2020 Goals | Week 2

I’m failing at my goals already!

My goals for this past week were:

  1. Write my first journal entry & finish the generic artwork for the posts
  2. Create a personal, manageable weekly schedule to ensure I work towards my goals each week
  3. Watch first course video from Udemy
  4. First draft of writing goals (feel this may be a stretch, but will see if #2 is done well)
  5. Read before bed each night

You can read my last week’s journal post here. 

To be honest, I didn’t do ever so well this week. I’m actually slightly surprised because I thought having this minor accountability thing would help me meet my goals. Maybe I should have actually told someone I wrote this journal entry too…or told someone in real life?! I think I set the wrong goals a bit because the first was achieved as soon as the journal post went live. I think that’s a bit like writing things on your to do list that you’ve already done just so you can cross them off. I guess my weekly action is to write a journal post each week… but may be last week’s goal should have been TODAY’S post? And I planned to post each Tuesday, and since today is Thursday I’m a failure. Actually now it’s Friday. 

I failed in my goals. Sad face. 

My reflection on this past week's goals

I did kind of make a weekly schedule but I pfaffed with it so much I didn’t do so much actual work. Hopefully I will minimise this in the weeks to come. Plus my replacement mop handle arrived so I can stop pretending that that is the reason I’m not washing my floors.

I did complete some of my Udemy course, but not the one I meant when I wrote it. I’m literally doing everything wrong.

I did not even think about what my writing goals were. But I did have a ‘God moment’ I think in the car on the way back from the supermarket about a writing idea I’ve been mulling over for the past 12 months. I think I know what I can do with it. I hope to spend some time this weekend breaking it down to make it achievable.

I only read before I went to bed 3 out of the 7 nights.

I suck.

 

In order to not fall into the abyss of despair, I will list what I did that is helpful.

What I did well this week

I went back to my personal “vision” from earlier in the month and looked at my 2020 goals and wrote the actionables more clearly. I rephrased by actions to include my whys and what part of my vision they relate to. I think this will help avoid failing at my goals because I will remember what the point is.

An example action from one of my goals: 

I want to read every night. It’s easy for me to put this off because it seems inconsequential, or I can prioritise other things over it or I can forget entirely and get lost in my phone. And I love reading so I really don’t know why I’m not doing it. So, I have written this action so, ‘I will read before bed because it helps me relax, it gives me ideas for my writing, it helps me make connections with other ideas, it improves my emotional health and it reinforces my night-time routine.’ This action is one that supports each of the four areas of my personal goals (Spiritual, Writing, Organisation and Wellness). Reading generally supports my goal to improve my writing. Depending on the book, reading can support my spiritual growth goals. Reading helps my wellness and organisation goals as it provides structure to my life, gives me better sleep patterns and brings me peace in my mind. ‘Read before bed’ is truly something I don’t want to skip. 

I have also made a little chart with boxes I colour in each time I read. Silly, I know, but I just thought I’d see if a ‘sticker chart’ helps.

 

What actions have I set for myself this week?

1. I want to plan next Tuesday’s journal post so it is not late, and make sure I’m my writing is more targeted/less rambling/more purposeful 

2. I want to achieve more on my weekly schedule than I skip

3. I want to progress through my Udemy course, creating actions as I go

4. I want to create a draft of writing goals to work towards completing my manuscripts. I think I may need to also write some other writing goals to help me stay focussed, i.e. tell myself those things will get done and they are n to forgotten

5. I want to read before I go to sleep each night. Seriously, I love reading, why am I not doing this anymore?

Thanks for reading!

Love, Tifainé