February is here. That means we’re one month done with 2021. It’s time to see where I stand with my goals, and update them.
My job has been taking up a ton of my time, and is also very tiring. It’s hard to end an eight to ten hour day and want to read or workout or edit a TikTok. I’d much rather binge New Girl and eat Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Monkey while lying on my couch. That’s why this newsletter is a day late, and that’s why I’m a week behind on my reading, two TikToks late, and I’ve still only worked out once. Something isn’t working.
Firstly, I think I should refocus my goals. From the start, there were the goals that were measurable, (i.e. “read 30 minutes a day”) and those that were more lifestyle-y (i.e. “be more like Harry Styles”). I also set 10 goals, which is a lot to keep track of. How am I supposed to, for example, “Explore more arts” if I’m unable to do the rudimentary of just posting a TikTok each week? So, for the time being, I want to focus on the goals that are measurable. I’m not removing the other goals — I can revisit them when I make progress on the basics.
Another thing I want to do is give my goals an order. Something I’ve found is that when I fall behind on one goal, and I don’t have a clear sense of priority between them, then it gets overwhelming and I end up falling behind on another and then another. That’s what happened over the past two weeks. I also want to put my “needs” first and my “wants” second. Feeling like I’m behind on reading, which is something I consider a “need”, puts me in a bad mood to do something creative I should “want” to do, like edit a TikTok, which I end up putting off. That’s a lot of explaining, but here is my new and improved (and simplified) list of goals for 2021 that I will be focusing on in February:
Publish one newsletter a week.
Read 30 minutes a day. (182 hours total)
Work out once a week.
Post 52 videos on TikTok.
Consume less, create more.
In that order. That way I know where to focus and I don’t get overwhelmed by all the things I’m late on.
I think that’s all I want to discuss this week. What I will try to come up with for next week is a loose weekly schedule I can use to plan out my goals each week. Something that can keep me on track and build healthy habits. We’ll see how that goes.
Statistics
Year progress: 8%
Newsletters posted: 5 (+1) - on target
Newsletter subscribers: 16 (thank you ❤️)
Hours read this year: 11.5 (+1.5) - 3 behind target
Workouts this year: 1 (+0)
TikToks posted in 2021: 3 (+0) - 2 behind target
TikTok followers: 102 (+0)
Hours spent on TikTok + Twitter + Instagram + dumb mobile games: 36
What I’m Reading
New:
“Fight Club” by Chuck Palahniuk. Movie is great, and got the book for $1 at a thrift store.
Still reading:
“The Best of Me” by David Sedaris.
“Start With Why” by Simon Sinek.
Please leave any book recommendations in the comments and add me on Goodreads.
Thank you reading this newsletter. If you haven’t subscribed, please consider doing so to keep me accountable for my goals.
Thank you to my friends who have been keeping me accountable as well, and who suggest ways I can better achieve my goals. I won’t let you down.
If you have any suggestions for my goals or even just to make this newsletter more entertaining, please leave a comment.
See you next Sunday (hopefully) ❤️