Goal Progress and the Lack Thereof
March 23, 2019
So yes, once again I am failing at journal writing. Here and on paper (not that I had any goals around writing on paper … that’s so sporadic now it’s hardly a thing for me anymore … my gel pens are drying out and I don’t even know where most of them are). Time for me to run through my goals and see what else I’m not doing.
1. Photographing
This is going pretty well; I’ve been taking photos daily and am only a handful of days behind right now in posting them to the groups I’m in on Flickr and Facebook.
2. Reading
I read six books in February, staying on track toward my goal of 57 for the year. In March, I’ve been churning through a (virtual) box set so should stay on track.
3. Writing: Nail Blog
I wanted to write eight posts in February; I did four. Sad trombone. I’ve already done four for March, so I guess that’s something.
4. Writing: Online Journal
I set a goal of four posts in February; I did none. Sadder trombone. I’ll be happy if in addition to this post, I get one more done this month about the trip I took in February.
5. Resisting
In February I went my first Town Hall with one of my state reps and my state senator, then reported back to one of my local progressive Facebook groups. Went to another Town Hall in March and donated to two organizations that are fighting the good fight. Still floundering on how best to do good here.
6. Organizing
Failed to put any structure around getting anything done here. That needs to change. Even if I only processed all the mail the day it arrives, that would be an improvement.
7. Cooking
I did try a new recipe in the Instant Pot, a mushroom stroganoff that was pretty good and might make it into the regular rotation.
8. Exercising
I sprained my ankle skiing early in February, which put a damper on being active for a while. It’s mostly back to normal now, with just some stiffness and pain when doing things like climbing or descending stairs, walking on uneven ground, hitting bumps while skiing, or flexing the ankle hard while stretching. There are a couple more weeks left in the ski season and I’m aiming to ski my age, so 57 days. I have 11 to go, which will be a bit of a challenge but not out of the realm of possibility.
9. Losing weight
Nope. Have weighed myself a few times, but that’s it so far.
10. Creating
I did do the knot tying exercise in February, doing one or more knots each day. I don’t know that I’ll ever tie most of them again, but it was good to play with fiber anyway.
At some point, I need to figure out how to better structure my days so I get more of the things I want to get done, done. Retirement is great, yes—no more having to commute in traffic, very few conference calls, no annual reviews to give or receive—but my personal productivity has slipped way down. When the hours under my control were few, they were more precious, and I used them more wisely. Now it’s easier to put things off, figuring I can always do it later because I’ll have time. Except often I don’t do whatever later, I fritter that time away on social media or casual gaming or watching television I don’t even like that much. I need to change that. I want to change that. Yet I don’t. It’s a problem. I hope I find my way to a solution before I can’t do the things I want to do anymore.