paper stacks in the study - I'm making progress like a sloth.
Sort books - donate. Maybe I'll do 30 minutes a day to get this finished by the end of the month.

[diapasoun]

Joining in this month because why not!

1. Journal 3x/week (target 13)
2. Run 3x/week (target 12)
3. Do pushups 3x/week (target 12)
4. Meditate and do SoP 3x/week (target 13)
5. Finish German Friend's sweater
6. Start blanket for Halloween Baby
7. Send packages
8. Read 4 books
9. Make progress on fixing kitchen disaster space

Bonus goals:

10. Finish Halloween Baby's blanket
11. Make gift for Muse Baby
12. Actually fix kitchen disaster space
13. Fix up gift bicycle

[dadbod]

Had an unproductive month last month so rolling some over:

(1) gather information on current life insurance coverage, evaluate if appropriate
(2) bake one loaf of bread that is dark and crusty
(3) sleep in tent in living room with my child in preparation for September camping trip
(4) make baby book for (almost three year old) child

New goals:

(5) investigate whether refinancing makes sense, push process forward if so
(6) get plants in ground in backyard
(7) go camping with family
(8) speak with colleagues re potential work transition
(9) go into office 1 day / week to increase work productivity

[Need2Save]

I missed August.  Here are my September goals (heavy on work this time):

1. Clean up my home work-space area (it's getting a little out of control after 5 months)
2. Try four new recipes
3. Ship off five care-packages
4. Go camping with DH
5. Be patient with my adult children and let them fail if necessary
6. Give time for other people to respond to work emails first (resist urge to respond immediately)
7. Finish one lingering project related to backyard/deck/drainage issue in cooler weather
8. Advocate for a team member with respect to work assignments and compensation

[regenaeb]

New to this thread, so here goes:

1. Getting up earlier in the morning. My kids start back to school in 2 weeks. They have been home with me the past 6 months and we now need to get on a better schedule. I work from home (have for the past 14 years), so I don't have a set time I need to get up each day, but usually start my work day by 8:30. Lately, I find myself sleeping until almost 8am. Then on the mornings I want to run, I don't end up starting my work day until after 9am. This is a bad, bad habit for me. I always go to bed at 10pm, there is no reason for me to sleep this long. I usually do wake up at 6:30am, but I lay in bed instead of getting up and starting my day. This needs to stop. Anyway my kids will need to get up at 6:45 on school days, so it is a great time to start getting my butt out of bed at 6:30 am when I wake up.

2. Spend less challenge. I have noticed by discretionary spending going up each month. Since we cannot go anywhere to visit family or friends out of state and all my kids sports/activities have been cancelled since March, I find I am spending way to much on stupid crap I don't need. So for this month I am shooting for at least 23 no spend days, maybe more if I can do it. Hoping to take the extra money at the end of the month and make an extra student loan payment.

3. Only 3 drinking days this month. I stopped my nightly drinking habit back in June. I still have some on the weekends and especially when we go camping or have a campfire at our house. I am going to shoot for only 3 or less evenings this month. Giving up the nightly wine with dinner habit was not very hard, so I think this shouldn't be a problem either, just need to substitute flavored seltzer water or hot apple cider (non alcoholic) when sitting by the campfire.

Hoping for a good month with these goals.

[oneday]

Thanks @Raenia for starting this thread, and also for linking to it in the August thread!

September Goals:

hydration goal: 24
flossing: 16
physical therapy: 8
   upping the ante: TBD - something to do with balance & flexibility
outdoor activity: 16
sleep tracking: 31
   upping the ante: respecting bedtime: 24

clean up email inbox (starting with 406 emails) under 300
Process designated pile of papers
   upping the ante: eliminate the pile once this month
apply for jobs (4 hours)
scan photos (4 hours)
sell car (4 hours) 

Is anyone else mystified how it can be September already?

[Raenia]

Thanks @Raenia for starting this thread, and also for linking to it in the August thread!

Is anyone else mystified how it can be September already?

You're welcome!  And yes, absolutely.  I have no idea where this year went, and it's somehow nearly fall already?  I feel like I've made no progress since February, but of course that isn't true.  It's just that life is in such a holding pattern that nothing I accomplish feels like an accomplishment.

[comicguy]

September Goals: Keeping them the same as the last few months (trying to build habits!)

