Three Months Forward

Achieving Resolutions: Work

2012-01-08T12:39:00.000-06:00

In review:

1) Work half as much - Using an old post's data, and not counting Christmas vacation or when I had an unexpected vacation due to a relative passing away, I'd say I worked about 70-80 hours a week. Similar to J.Money at Budgets are $exy, that makes my goal to work a "typical" 40 hours a week! So what is the plan to achieve this? (1) Create productive routines (2) Delegate ... For now, I think these are going to require weekly focuses
Week of 1/7/2012:

I have this great program called Things, based on GTD concepts. I love it, but have yet to truly use it functionally. Since I have a little more "office" time. I want to spend this week getting it all set up and ready to use functionally.
Schedule in routine to-do: (1) Updating timesheets in Quickbooks (2) Client reviews (3) Expense recording (4) Depositing payments and reconciling them in QB.
Empty business "To File" box

2) Make twice as much - This one will be a little bit tougher. I am going to base it on my AGI (minus investments my father has in my name.) While I haven't calculated it exactly, I think it will be somewhere around 90K. That means the goal is 180K. Phew... that's high. So what is the plan for this?!

Build the business so I can take on more clients
Provide a larger variety of products
Delegate more work to my employees
Systematically increase rates

Achieving Resolutions: Relationships

2012-01-08T12:22:00.000-06:00

In review:
Relationships

(1) Be intimate 400 times (the boy helped set this one!) - I didn't get back until the 4th, and the boy left on the 1st, so we are only at 2 so far... hoping for another 2 today! We are planning on making a fun goofy sticker chart for this one!

(2) Rekindle friendships I have let slip - I have even been awful at calling people back. This week I need to call at least 2 friends back, and do something social with one of our close couple friends. The problem I run into is when I actually have some free time, all I want to do is a big fat nothing. Perhaps the Work resolutions will help with this!

Achieving Resolutions: Personal

2012-01-08T12:11:00.000-06:00

In review:
(1) Follow training plan... a plan that is more flexible and reasonable than I used to set.
I have agreed to do a Triathlon with T on Labor Day. He is going to do the full, but I am only committing to the sprint. I can run, but biking and swimming are not strong points as of now. The training plan I have developed focuses more on what I want to accomplish each week, and it broken down into months.
January:

Run 120 miles
Long Run minimum: 18 miles (I am doing a half marathon at the end of the month)
Bike 1x/week
Swim 1x/week
Try 1 Spin Class

Since I haven't exercised yet this year, I need to bike and swim at the gym today!

(2) Run 1000 miles - if I follow the first goal, this should work itself out!

(3) PR (in half and full marathon) - I PR-ed last year in this half marathon, and it's known as a overall downhill course, so I am hoping to do so again! I would love to achieve a sub 2-hr half marathon.

(4) Floss! - What I have learned in the past is I need to make this one easy, or I'm just not going to do it. One of my goals today, is to go to Target and buy two of the flossers on a stick; one for at home and one for carrying with me.

Resolutions?

2012-01-08T10:36:00.000-06:00

I love making goals... sticking to them is a whole different issue. I'm great with ideas, not as good with follow-through. I work hard, but tend to bite off more than I can chew.

But at the end of the day, I love to push myself.
The big theme for this year is: Follow-Through

I want to not feel like I am always behind!

Personal
(1) Follow training plan... a plan that is more flexible and reasonable than I used to set.
(2) Run 1000 miles
(3) PR (in half and full marathon)
(4) Floss!
The first three will be tracked in more detail on my running blog

Relationships
(1) Be intimate 400 times (the boy helped set this one!)
(2) Rekindle friendships I have let slip

Work
(1) Work half as much
(2) Make twice as much
(Note: This were "borrowed" from J.Money at Budgets are $exy! Perhaps the most inspiring New Year's Resolution post I read!)

In order to keep myself accountable I am going to make a pretty reminder sign for them all and a tracking spreadsheet like Little Miss Moneybags.

More detail and monthly goals to come...

2011... over already?!

