Goals for 2016

Driving over to South Australia the other day gave me plenty of time to think about my goals and where I want to go in 2016.

I had to accept that 2016 was the year I did not tick off as many goals as expected. Yet, upon reflection I realise there were good reasons for this.

I did not have as much free time as in the past. My role at work changed and it took me much longer to prepare lessons. I tried hard to do more exercise throughout the year and that meant less time for other goals.  There were times when I just did not have the energy and I simply had to put “life” on hold. 

So this year I’ve aimed to be more practical and more realistic about setting my goals.

I see my goals falling into four areas:

1.       Organisation: I’m not a natural organiser. I can be quite absent-minded at times. I need to plan so that I can manage what comes up each week. I need to ensure I stay on top of things, as far as possible.

2.       Health: I want to be healthy now in order to be healthy in the future. I need to be healthy now in order to have a fulfilling life. Ultimately, being healthy means feeling good.

3.       House: I want a comfortable, welcoming home. The tendency is to put house maintenance on the backburner while I focus on a myriad of other things. I don’t want my house to fall apart and I don’t want the mess to pile up so that my weekends are spent  tidying up.

4.       Me: I strongly believe in “me” time, possibly because I’m an introvert and I know that I function well when I get “me” time. Organisation helps me manage what comes up each week, but at another level, reflection and ‘time out’ are what help me manage my emotions and my inner life.

GOALS

Organisation

• Use Friday night to pay bills, menu plan and organise weekend and week ahead.
• Wake up early. Do small jobs before and after work.
• Make lunch three times a week.
• Reduce screen time. Make screen time more intentional.

Health

• Drink lots of water daily.
• Eat food made from scratch.
• Exercise three times a week.  (Must include yoga as a way to maintain back care. Run twice a week.  Ride once a week.)

House

• Do one cleaning job a week. (Usually does not happen. Think about how it could happen!)
• Get broken window handles fixed.
• Finish setting up front room.
• Hang up pictures.

Me

• Take time regularly to indulge, relax, enjoy: read a book, create/paint, work on my family tree, visit the countryside/beach
• Learn something new: possibly sewing or making soap
• Find a regular time each week to reflect.
• Go to a talk or a play (x2).
• Invite friends over or out once a month:  Keep practising those social skills which are too easy for me to overlook.

I have not included goals which are an established part of my routine.

I have included goals from 2015 which were not accomplished  or still need to be worked on.

I actually feel very good about my list for 2016. Being an idealist, I'm not usually so practical.  I've got to say that it feels achievable and it allows plenty of room to add goals should the opportunities arise. I do have a wish list of things I would love to do. It includes things like buying a new couch and rug for the living room, buying a decorative name plaque to put at the front door and having a weekend away. My practical mind can see that if I achieve what's on the goal list, life will be pretty good, even if the wish list does not materialise!