Continue tracking monthly expenses
Lose 8 lbs
Read 5 books
Declutter 50 items
Complete 2 more minor house projects
Keep kitchen counter clean at least 20 days
Walk minimum of 9 miles per day
Find 100 dollars in “free” money

[Raenia]

Week 1 check-in:

Continued Goals:
1. Better sleep - maintain bedtime routine, hit lights-out target at least 28/31 days. (Last month 26/31)
 - 6/6, great start
2. Meditate daily - 10 min per day, target 25/31 days. (Last month 18/31)
 - 3/6, not great start
3. Exercise - take a walk or exercise every day. Target 20/31 days. (Last month 16/31)
 - 3/6, ok
4. Reading - Read 4 books, at least 1 nonfiction
 - 3/4.  Nonfiction book is slow going, but I'm making steady progress.  Might not finish this month even so.
5. Try something difficult or new - target 3 attempts (Last month 6)
 - 2/3 - tried new cooking and canning recipes.
6. Show Up - Connect with people at least twice per week (Target 8)
 - 1/8, not a great start
7. Bring People Together - Host a (remote or distanced) gathering at least three times
 - None
8. Cherish/Create Traditions (Target at least 1)
 - Have an idea, unsure if it will be practical this year
9. Make Time for Fun.  Target 25/31 days. (Last month 14/31)
 - 0/6, not going well, I've been too tired and wanting to go straight to bed in the evenings
10. Don't Argue on Autopilot
 - 1 success

New Goals:
11. Make Time for Projects
12. Learn a New Skill (Practice French)
13. Focus on Process, not Results
 - Nixing these for the month, I want to focus on a home project instead of language learning

Bonus goals:
12. Declutter - find something to donate (target 4)
 - Not yet
13. Tidy - find a home for wandering objects (target 4)
 - Not yet

[LinneaH]

Update after a week. Blue is good progress, in line w/goal. Yellow is need to improve. Orange is bad, no progress, at risk.
(Green will be completed and red failed.)

I need to sleep and work obviously :-).

So here goes for September. I do have a lot of same same, but as I am moving in October, there will also be some unique ones.

• Continuous goals: Keep up w/Italian, walking, keyboard writing, keeping in touch w/friends and parents, up to date w/finances at least once /week.
• Main goal: Better sleep, try to be in bed by 10pm, lights out at 10.30 pm when working the next day. Try to go to bed early and rise early also during weekends. I can be pretty sure the kids will continue to not sleep well.
• Try to not gain any weight. Will be difficult, as I eat when stressed and this will most likely also be a rough month. Starting the month at 71.0 kilos this morning.
• Yoga as many mornings as possible.
• Pack and plan for move. Create a list and action it.
• Plan for the new place. Painter, plumber etc. Furniture. Contact sellers to see if I can visit and measure the living room.
• Full day hike w/DS1 if weather is nice enough.
• Go to practice at least four times (if healthy).
• Go swimming, either on my own or practice w/teacher at least two times.
• Shape up at work. At least four pomodoros/work day. I need to get back on track.

[TheFrenchCat]

Checking in for the first week.  Doing well with reading, ok with cleaning and awful with waking up.  Oh well, I'm at least getting my morning work hour in.

I've never joined the monthly goals challenge before, so I'm excited to start!

1) Wake up at 6:30 on work days-I need to be up by 7:30 at the latest, but I'm hoping to create some more free time in the morning before my daughter wakes up. 2/5, aiming for 17/22 so really need to start doing better

2) Clear the living room floor twice a week-the toys have gotten out of control.  If I keep up with it, it shouldn't take more than 15 minutes each time.  And my daughter can help; they're her toys after all.  I'd ideally like this to be done daily, but I want to start small. 1/7, aiming for 6/9

3) Read to my daughter every day.  I'm already close on this, but I'd like to be more intentional about it. 6/7 aiming for 28/31

[oneday]

5-day check in:

hydration goal: 24 4
flossing: 16 4
physical therapy: 8 1
   upping the ante: TBD - something to do with balance & flexibility need to decide
outdoor activity: 16 3
sleep tracking: 31 5
   upping the ante: respecting bedtime: 24 2 This went haywire when I tried to move bedtime up...the second time that happened. I may in the future decide to try to push through & see if I can get past the "extinction burst". But not this month.

clean up email inbox (starting with 406 emails) under 300 312
Process designated pile of papers 1 of 2 done
   upping the ante: eliminate the pile once this month 0
apply for jobs (4 hours) 0
scan photos (4 hours) 0:45
sell car (4 hours)  0:15