2012-01-01T14:22:00.000-06:00

Apparently, I've been gone since around April/May... I just took a look back at my 2011 goals. How did I do?! (Without every looking at them again since the 1st quarter?!)

Happy:
* Find a two hour time each week to have "me time". This could be sitting at a coffeeshop reading, or hiking by myself. I need this time.
Semi - Fail: I would do this occasionally but no where near the regularity that I need.
* Have a 1 hour a week check-in/organize for the week time. I also really need this time.

Semi - Fail: I would do this occasionally but no where near the regularity that I need. I'm trying to do it more with the business too, but it doesn't always happen.

* See friends an average of 2 times per week.
Fail: Depression slightly took ahold of me at times, and life was overwhelming. ::Sigh::
* Take my dogs hiking/long neighborhood jogs 1x/week
Semi - Fail: This would go up and down... I'd to great for a week or so, then stop. One dog hurt his doggy ACL so he's been sidelined as well.Healthy:
This is going to be one of my big pushes this year...
* Set a PR in Austin Marathon on 2/20/11:

Success: Did!!! By 5 minutes, plus a 5min bathroom break!
* Run a sub 2:15 half on 4/16/2011
Success: Not on that date (I had to pull out of that race), but on one in January 2011!
* Set a PR on a half or full marathon after the above
Success: At the Nike's Women's Marathon I ran a new PR of just under 5:15... a 15 minute PR from February!
* Run a sub 55 min 10K
Fail: Only ran one 10K and ran/walked with a friend.
* Run 1000 miles (trying again after last year's miserable fail)
Fail: Yeah... no excuse here. I'm going to keep trying for this one.
Heart:
* At least one visit to NYC & Baltimore to visit family
Halfway - Due to a family death and a family wedding, I ended up in Baltimore 4 times instead of my usual 1 (if that). So I'll consider it a success even though I didn't make it to NYC. I did see my brother a few times in Baltimore and Cali.
*Have intimate time with my guy at least 4 time a week... things get so busy and I need to make sure there is plenty of time for us.
Semi - Fail: Depression sidelined this one in the spring, but it is something I have really been working towards in the fall.* Read and follow through with a personal development book I have
Fail: Haha... I got through another chapter or two in my time management book!
* This isn't measurable at all, but just be more present in my relationship. I am bad about letting deadlines and other times get in the way.

Work in Progress: I think this will always be a work in progress. Since my life has changed a little with only running my own business instead of a job that made me miserable everyday in addition to my business, I've been really focusing on this one

So there you have it... less than 50% success. I've been working on adjusting my goals for 2012 and will post those soon

Happy New Year!!!

28 Truths to Live By

2011-05-08T10:30:00.001-05:00

I turned 28 the other week. 27 was a strange year for me; while there were many times I had a wonderful times, there were also many times of stress, sadness, and even anger. I have been working to feel like myself today and in honor of turning 28, I wrote down 28 Truths to Live By.

Sleep does my body and mind good.
Giving love allows me to be loved.
I need time to myself to re-energize.
I run to be balance.
Reading provides me with a mini vacation; TV does not.
Drinking enough water helps me feel stronger.
Jewelry makes me feel pretty.
Healthy eating energizes me.
Everyday I am capable of being the best me.
Laughter makes life feel easier.
Sometimes it’s okay to enjoy the view instead of climbing higher.
To keep a friend, I need to be a friend.
Water makes me happy.
Clutter clutters my mind.
I am most productive in the morning and my schedule should reflect that.
Remember how much fun it is to be a girlfriend.
It’s okay to say “no” as long as it’s not always to self or loved ones.
Make time for those around you, before they go away.
I do have control of my life.
Working out calms me and is important.
Relaxing does not make me a lazy person.
Swimming is my yoga.
A day is made up of many moments, not just one.
Don’t forget to take pictures.
I can reset once a week, once a day, once an hour. It’s my choice.
I am working of giving and receiving intimacy.
Breathe.

