Friday, March 13, 2015

Tiny Steps (ROW80 Goals)

So how have all of you been the last couple weeks? I have been tired and hot, and a little stressed.  We had a couple rainstorms (with GORGEOUS clouds) while the rest of the country was battling snow and freezing rain, and then this week our weather swung right back around to 80-90 degree weather again. We've had to break out the shorts and the fans.  I get overheated and dizzy just driving home from work, yuck.  And I've been waking up too early, in the dark, every morning this week, checking the time because of that old pal, Daylight Saving Time.

We've got less than 2 weeks of this ROW80 period left--crazy!

Reflecting On My ROW80 Goals

In thinking about and re-evaluating my ROW80 goals for this quarter, I have been reviewing some motivational opinions, as well as other ROW80 posters each week.

I have come to a couple conclusions.

1. I am more likely to reach for a goal that is small and easily attainable.  "Bare minimum required" means I'm less likely to talk myself out of pursuing the goal, or just get it over with.  I would like to see a steady increase, but I don't appear to have enough energy to do that right now.  So each week, I seem to choose a couple goals to focus on, and a few chores to get to, and I consider that a win.  I am stretching a little almost every day, and doing something creative MAYBE every 1-2 days, and getting outside to volunteer on weekends.  I have not really addressed big goals relating to the future, or new Life (or Written) Chapters.  Tiny steps.

2. A large list of things to get to is intimidating, even if they really are things I need to or "want to" address.  See the point above.  I will gradually get to the more urgent of each goal set, but I cannot or will not address all 8 goals each and every week.  I will look at the lists, and tweak them where pertinent, but I will not check them all off.  My store of "discipline" or "motivation" is limited, and if I let the list get too big and negative and guilt-inducing in my head, it becomes an opponent rather than a friend.

3. I read one person online who recommended making fewer, vaguer categories, all positive, so that you want to meet them, or are happy and eager to check them off. You may of course have tougher things to get to, but you'll know that this particular set of goals will be enjoyable and will add flavor to your life.  You WILL read more of or even finish the awesome book, or you WANT to research that neat knitting technique, or you WILL check out that new restaurant on Yelp (done, done, and done--in the last two weeks, I read "Julie & Julia," which made me hungry and lead to a surprisingly successful Microwave-Hollandaise that I plopped on a frittata dinner, I tried and failed to master a new knitting pattern, and I tried a neat little vegetarian Indian/Thali place down the street with friends.  I also went to a friend's birthday party, and another friend's concert, which were not specifically on any lists).

Another way that I have been practicing this method is with how I have been trying to post about ROW80 things that I have accomplished--those little steps forward in creativity and exercise and consistency and outside-time.  I'm trying not to dwell on all of the goals that I'm not actually getting to in a given week, or list every goal and how it has been met or "failed" in great detail.  This method works great for other people, in terms of accomplishments and accountability, and I admire them for it.  But in my experience it just bogs me down into apathetic inactivity.  I'd rather focus in on the 2 goals I've gotten to each week, and celebrate the little stories around them that made life more interesting.  No, I am not writing or drawing or crafting or studying as consistently as I would like, but I am devoting more energy to being positive and creative and social, both on social media and in person.  Tiny steps.

If you are curious about my ACTUAL ROW80 goals and their progress, you can peruse them below.

Happy Weekend!

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My JANUARY (5th) - MARCH (26th) ROW80 GOALS:

Part A (Creativity & Social Media)
[~] 1. 1-2 blog posts per week (Ideally: 1 ROW80 post, 1 crafts post).
[~] 2. Do something creative every day.  Doodles still count.
[x] 3. Social Media: Check in with all accounts/communities every week.
[  ] 4. Catch up with/update blog & Facebook photo galleries.

Part B (Catching up with life):
[~] 1. Exercise--Ideal goal: 3x3x3 (3 sets of 3 exercises for 3+ days). 
[x] Bare minimum: 1 set of stretches.  Get outside on weekends.

[~] 2. Get my finances in order.  Also, address insurance, taxes and a new budget ASAP (however vague).
[~] 3. Decluttering, and re-organizing/re-claiming my room.
[81/100] 4. TRY to reach my 100th post in May for the blog's 2-year anniversary).

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2 comments:

  1. Making smaller goals helps me too. You have to do what works for you best, so if that's focusing only on what you did accomplish, then that's what you should do. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yeah, it's been a learning process :)

    ReplyDelete

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