[diapasoun]

1. Journal 3x/week (target 13) 4/13
2. Run 3x/week (target 12) 3/12
3. Do pushups 3x/week (target 12) 1/12
4. Meditate and do SoP 3x/week (target 13) 4/13
5. Finish German Friend's sweater no progress yet
6. Start blanket for Halloween Baby no progress yet
7. Send packages no progress yet
8. Read 4 books 0/4 holy shit I chose long books for this month
9. Make progress on fixing kitchen disaster space I have ideas and now need to execute them

Bonus goals:

10. Finish Halloween Baby's blanket no progress yet
11. Make gift for Muse Baby no progress yet
12. Actually fix kitchen disaster space aforementioned ideas are had
13. Fix up gift bicycle no progress yet

[Raenia]

Week 2 check-in:

Continued Goals:
1. Better sleep - maintain bedtime routine, hit lights-out target at least 28/31 days. (Last month 26/31)
 - 10/11, good
2. Meditate daily - 10 min per day, target 25/31 days. (Last month 18/31)
 - 7/11, improved over last week
3. Exercise - take a walk or exercise every day. Target 20/31 days. (Last month 16/31)
 - 5/11, mixed
4. Reading - Read 4 books, at least 1 nonfiction
 - 4/4, steady going on nonfiction
5. Try something difficult or new - target 3 attempts (Last month 6)
 - 3/3 - did some more canning
6. Show Up - Connect with people at least twice per week (Target 8)
 - 4/8, caught up to where I should be
7. Bring People Together - Host a (remote or distanced) gathering at least three times
 - 2/3
8. Cherish/Create Traditions (Target at least 1)
 - Idea is looking impractical due to scheduling, may have to figure something else out
9. Make Time for Fun.  Target 25/31 days. (Last month 14/31)
 - 1/11, still not good.  Fun is backburnered in favor of progress
10. Don't Argue on Autopilot
 - 2 success

Bonus goals:
12. Declutter - find something to donate (target 4)
 - Not yet
13. Tidy - find a home for wandering objects (target 4)
 - Not yet

[diapasoun]

1. Journal 3x/week (target 13) 8/13
2. Run 3x/week (target 12) 6/12 -- I'm counting yoga as running when the AQI is this bad
3. Do pushups 3x/week (target 12) 4/12
4. Meditate and do SoP 3x/week (target 13) 9/13
5. Finish German Friend's sweater no progress yet
6. Start blanket for Halloween Baby no progress yet
7. Send packages no progress yet
8. Read 4 books 0/4 holy shit I chose long books for this month, though I'm still working on them
9. Make progress on fixing kitchen disaster space The tea situation is sooo much better now

Bonus goals:

10. Finish Halloween Baby's blanket no progress yet
11. Make gift for Muse Baby no progress yet
12. Actually fix kitchen disaster space I did things
13. Fix up gift bicycle no progress yet

[regenaeb]

Half way through the month. So far doing pretty good.

1. Getting up earlier in the morning. My kids start back to school in 2 weeks. They have been home with me the past 6 months and we now need to get on a better schedule. I work from home (have for the past 14 years), so I don't have a set time I need to get up each day, but usually start my work day by 8:30. Lately, I find myself sleeping until almost 8am. Then on the mornings I want to run, I don't end up starting my work day until after 9am. This is a bad, bad habit for me. I always go to bed at 10pm, there is no reason for me to sleep this long. I usually do wake up at 6:30am, but I lay in bed instead of getting up and starting my day. This needs to stop. Anyway my kids will need to get up at 6:45 on school days, so it is a great time to start getting my butt out of bed at 6:30 am when I wake up. 
Getting up at 6:45 each weekday morning for the past week. Kids start school tomorrow, so this will be even easier with a real reason to get up. Like have more time for my cool down walks on my run days with the extra time in my morning.

2. Spend less challenge. I have noticed by discretionary spending going up each month. Since we cannot go anywhere to visit family or friends out of state and all my kids sports/activities have been cancelled since March, I find I am spending way to much on stupid crap I don't need. So for this month I am shooting for at least 23 no spend days, maybe more if I can do it. Hoping to take the extra money at the end of the month and make an extra student loan payment.

4 spend days so far this month, so only have 3 left for the month, this is going to be tough, but I think I can do it. With those 4 days it was only things that I really needed, like new running sneaker for my daughter, she runs cross country and she split her sneaker on Sunday night. Since I am controlling my spending so much this month, I already have an extra $700 that I can put on my student loan, hoping this ends up being an extra $1000 by the end of the month.