30 Day Organize-athon Day 1

2011-04-02T07:40:00.000-05:00

Although life is still really crazy... there is a bit of light come May and the end of the tunnel is June. In the meantime, I do need to keep some level of organization in my life, or I'll never make it. Enter: The 30 Day Organize-athon at Get Organized Wizard

The purpose is to spent about 5 minutes on a specific area each day in April. Yesterday's challenge was to declutter your living area. Since it's just me and T at the house, I didn't need to go through everything with a trash bag. I did mainly the "if you have extra time part" which involved taking everything that didn't belong and putting it back where it does belong. I also very quickly vacuumed just the living room. (This is where the dogs mainly hang out, so the carpet is awful.) It needed to be done and the whole thing took me less than 15 minutes....

Now let's see what Day 2 has in store for me!

Goals on Hold...

2011-03-14T08:12:00.000-05:00

The past month or so has been tough for me. I'm struggling with feeling like I have any sort of control right now. In February, I spent 245 hours out of the house for work. My mom was in town for 3 days when it didn't work at all. This means that over the remaining 25 days, I was out of the house, on average, 9.8 hours EVERY day. This doesn't count the house I work on things for my business at home, which I would guess it at least 10 hours a week. (Should be more, but as you can see... I don't really have the hours!)

Back to goals... while I'm doing okay on most of them, they just stress me out. They feel like another thing that I have to try and squish into my days. The PsyBlog had an interesting article on The Dark Side of Goal Setting. I know goal setting is important, but I think I'm setting goals that I won't reach...and I really don't need another reason to beat myself up. Right now I need to focus on trying to actually swim a little instead of just treading water.

I am a list and goals type person by nature. So what does that mean for March. My goal for March is to get done things for work the day before they must be. To make some progress on my massive to-do list (which doesn't even touch the goals I set), and to try and abide by the one goal of not working past 8pm (so far I've only worked by 8pm twice this month.)

I spent yesterday mostly in bed feeling mentally crappy. I started to come around by the evening. I have today and tomorrow to just get things done and relax. I'm planning on today being on the more productive side and tomorrow more on the relax side, with a bit of balance on both.

Wish me luck. Happy Monday!

March Goals

2011-03-04T05:45:00.000-06:00

I'm still feeling overwhelmed, but I have somewhat of a plan now... more on that later. For now, let's see what I have in store for March.

1) Be intimate 24 of 31 days.

2) Morning stretching routine 21 of 31 days.

3) Floss 21 of 31 days.

4) No work past 8pm.

5) Run 80 miles.

6) Review AIM Modules

7) Go camping

8) Go out with friends 6 times

9) Cook dinner 10 times (T cooks a lot of the time)

10) Breate. (I think this one might be the most important of all!)

February Goals Wrap-Up

2011-03-02T06:57:00.000-06:00

February was not my best month over, although I was the most social I've been in a while. I'm busy working on my life plan to achieve more balance, but I'm not there yet.

1) Take dogs running or hiking 10 times: 6 times total. Poop.

2) Run 80 miles: 47 Total. Better than I usually do. Still not awesome.

3) Finish taxes: I am going to owe. So I'm in a holding pattern.

4) Do a morning stretching routine at least 18 of 28 days: 15/28 days

5) Be intimate at least 18 of the 28 days: 13/days days. This needs to become a focus.

6) Review AIM Modules: nada...

7) One social outing a week with friends: I went to happy hour with T on Friday, and Thai food and jazz music (by a friend of ours) on Saturday the 12th. This past weekend my mom was in town, so we did things together... not sure if that counts, but it was social! The last weekend of February was a crazy one, which involved me working a ton, Blue Man group, house party, grand opening of a friend's gym, and a comedy show. I think I did great with this goal!!!

8) Schedule a vacation... even a small one: tentatively planning NYC for my birthday... and camping in March. No more progress on that.

9) Finish organizing work materials in spare room: I have decided that this is a very low priority while everything else is crazy right now. This will be a summer project.

10) Have a dinner party: nope

3rd Week of February Goals Update

2011-02-22T06:39:00.002-06:00

1) Take dogs running or hiking 10 times: 5 times so far...

2) Run 80 miles: Added a marathon! That's another 26.2 plus I'm counting the mile walk my mom and I did the evening of the marathon. So 45 miles!

