Simple Goal Check-In (September)

In January I wrote a post outlining the 24 #simplegoals I had selected to work towards in 2024, and I gave a longer update in June about how things were going at the half-way point. As we're entering the final quarter of the year (mind boggling!) I thought now would be a good time to check in on those and let you know where things stand. 

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

24 Simple Goals in 2024

1. Buy no new books. Two, maybe three books. Calling this a success! 
2. Read 48 books from my own shelves. DONE!
3. Use the treadmill. Walking six days a week since June 1st.
4. Put the phone down. TERRIBLE, but a work in progress.
5. Clean out and pare down. Some, but not as much as I was hoping to.
6. Save for a rainy day. Did well, had low income months, had to use it for bills.
7. Use cash for certain expenditures. Off and on.
8. Burn the candles. Two thumbs up! But...I also bought more. {Facepalm}
9. Create a repertoire of simple meals. Meh.
10. More fresh foods, less processed, sugary, high-carb stuff. Definitely working on this!
11. Avoid Amazon on bad days and late nights. Better, but room for improvement.
12. Say "yes" to something new at work. I just did, in fact!
13. Say "no" to things that don't add value. Much better at this!
14. Eat the food we already have. Working on this, but still room to improve.
15. Participate in teaching my newest driver how to drive. There's been a "pause" on that.
16. Save for a school trip in the '24/'25 school year. See "bills due, low cash months."
17. Host more meals with friends and acquaintances. There are seasons for this - yes and no.
18. Listen more. Talk less. I feel like I've improved in this area, but still room to grow.
19. Spend time with my parents. Time is fleeting. Been mindful about stopping by.
20. Give quality gifts, not quantity (next Christmas). Fewer gifts, for sure. Progress.
21. Build relationships with family. I think there have been some positive steps.
22. Write more. Shockingly, I've been faithful to write at least once-a-month on the blog!
23. Don't stress about what "might" be. I have been learning to let go faster.
24. Count my blessings. Work in progress.

Under the heading of each of these goals, I also set some sub-goals that give me baby-step achievements along the way. Something to celebrate and help with motivation. For example, when I set the goal of reading 48 books this year, I broke that down to reading at least four books a month. Obviously, there were months when I read more than that (and achieved my goal for the year sooner than expected), but setting that smaller monthly goal helped keep me on track and motivated to keep going. 

I did the same thing with using the treadmill, but I didn't figure out the sub-goals for that until the middle of the year. I had started out strong on the walking in the beginning (like most people when they set their New Year Resolutions), but then faded off after getting sick and having some calendar challenges. But in May, when I was fed up with my lack of self-discipline, I decided to set a goal for the month of June: Walk Every Day in June. About 10 days into it, after talking to a couple of my accountability partners, I decided to take Sundays off. So six days a week, I was downstairs, walking between 5-30 minutes a day. I gave myself a wide target to hit...making it easier to achieve my goal. I don't feel like walking...it's just 5 minutes. And usually, after 5 minutes, I would tell myself, "It's just 5 more, keep going." Which is how, most days, I ended up walking at least 20 minutes a day. 

In July I decided to change the target: Walk Six Days a Week, at Least 1 Mile. And I did it. In August, I decided to work on increasing my speed from a 20-minute mile, to less than 20 minutes. Didn't matter how much less, just that it was. By the end of the month I was regularly walking in the 16:50/mile range. Just by setting a smaller sub-goal to challenge myself, I was not only hitting my #simplegoals for the year, but getting a renewed sense of accomplishment each month as I checked off another goal. This month I decided I would take the first step to work my way up in mileage, by walking 1.25 miles every day, under 20 minutes. Not only is it good for my mental health, but I am noticing more stamina, less shortness of breath, and definitely better calf muscles. That's a win-win-win for simple goals!

How are you doing with your goals for the year?

Do you do a regular check-in to see how things are going?

It's not too late to set smaller goals for the remainder of the year!