3. Only 3 drinking days this month. I stopped my nightly drinking habit back in June. I still have some on the weekends and especially when we go camping or have a campfire at our house. I am going to shoot for only 3 or less evenings this month. Giving up the nightly wine with dinner habit was not very hard, so I think this shouldn't be a problem either, just need to substitute flavored seltzer water or hot apple cider (non alcoholic) when sitting by the campfire.

I have only drank 2 nights so far this month, one on the first Saturday and one on the second Saturday of the month. Probably will not drink this Saturday and save it for the last Saturday of the month.

[Need2Save]

Mid-month check in. Still need to push to get these done this month.

1. Clean up my home work-space area (it's getting a little out of control after 5 months) - Cleaned up some and recycled some papers, needs a little more attention
2. Try four new recipes - tried 1 new one so far.
3. Ship off five care-packages - shipped 2 (waiting for something to arrive for the other 3 first)
4. Go camping with DH - not yet scheduled
5. Be patient with my adult children and let them fail if necessary - doing pretty good and small failures have occurred. I guess add-on challenge is refrain from 'I told you so'
6. Give time for other people to respond to work emails first (resist urge to respond immediately) - Mixed, but an improvement!
7. Finish one lingering project related to backyard/deck/drainage issue in cooler weather - not started
8. Advocate for a team member with respect to work assignments and compensation - done. Requested higher bonus and discussed work responsibilities with my boss on her behalf.

[oneday]

Ahh! Missed the 10-day check in. But still doing OK.  Maybe weekly check ins are the new routine?

15-day check in:

hydration goal: 24 13
flossing: 16 11
physical therapy: 8 4
   upping the ante: TBD - something to do with balance & flexibility Stretching: 11 9
outdoor activity: 16 10
sleep tracking: 31 14
   upping the ante: respecting bedtime: 24 9 This went haywire when I tried to move bedtime up...the second time that happened. I may in the future decide to try to push through & see if I can get past the "extinction burst". But not this month.

clean up email inbox (starting with 406 emails) under 300 324
Process designated pile of papers 2 of 2 done
   upping the ante: eliminate the pile once this month DONE!
apply for jobs (4 hours) 0
scan photos (4 hours) 1:00
work on selling car (4 hours)  0:15 more planned for Saturday

[regenaeb]

Just made an extra $1000 payment towards my students loans because of my spend less in September goal. Which brought my student loan balance to under $10k, on a high right now. Only 7 more days left in the month.

[Raenia]

I missed my Week 3 check-in, so here's a belated one.

Continued Goals:
1. Better sleep - maintain bedtime routine, hit lights-out target at least 28/31 days. (Last month 26/31)
 - 20/22, very good, BUT to meet my goal I can't miss any more days.
2. Meditate daily - 10 min per day, target 25/31 days. (Last month 18/31)
 - 13/22, still having trouble making this habitual.  Cannot meet target.
3. Exercise - take a walk or exercise every day. Target 20/31 days. (Last month 16/31)
 - 12/22, slight improvements but I'll take it.  Will not meet target.
4. Reading - Read 4 books, at least 1 nonfiction
 - 6/4, won't finish nonfiction but I'm happy with my progress
5. Try something difficult or new - target 3 attempts (Last month 6)
 - 4/3, met target
6. Show Up - Connect with people at least twice per week (Target 8)
 - 7/8, basically on schedule
7. Bring People Together - Host a (remote or distanced) gathering at least three times
 - 3/3, met target
8. Cherish/Create Traditions (Target at least 1)
 - Sorta failed, but I established the idea for next year.  Hopefully we'll have a combination of less busy, no COVID to make it easier next time.
9. Make Time for Fun.  Target 25/31 days. (Last month 14/31)
 - 3/22, even fun takes energy and I just haven't had it to spare
10. Don't Argue on Autopilot
 - 4 success

Bonus goals:
12. Declutter - find something to donate (target 4)
 - Not yet
13. Tidy - find a home for wandering objects (target 4)
 - Not yet

Probably giving up on the bonus goals, there's too much going on right now.

