2021 Goals Review – January

Like so many people, I begin a new year with high hopes for myself, and inevitably, life gets in the way and I let go of my goals by now. This year, I’m going to try and reflect each month about what’s going well and what I want to improve on. My self-care theme is wholly necessary during this crazy time of less staff and more work! So here it is, my 2021 Goals Review-January.

I’ve read that people have more success succeeding in their goals when they regularly go back and re-read them. And that if you break them into smaller steps, it’s easier to achieve them.

Goal 1. Make healthy choices

I would say I’m doing pretty well in this area of my life. We’re back to meal planning and eating a little healthier. I will tell you, meal planning and planned grocery shopping saves me when it comes to eating better. I think my goal for this month is to start going through my pantry and freezer and using up some things that have been around for a while. We re-organized our kitchen a little bit, but the pantry was ignored, so that is on my to-do list.

I succeeded in completing all 30 days of my yoga challenge. I really enjoyed taking that time during the day for myself. My next step is to pull out my bike and my trainer (to create a stationary bike) and start adding some cardio to my workouts. And if I’m feeling really good – I need to get some strength building activity in there somewhere too!

And I’m trying to be conscious of drinking more water throughout the day. I will say that is probably the hardest part for me. I’m not good at it, to begin with, and wearing a mask just makes it more difficult.

Goal 2. Find a better work-life balance

Easier said than done, let me tell you! The good news is that I’m taking a lunch break every day. And I actually leave the building to do so. We’re trying to be safe, so there are limited areas available to actually take my break. If I’m in my office, I tend to get interrupted, so I usually head home to eat.

I’m in two different Saturday rotations, which means I’m working every couple of weeks on Saturday, but I’ve been better about taking time off during the week to compensate for those hours.

I do go in early to get a jump start on the day and that’s probably where I increase the most about of work time. I like getting in when it’s quiet and I can everything set up for the day. But, that little bit of time definitely adds up quickly. With fewer staff, I have definitely noticed a difference in the amount of work that we have to do, so there is still some room for improvement there.

Goal 3. Take time to be creative

This is probably the hardest goal I have for myself this year. As I mentioned when setting up these goals, by the time I actually have free time, I’m exhausted. And then I find it hard to be creative.

This past month I actually spent a good amount of time creating longer posts for my blog. I’m really trying to increase my readership and provide valuable information. So although, that’s not always “creative” it is working on something that isn’t work-related.

I have a few projects that I’ve been mulling around in my brain for quite sometime that I would love to implement this year. I just haven’t sat down to figure out the logistics, so I’m hoping in the next month or so that I can at least start that process.

Overall, my 2021 Goals Review – January turned out to be a really successful month in terms of working toward my goals. I’m looking forward to continuing my quest for moments of self care!

Have you looked back on your New Year’s resolutions? How are you doing?