We’re halfway through 2018, which feels weird and unexpected. It also pushes me to evaluate the progress I’ve made towards the goals I’ve set towards 2018, and adjust my actions as needed. Here’s the post I wrote in December about goals for the year.
Health
- Maintain my current level of fitness and make progress throughout 2018.
I have been consistent with this goal – I can run faster and further than I could six months ago, and I successfully completed my first half marathon in February. I have hit PRs in my one mile and 5k times this year, and I’m running a 5k on Wednesday. Depending on some variables in my life this fall, I may or may not be running a second half marathon in the fall, and I’ve registered for the Mississippi River Half Marathon in 2019. - By the end of 2018, I will drink 68 oz. of water daily.
This is harder in the school year than it is in the summer. On a majority of the days this summer, I’ve been drinking 68 oz. of water – it’s so much easier in the summer because there’s more motivation. If I’m not well hydrated, running will make me feel like death because it’s 95 degrees outside. - I will floss every day in 2018.
This is going well and I have also become a low-level flossing evangelist, which goes over really well at parties.
I’ve started using HabitBull to track my health related goals, and I highly recommend it.
Blogging
- Write two blog posts every month.
This one has not happened with consistency. I’ve met this goal in 2/6 months, in May and June. A major challenge for me has been finding time to devote to blogging, and finding ideas to blog about. I’m not great about keeping up an editorial calendar, which is silly – I have a degree in PR and I ran my college newspaper, I know how to do this. It just wasn’t a priority for me earlier this year. - Write one book review every month for the blog.
This one is embarrassing – I’ve written 1/6 book reviews, and I have another draft of a book review in Google Docs. Reading is lower on my list of priorities during the school year, and as a result, the book reviews haven’t been happening. Coming up soon will be reviews of a few nonfiction books I’ve read over summer break.
I’ve also set other categories of goals – personal, finance, and career. I have a spreadsheet where I keep track of all the goals in all the categories, but it’s interesting – I haven’t really told anyone about those categories, and I didn’t blog about them. They feel a bit less “real” than the ones I articulated on the blog, and I have a harder time tracking my progress towards them. Because I don’t blog about them, I don’t feel accountable to anyone. Any ideas for holding myself accountable, but in a way that’s more private? How do you set goals and track your progress towards them?