[comicguy]

September Goals:

Continue tracking monthly expenses Check still going strong
Lose 8 lbs 6 not quite to goal but considering school started again this month I'll take it!
Declutter 50 items 69 Check
Read 5 books 4 Maybe I was a bit too optimistic with school starting back up
Complete 2 more minor house projects 2 Check
Keep kitchen counter clean at least 20 days 21 Check
Walk minimum of 7 miles per day Check
Find 100 dollars in “free” money $208 Check

[Rosy]

1. Savings - DONE! Actually I was able to stash an extra $1K - so there is that, small victory!

2. Decluttering
Keep the kitchen counter clear for the next 31 days. I don't know why this is so hard to do.
Sort, toss, file the paper stacks in the study - I'm making progress like a sloth.
Sort books - donate. Maybe I'll do 30 minutes a day to get this finished by the end of the month.

Fall clean-up and gardening has consumed most of my time instead of decluttering. Since I can't argue with Mother Nature I'm just rolling with it.
Still making progress like a sloth on the paper tiger - guess I'll have to carry it over into next month.

The kitchen counter would be under control, but since it is our station for making mask filter inserts and currently is used for drying herbs - it is not clutter free in the strictest sense. So - almost a win - I'll take it.

The book sorting isn't happening - FAIL so far.

[darkadams00]

In my standard approach of setting goals privately and mentioning successes publicly, I was able to complete a single-day distance PR on a Monday bike ride to my family’s vacation spot—186 miles from home to the beach! Good ride given the toll COVID has taken on my weekly mileage (very few commute rides since I’ve been WFH).

My other main goal this year is to complete a very large volunteer job before the holidays. It will likely require 12-15 hours weekly to meet, so that’s a pretty consistent effort needed to meet the deadline.

[kpd905]

[/color]Find 100 dollars in “free” money $208 Check

Hey @comicguy just wondering what exactly you mean by this.

[LinneaH]

Another update, I missed out on mid month but really want to do one now.

DS1 has had a minor surgery, it went well, but he has not been sleeping well after, affects the whole famly, but most of all me. I am tired most of the time so things are not going to be 100% this month, but that's ok. I will miss out on exercise and swimming goal, bc I'm tired but also lazy. However, I reached my walking goal way early due to the long hike w/DS1.

Also, exH is moving out on Friday, yay! Things are however chaotic here w/boxes everywhere and more or les a total mess, whci of course also affects everything. But this will soon be over.

Blue is good progress, in line w/goal. Yellow is need to improve. Orange is bad, no progress, at risk.
(Green will be completed and red failed.)

So here goes for September. I do have a lot of same same, but as I am moving in October, there will also be some unique ones.

• Continuous goals: Keep up w/Italian, walking, keyboard writing, keeping in touch w/friends and parents, up to date w/finances at least once /week.
• Main goal: Better sleep, try to be in bed by 10pm, lights out at 10.30 pm when working the next day. Try to go to bed early and rise early also during weekends. I can be pretty sure the kids will continue to not sleep well.
• Try to not gain any weight. Will be difficult, as I eat when stressed and this will most likely also be a rough month. Starting the month at 71.0 kilos this morning.
• Yoga as many mornings as possible.
• Pack and plan for move. Create a list and action it.
• Plan for the new place. Painter, plumber etc. Furniture. Contact sellers to see if I can visit and measure the living room.
• Full day hike w/DS1 if weather is nice enough.
• Go to practice at least four times (if healthy).
• Go swimming, either on my own or practice w/teacher at least two times.
• Shape up at work. At least four pomodoros/work day. I need to get back on track.

[diapasoun]

1. Journal 3x/week (target 13) 14/13 Success! I'll probably get in another journalling session before the month is out, but yay, I did it!
2. Run 3x/week (target 12) 8/12 Overall, this is three yoga sessions and 6 runs. Yoga counted when the AQI was bad. I took the past week off from running because I didn't want to overtax the body when I'd barely moved it for three of the past five weeks (thanks fires!), so I have not met this target. I'll get another run in tomorrow for 9/12, which is not shabby (as long, ofc, as the NEW fires don't push the air out of good/moderate range).
3. Do pushups 3x/week (target 12) 5/12 Pushups are a new habit that's very tied to running for me. I definitely did not do well here.
4. Meditate and do SoP 3x/week (target 13) 13/13 Boom there ya go! Hoping to get another session or two in before the end of the month, but YAY.
5. Finish German Friend's sweater Not done but I picked up the needles again at least.
6. Start blanket for Halloween Baby no progress yet
7. Send packages no progress yet
8. Read 4 books 1/4 I should not have chosen a 400 page science text and a 1000 page behemoth on mythology for this month. I DID read a very delightful YA book though.
9. Make progress on fixing kitchen disaster space Everything is looking better -- I've been finding a bunch of little places for all sorts of things

Bonus goals:

10. Finish Halloween Baby's blanket no progress yet
11. Make gift for Muse Baby no progress yet
12. Actually fix kitchen disaster space The place is looking better!!
13. Fix up gift bicycle no progress yet

[oneday]

@regenaeb Well done on the student loan balance! Must feel nice to pass from 5 figures into 4 figures.

