Well, accountability clearly is a motivator for me, because I had an amazing and productive weekend. I mean, I certainly did not want to report out zero progress, so thanks to those of you that read here!
Update for January, abbreviated Week Four (Fri-Sun)
Daily Goals
- Exercise (Run, walk, hike, bicycle, kayak, do yoga, or lift weights) Walked 12 miles in total, 6 on Saturday and 6 on Sunday. Skipped Friday because I ran lots of errands, however, I could have/should have gotten my workout in before I left the house. Will work to do better on busy days.
- Practice guitar Achieved all three days.
- Practice 15 min Spanish Achieved all three days. I'm using Duolingo, the free online version, and it's fun. As a result I actually did 30 minutes of practice each day, so yeah me. 😊
- Limit processed sugar intake to Sat & Sun only I had four Oreo cookies one day, and zero sugar the other. Life for me is so much better when I avoid processed sugar, so I may revise this to one night a week only going forward.
- Consume eight cups of water I consumed 2 cups on Friday, 6 on Saturday, and 5 on Sunday. I am thrilled with my progress, and to my surprise, consuming water has lessened my tendency to snack in the afternoon, and then again after dinner. Plus, I did not have any energy dips throughout the day.
- Complete a unique household chore I actually did four, one more than I needed to, because knowing I'd be reporting out here actually incentived me to keep going.
- Dust off shelves in curio cabinet
- Clean hanging lights over kitchen island
- Rehang one of the six prints displayed over our family room sofa, which has been off by about 1/4" since they were first hung last year
- Move the recessed light above my bathroom sink in our bedroom to the right about 1/8" to completely cover the opening.
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| Dust free! This cabinet is filled with mementos from our travels, so it was actually a fairly pleasant task. Lots of memories as I worked my way down each shelf. |
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| Feels good to know both hanging lights are now clean. Actually found a little bit of splattered smoothie up inside one of them, which was a bit of a surprise. I guess my blender is more powerful than I'd realized!
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- Read and finish one book Yes! I finished White Fragility: Why It's So Hard For White People To Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo. This book, which I highly recommend if you are a white person seeking to understand the subtle racism most of us don't even know we carry around, was thought provoking to say the least. After completing the book, which I borrowed for free from our library, I am left with the knowledge that while I may not be able to step away from much of my subconscious racism, I can be open to receiving feedback when it does manifest itself, in order to do better.
- Weight loss check in (goal is to lose 20 pounds this year). Yes! My scale shows I lost 1.5 lbs over the weekend, the likely result of 12 miles of walking and good food choices due to limiting my intake of processed sugar. So, 1.5 lbs lost, 18.5 lbs to go.
- Menu plan and grocery shop, including at least one new recipe Yes! Here was my menu for the week, with the new recipe's in bold, and links to recipes as I'm able to find them online:
- Sheet-Pan Pork Meatballs with Onions & Artichoke Hearts This was delicious! I served it over a bed of brown rice mixed with lots of marinated fresh kale.
- Above leftovers
- Pollo Asado (I buy the pre-marinated package from Aldi's), grilled onions and bell peppers, green salad.
- Above leftovers
- Huevos Rancheros with tortillas (From Cook's Country One Pan Wonders cookbook), green salad. Also delicious!
- Above leftovers
- Takeout Pizza
- One game night in lieu of TV Planned for tonight, and each Monday going forward.
- One reading night in lieu of TV Planned for this Wednesday night, and each Wednesday night going forward. To be honest, it took a little effort to get back in the swing of reading after the stress of the Presidential election and subsequent efforts to have the results overturned, but now that that is behind us, and because I've now made it a goal on my blog here (i.e., public), I'm finding myself sliding right back into the groove, I have a pile of books (both paper and electronic) that I'm anxious to read, and I'm much looking forward to a night dedicated to cozily doing so.
Monthly Goal
- January Goal: Home New this week: With the onset of shorter and colder days, we've gotten in the questionable habit of eating our dinner on trays in front of the TV. My husband and I chatted about this, and agreed that unless we are having a specifically designated movie night at home, we'll return to eating dinner in our dining room. Our very pretty dining room I should add, so it's not like this is a punishment. Plus, increasingly we are finding more COVID-conscious individual activities, meaning we have more fun things to share with each other at the end of the day than when the pandemic first began.
Like the afternoon I recently spent helping to paint a tall ship at our harbor. As I painted and chatted with my fellow volunteers, I learned about a sailing club that was open to non-boat owners (they basically act as unpaid crew, which works just fine for me), and a white bass fish hatchery program that was going on literally under our feet. So, much to talk about when I got home, which was a very welcome change.
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| The tall ship I am helping to repaint. Isn't she a beauty? |
Up next:
- February Romance!
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How about you? Any goal updates to share?
You're doing great. Telling the world what you intend to do definitely gives you the impetus to actually do it!
ReplyDeleteWell its definitely working for me, but of course, your mileage may vary as they say. 😊
DeleteCongratulations on your successes, Tamara! I'm a wee bit envious of your recent opportunity to pitch in with the painting of a tall ship. It sounds like an amazing and memorable experience. We're in the midst of refreshing a rental property - there is nothing like re-shingling a roof in the middle of a northeast winter to make one appreciate a warm and comfortable bed at night.
ReplyDeleteI feel so fortunate to be a volunteer with the organization that owns the tall ship. It's a joy to be out there working on a warm sunny day, which is was the day I painted. Now, your description of the weather during your recent roof repair sounds, well cold! But I do so admire that you and your husband are handy. My handiness skills are not so great, though I am the Queen of Organization - give me a messy closet and I'll have it looking spic and span in no time!
DeleteLOVED seeing this update! I'm tweaking my goals as well, and the process by which I track to give me a bit more accountability. It's always a work in progress.
ReplyDeleteI too have a daily "chore", and it can't be something I'd normally do (laundry, dishes, etc), but something that's irregular. It helps me make the most of this WFH time, and remember to utilize it well.
My personality type (the Meyer Briggs definition) is that as an extrovert I seek energy from people, so seeking publicly accountability is a particularly powerful incentive. Plus I genuinely love tracking and sharing the results.
DeleteAll the things I'm listing are an effort to make my life better, richer, and more fulfilling. None of them are about doing just for the sake of doing, if that makes sense. And we are all so different in what motivates, makes us feel good, or conversely, doesn't. I find it quite amazing.
Tamara, writing things down and holding yourself accountable by sharing it with your readers makes perfect sense to me. I can't picture you living the life of a sloth, so I highly doubt you need public accountability, but it is a good motivator to know that people are watching.
ReplyDeleteHi Suzanne! So, I'm glad you have the impression of me as a non-sloth, but I promise I have my sloth days. I just try and keep them underwrap!
DeleteTo clarify though, only two things make me feel like a sloth - mindless TV watching (vs. mindful - there is a difference) and mindless internet activity (again, I'm specifically referring to non-mindful here).