There’s a reason someone invented the concept of accountability. It’s to ensure we are making progress on projects and goals.
I’ve been pretty terrible at holding myself accountable this year. I haven’t been checking in with myself on a monthly basis, which means I haven’t been making progress on a monthly basis either. With only three months left in the year, it feels like I still have a LOT to do if I want to accomplish what I set out to last January. But with a quarter of the year left, I have lots of opportunities yet to make those dreams come alive.
WRITING
Goal: Write 15 minutes every day. Surprise! I have not been doing this, which likely ties in to my status on the next few goals. But there’s no reason I can’t commit to doing this for the rest of 2017, so keyboard, here I come!
Goal: Post 30 new, self-written pieces of content on the blog. I’m currently at 10, which means I have 20 more posts to go. With 13 weeks left in the year, it’s not altogether unreasonable, especially with the long list of “posts to be written” that I currently have. But 20 is a lot, so I’m going to aim to revise this slightly, and post once a week for the rest of the year.
Goal: Guest post in two locations. Not only has this not happened, I’m not sure I entirely remember the intent behind it, and whether I had places in mind when I made this goal. While I haven’t achieved this, I’m also not to worried about making it happen.
CONTINUOUS LEARNING
Goal: Read 52 books. After reading 9 books over the last month, I’m actually on track to complete this goal! And with two week-long vacations coming up, plus the holiday break, this is one goal I’m not worried about at all. Unless that pesky Netflix gets in the way.
Goal: Complete a number of online courses. In typical me fashion, I keep signing up for things, getting halfway through the first lesson, and then forgetting I ever signed up. I’m putting a few things in my calendar this week though, so we’ll see where that added layer of accountability gets me!
Goal: Make a decision re: future education (again). This is the hardest decision to make, ever. I want too many things to choose just one program. And what if I make the wrong choice? I am planning on completing a Certificate in Media Studies through Queen’s, but that’s not the decision about a master’s program that I really need to make.
ADULTING
Goal: Make my apartment livable. This goal is still a work in progress, but I’ve made great advances. I bought a few little decorations so all my living room tables aren’t vast empty spaces. I bought a shoe rack for my closet, and who knew a shoe rack could bring so much happiness? I bought a mirror for my front hallway to cover up the electrical panel. I still need to hang a few things, but it actually looks like someone lives here now! I just need to hang those last few things before I can officially cross this goal off the list.
Goal: Be more productive. I never really figured out any measurables for this one, but I HAVE been bullet journaling (my version of) all year, so that’s a success!
Goal: Give back to the community. Reaching this goal was supposed to involve volunteering 100+ hours, for at least 3 different organizations, and donating blood three times. 100 hours is a lot of hours to forget about. I haven’t been keeping track very well, but I would estimate I may have hit 30, volunteering with both Cystic Fibrosis Canada and Skate Kingston. 70 hours in the next 3 months seems entirely unrealistic, so I’m going to aim for 20 and call it a day. I’ve donated blood twice, and went for a third time but got turned away, so there is still hope for this goal!
FUN & RECREATION
Goal: Do 20 new things.
Goal: Travel. The goal had been to go on two weekend trips, and book one major trip. I’m heading to Calgary next week for vacation, so the major trip is done! I haven’t specifically gone anywhere on a weekend trip, but I have staycationed in Kingston and rented a car to explore, and in my books, that counts. Goal accomplished!
PERSONAL PROJECTS
Goal: Bring 4 personal projects to life. I’m halfway there! Up a Notch, my goal accountability project is alive, and while I’ve admittedly dropped the ball on it a little bit, I haven’t given up! I’ve also created a tiny little community of new student affairs professionals to chat with on a monthly basis. As is the theme, I dropped the ball on that for a little while too, but it’s back, and I have every intention of ensuring it continues for the rest of the year (and beyond!). I’m still hard at work on the two remaining projects, and I have high confidence that at least one will happen this year!
WELLNESS
Goal: Become a runner. More specifically, run 250kms by year end, including three 5Ks, one 10K, and one obstacle course race. I completed an obstacle course race! (Thanks, Cannonball Crush). So far this year, I’ve run about 55 km, including one 5K race. To reach 250K, I need to run, on average, 2.22 km every day for the rest of the year. Based on my lack of running over the last four months, this seems extreme, but I’m going to go ahead and say it’s doable. I mean, it’s only three 5K runs a week, right? I’m not so sure about those remaining three races (and the time goals I was hoping to achieve), but I see some internet research in my very near future!
Goal: Strength train. Well, I bought a book that detailed a million different exercises. It was a great first step. I’m sure I can find time for step 2 before December 31st!
Goal: Adopt the habit of meal planning, and learn to cook six new meals. This goal has gone so terribly, that I think I may have only cooked six different meals in the last four months. Three have come straight from the freezer. One is hot dogs. But two new meals a month doesn’t sound too difficult, and I already know what half of them should be!
Goal: Land an axel and pass my preliminary test. Real talk. Skating goals are hard to accomplish in a calendar year, since I don’t skate for four months smack in the middle. And I don’t think I am anywhere near reaching this goal in the next three months. Let’s renegotiate and say the end of the season, okay?
At the end of the day, nothing is riding on me accomplishing any of these goals. If I fail at everything I set out to do this year, I don’t lose anything. But I don’t gain anything either. So with a quarter of the year left, it’s time to see if I can get back on track.