@Raenia @LinneaH I'm sorry we are in the same boat, but also glad to have such fine company. I missed my last check in as well.

@comicguy your list is looking superb! All that green.

@Rosy way to roll with the punches!

@darkadams00 well done with the PR!

@diapasoun some really substantial successes in there, good job!


Well I was out of town last week and didn't track any of my goals. By gut feel, I did well on flossing, outdoor activity and respecting bed time. I also give myself a little credit for scanning photos, as I was able to purchase the photo scanning machine which was not available locally. Clearly, I could have done better, but I'm happy that I didn't just say f-it and ignore all my goals.

This week, I'm home and have already got my tracking sheet all set up, so I'm set up for better results.  Let's see what happens!

[regenaeb]

September wrap up:

1. Getting up earlier in the morning: This has been a success. I have gone from getting up at 8am to 6-6:45am, depending on if it is run morning for me. Found myself getting up earlier on the weekend morning as well as a result. I am still sleeping until about 7:30am on Saturdays and Sundays, but is much better than the 9:30-10am in previous months. I don't plan on getting up at a certain time on the weekends, but if you rise earlier in the week, you rise earlier on the weekends. Of course this also means I can't make it past 10:30pm on Friday and Saturday nights. That Stanley Cup playoff game on Saturday night was tough to stay up until the end.

2. Spend less challenge: This was a yes and no. I originally wanted only 7 spend days in the month and I ended up with 10. But overall that was an improvement from the last 4 months and I was able to put an extra $1000 on my student loans. When I did spend on those days I made sure it was something that was more of a need then a want. And I kept those purchases as lower value items so that helped a lot. Will work on this again next month.

3. Only 3 drinking days this month: This was a success. I only had 2 drink nights in the month. So I am happy about that. I don't need the extra calories from wine since I am trying to lose the Covid weight.

[LinneaH]

Final update, I am rather pleased with the outcome.
During the month, DS1 has had a minor surgery, it went well, but he was not sleeping well after, which affected me a lot. I was really tired most of the time so things weren't 100% this month, but that's ok.

Also, exH is moving out and the place is chaotic here w/boxes everywhere and more or les a total mess, which of course also affects everything.

Green = completed, red = failed.

• Continuous goals: Keep up w/Italian, walking, keyboard writing, keeping in touch w/friends and parents, up to date w/finances at least once /week. Happy about this, not all perfect, but good enough during these circumstances.
• Main goal: Better sleep, try to be in bed by 10pm, lights out at 10.30 pm when working the next day. Try to go to bed early and rise early also during weekends. I can be pretty sure the kids will continue to not sleep well.[/color]. As good as possible.
• Try to not gain any weight. Will be difficult, as I eat when stressed and this will most likely also be a rough month. Starting the month at 71.0 kilos this morning.[Last week of Septembers was much better and I ended at 70.6.
• Yoga as many mornings as possible.. The key here is "as possible".
• Pack and plan for move. Create a list and action it. Well, I could have done better, much better. I have been very low on energy but still...
• Plan for the new place. Painter, plumber etc. Furniture. Contact sellers to see if I can visit and measure the living room. Yes, lots of progress.
• Full day hike w/DS1 if weather is nice enough. I am especially happy about this one. We did a really long one and it was really nice.
• Go to practice at least four times (if healthy). Did two I think, lack of time and energy.
• Go swimming, either on my own or practice w/teacher at least two times. Did 0, not good. But I did take DS2 + friend to the indoor pool, which was really good.
• Shape up at work. At least four pomodoros/work day. I need to get back on track. It has been a tough month. Better the last few days, but needs to be red. Did communicate to boss, and she is ok, as she know about my situation. I hope and believe this is temporary.

[LinneaH]

And I got to start the new one!

https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/throw-down-the-gauntlet/october-2020-goals/


Onwards my friends!

