I like setting goals but I’ve noticed that if I’m not tracking them in some way I tend to make excuses about why they aren’t getting done.
I have a chalkboard in my kitchen I use to make a daily to-do list (although it’s rare for everything to get done).
When I was really focused on losing the baby weight after #2 I tracked weekly weigh-ins on a spreadsheet taped to my bathroom wall.
I have a calendar with all my blog posts planned out as well as a running list for future topics to pull from.
But other goals, like bigger tasks around the house, water intake, fitness progress, things to teach the kids… they get thought of and then dismissed. I guesstimate how much water I’m drinking. I give myself a pass on exercise some days despite knowing how great I always feel when I put in the effort. I figure I’ll work with my kid on the difference between numbers and letters tomorrow.
But tomorrow comes and goes and I’m still guesstimating my water, skipping another workout, and listening to said child say A, B, C, D, 5, 8, 9.
I need goals that are trackable and I need accountability. Enter all of you (even if there are only about 10 of you out there 😉
So, my goals for April. Nothing too crazy to start. I want to make sure I’m not going crazy! And next month when I post new goals I’ll also go over how this month went for me.
1. Drink 1 gallon of water per day.
I have a 33oz water bottle (1000ml) so I need to drink four of them. I was really good at this when I was pregnant and when the babies were little but now that I can drink larger quantities of caffeine without it affecting anyone I seem to be going for coffee more often than water. I can usually get three of the bottles down no problem but remembering a fourth needs to be a bigger priority.
2. Get in three quality workouts per week
I have access to some pretty decent workout videos and I’ve made use of them more in the last month than I have in the several years they’ve been available to me but if I make an excuse one day it seems to snowball to several days in a row. I also plan on walking outside more now that spring seems to finally be sticking around for longer than a day or two at a time! So three times minimum, more is bonus and awesome.
3. Go to bed with a clean sink every night.
Or nearly every night 😉 I tried the Fly Lady system for getting myself into a cleaning routine years ago and it was not clicking. But I did like the clean sink part. It’s so refreshing to walk into the kitchen in the morning and not be greeted by an overflowing pile of dishes. I’ve gotten better about this but there are definitely times when I choose to plop down on the couch after getting the kids to bed over rinsing the dinner dishes. We are training the big boys to rinse their own dishes now so hopefully that will make the task even easier.
4. Plan out blog posts for May
At the end of February I sat down and planned out all of March’s posts as well as a good portion for April and it’s been so helpful to know what’s coming up, what I need to work on, and what’s already done. It definitely makes things go much more smoothly for me!
I’ll be back at the end of the month with an update on these goals and new goals for May!
Do you set goals for yourself? How do you track progress or hold yourself accountable?