Last year, I set some pretty specific goals. It was the first year, probably ever, where I felt like I actually completely nailed my goals. It helped that they were all things I genuinely wanted to either accomplish or commit to. My list for 2020 is slightly shorter but it’s because I loved my goals for 2019 so much that I’ll be continuing with those and carrying them into 2020 (and beyond) as well.
To recap here are my 2019 goals and how I fared throughout the year:
LANGUAGE: This goal was the most out of left field for me so I’m actually surprised that it’s something that I stuck with. And not just stuck with, but it’s become something I truly enjoy. I’ve been doing DuoLingo every morning for over a year. I let the dogs out in the backyard, start the coffee maker, and sit down at the island to go through a few lessons while the coffee brews. Most days, I spend about 10 minutes doing it and others I get amped up and do 20 or 30. I also started taking French lessons!! As much as I love the app (and I do), it’s been so helpful to sit down with a real expert.
Am I fluent? Absolutely NOT. But I’m feeling so much more confident and I am surprised at how much more I know. I now hear French phrases and conversations (in books, movies, music, etc.) and it doesn’t sound completely foreign.
CONTINUE WORKING OUT: I did BBG through 3.0. I did end up getting quite burnt out from it, but holy smokes did I get in shape!!! It remains a great foundation for the rest of my working out and I have never felt more confident in a gym. I think that’s a benefit I didn’t quite expect. When you’re going to the gym with consistency, it does start to feel a little bit more like home. I definitely used to walk in feeling unsure and even anxious and now I walk in knowing exactly what I’m going do and how to do it.
COOKING: I was good about this, though maybe not as great as I could have been. I try to cook for us at least once a week (usually Monday nights!). Having a kitchen with more counter space has made it way easier. And, naturally, the more I cook the more confident I feel.
GOING GREEN: I made three specific goals for this one. Commit to not using coffee cups. Not using plastic bags. And cut back on paper towel usage. I am happy to report that I used eight coffee cups all year (almost all by accident if I went somewhere and they forgot to put it in a mug). Previously, I would use eight in a week so I’m most proud of this. I 100% do not use plastic bags anymore for any shopping. (Having my car makes this a no-brainer as I have a handful of totes in my trunk at all times.) And, while I still use paper towels, we use about 90% fewer than we used to. Having dogs is like the one place where I haven’t been able to completely kick the habit. We have a whole drawer of dishtowels that we use instead and I got a set of these “paperless towels” that I am OBSESSED with.
READ 52 BOOKS: I wasn’t as great as I thought I would be about quitting books, but I still got through over sixty!! Will be recapping my favorites in a few days, so stay tuned.
MORE IPHONE PICS: I wrote this to kind of hold myself accountable for it… and to give myself permission. It’s so dumb (truly, I recognize it) but I was scared to post iPhone photos on my Instagram. But I think I posted at least one iPhone photo (if not more) a week in 2019. The best part? People prefer it! So I had nothing to be nervous about… expect to see even more in 2020. I don’t see likes anymore on Instagram and now I seriously don’t care. Takes the pressure off, for sure.
2020 Goals
In addition to continuing, and improving, on my 2019 goals, here is what I’d like to accomplish in 2020:
MAKE LUNCH: Previously, I was living in Hoboken where I had access to all kinds of great and easy and affordable lunch options. In the suburbs, it’s not as convenient and I found myself either snacking in lieu of eating or going to the Whole Foods salad bar (and wasting so much money…..). I want to be way, way better about making healthy lunches at home. It doesn’t have to be complicated and I find lunches way easier than making a full dinner so it shouldn’t be that hard in practice. I just have to commit to it and not succumb to laziness.
STRETCH: I love working out now (seriously if only my 25-year-old self could hear me now…). While I’m so, so much stronger than I ever have been, I’m losing a lot of my flexibility with age. I have always been pretty lucky with my flexibility– back-bending with ease and getting splits with like three days of practice. But turning 30, I’m all of a sudden feeling tight. Like, yikes, I need to work on this ASAP. The gym I go to has an amazing new stretching room and I’m just going to be tacking on a stretching session either before or after a workout depending on my schedule.
Maybe I’ll get those splits back by 2021
WRITE: I need to be way better about scheduling time to write and working that into my everyday routine. I’m going to try, for the first quarter of the year, to write for an hour every workday that’s not a shoot day. So basically, three days a week. I’m thinking this is going to be the best strategy (as I don’t have to do full hair/makeup and I’m my most focused first thing and hate having something lingering over my head)… though I’ll revisit after a quarter to see how it’s going.
SEWING: This is the one that I’m most excited about!!!!! A truly “just for fun” goal…. I want to sew. I bought a sewing machine and have been practicing. I’m going to start a list of beginner projects that I can work on on weekends.
I’ll have to do a longer post about this as I get further into it, but let me just say, I am loving it so far. My mom always had her sewing machine out, making quilts and Halloween costumes and whatnot. She taught me and I did some projects but didn’t stick with it once I hit middle school. It’s insane but I thought I’d have to relearn everything from scratch and while I’m (very) rusty, I do have some serious muscle memory.