[Raenia]

Final update for the month.

Continued Goals:
1. Better sleep - maintain bedtime routine, hit lights-out target at least 28/31 days. (Last month 26/31)
 - 28/30, met target!
2. Meditate daily - 10 min per day, target 25/31 days. (Last month 18/31)
 - 17/30, did not meet target
3. Exercise - take a walk or exercise every day. Target 20/31 days. (Last month 16/31)
 - 15/30, did not meet target
4. Reading - Read 4 books, at least 1 nonfiction
 - 6/4, didn't finish nonfiction but I'm happy with my progress
5. Try something difficult or new - target 3 attempts (Last month 6)
 - 5/3, met target
6. Show Up - Connect with people at least twice per week (Target 8)
 - 10/8, met target
7. Bring People Together - Host a (remote or distanced) gathering at least three times
 - 3/3, met target
8. Cherish/Create Traditions (Target at least 1)
 - Failed due to COVID, but the planning will be used next year
9. Make Time for Fun.  Target 25/31 days. (Last month 14/31)
 - 3/30, terrible
10. Don't Argue on Autopilot
 - 5 success

[Rusted Rose]

September Goals Assessment:

1. Biz/Hustle -- at least 3 hours per weekday doing what my roadmap calls for at that time.

• Umm...well yes. I started working a LOT. Pivoted a bit and I think (hope) I found my mojo.

2. Weekending -- take weekends OFF from work! Listening to industry-related podcasts and books while I'm doing other stuff is OK.

• Mostly a fail, because when I hit on ideas I really liked, I kept going. But I do sometimes take off a weekday, so I'll roll with that.

3. Meditation -- 15 min per day (I use Insight Timer, free. None of the paid options).

• Almost complete fail. I admit that I don't need this for the usual reasons, but I still could benefit from it in other ways.

4. Exercise -- walk or lift.

• Been doing OK with this. Still need to step it up a little. The horrific AQI week really put a dent in effing everything.

5. Skincare -- follow the schedule I already set up.

• I've not been as systematic as I intended.

6. Show Up -- connect with people at least twice per week. Actually express gratitudes vs. just feeling them and saying nothing.

• Doing OK with this, but could do better.

7. Financial Awareness -- track it all and don't get distracted again.

• Have not been as meticulous at tracking but hey, have been spending a bit less.

8. Tidy -- every day, set a timer for 20 minutes and put things away or clean something.

• Haven't! Hmm. Have cleaned some but tidying? Eh not really. Oops.

9. Dryish September -- just don't buy any wine, etc. It's OK to have a little at the rare, tiny socially distanced things with friends these days, but I seem to not be in the mood for booze overall right now. So let's just make it a thing.

• Well, I bought some wine twice. Definitely had less though.

10. Check in -- reread this post every day to keep myself pointed in the right direction, dammit.

• Owning up that I wasn't as good about this. But look, it's October. Fresh start time!

[oneday]

Missed so many check-ins. Somewhat out of touch with my goals this month as a result. It shows.

But, part of that was related to travel to support a close family member in a difficult situation. I am *so glad* I'm not working and didn't have to hesitate in saying yes to this. I still kept up with *some* of my goals, and I don't regret anything. I call that a win.

Final check in:

hydration goal: 24 17
flossing: 16 14
physical therapy: 8 5
   upping the ante: TBD - something to do with balance & flexibility Stretching: 11 11
outdoor activity: 16 15
sleep tracking: 31 19
   upping the ante: respecting bedtime: 24 14 This went haywire when I tried to move bedtime up...the second time that happened. I may in the future decide to try to push through & see if I can get past the "extinction burst". But not this month.

clean up email inbox (starting with 406 emails) under 300 422
Process designated pile of papers 2 of 2 done
   upping the ante: eliminate the pile once this month DONE!
apply for jobs (4 hours) 0:40
scan photos (4 hours) 1:30
work on selling car (4 hours)  0:15 more planned for Saturday

[LinneaH]

Missed so many check-ins. Somewhat out of touch with my goals this month as a result. It shows.

But, part of that was related to travel to support a close family member in a difficult situation. I am *so glad* I'm not working and didn't have to hesitate in saying yes to this. I still kept up with *some* of my goals, and I don't regret anything. I call that a win.

I call that a win too!!

Process designated pile of papers 2 of 2 done
   upping the ante: eliminate the pile once this month DONE!

And this! Good job!