3) Finish taxes: I'm just waiting on one thing! (no change)

4) Do a morning stretching routine at least 18 of 28 days: 13 days so far

5) Be intimate at least 18 of the 28 days: 9 days so far ::sad face::

6) Review AIM Modules: nada...

7) One social outing a week with friends: I went to happy hour with T on Friday, and Thai food and jazz music (by a friend of ours) on Saturday the 12th. This past weekend my mom was in town, so we did things together... not sure if that counts, but it was social!

8) Schedule a vacation... even a small one: tentatively planning NYC for my birthday... and camping in March.

9) Finish organizing work materials in spare room: nothing done yet...so much to do though

10) Have a dinner party: nope

2nd Week of February Goals Update

2011-02-15T05:56:00.000-06:00

1) Take dogs running or hiking 10 times: 3 times so far... no change

2) Run 80 miles: 18 miles, not quite as excited as last week

3) Finish taxes: I'm just waiting on one thing! (no change)

4) Do a morning stretching routine at least 18 of 28 days: 10 days so far

5) Be intimate at least 18 of the 28 days: 7 days so far

6) Review AIM Modules: nada...

7) One social outing a week with friends: I went to happy hour with T on Friday, and Thai food and jazz music (by a friend of ours) on Saturday!

8) Schedule a vacation... even a small one: tentatively planning NYC for my birthday

9) Finish organizing work materials in spare room: nothing done yet...

10) Have a dinner party: nope

1st Week of February Goals Update

2011-02-08T06:20:00.000-06:00

1) Take dogs running or hiking 10 times: 3 times so far!

2) Run 80 miles: 16 miles! (so excited)

3) Finish taxes: I'm just waiting on one thing!

4) Do a morning stretching routine at least 18 of 28 days: 5 days so far

5) Be intimate at least 18 of the 28 days: 3 days so far

6) Review AIM Modules: nada...

7) One social outing a week with friends: This week we went to a Super Bowl Party and has a blast!

8) Schedule a vacation... even a small one: not yet...

9) Finish organizing work materials in spare room: nothing done yet...

10) Have a dinner party: nope

Snow Day!

2011-02-04T09:33:00.001-06:00

We have a snow day today! (Texas is not equipped to handle any amount of snow, much to my amusement.)

I'm going to try and use the day to my advantage
1) Plow through my to do
2) Spend some 1 on 1 time with my guy
3) Get in a workout
4) Relax!

What do you do on your snow days?

February 2011 Goals

2011-02-01T17:27:00.000-06:00

Some of these goals are leftover from last month; others are new:

1) Take dogs running or hiking 10 times

2) Run 80 miles

3) Finish taxes

4) Do a morning stretching routine at least 18 of 28 days

5) Be intimate at least 18 of the 28 days.

6) Review AIM Modules

7) One social outing a week with friends

8) Schedule a vacation... even a small one

9) Finish organizing work materials in spare room

10) Have a dinner party

Thoughts?

January 2011 Goal Review

2011-02-01T06:15:00.000-06:00

It's February 1st and I'm working on finalizing my 10 monthly goals. Some of these are going to be goals that I did not accomplish in January. Here's how January ended up:

#1 - Host two parties at home: I had one party... allergies knocked me out so horribly this month

#2 - Run 3 days a week, strength train 2 days a week: Once again... allergies killed me, but I still managed to PR on my half marathon this past weekend!

#3 - Less than $700 on the credit card (minus the cost of windows): If you take out the extra gift I bought my mom, I am under $700... I am quite happy about this one. I even had an extra splurge or two and still semi-made it.

#4 - Read 2 books: Yes! I read The Help and The Abstinence Teacher

#5 - Be intimate >= 20 days: :-( I managed 12 days... while I have excuses, I really shouldn't get excuses.

#6 - 1 coffeeshop personal time per week: I did make it twice to get work done, but not really for personal time...

#7 - Have taxes mostly done: I've kept up as much as I can!

#8 - Take dogs running or hiking 10 times: Just twice... darn.

#9 - Review AIM modules: Negative... I need to get on this!

#10 - Volunteers (my friends and I are trying to volunteer 1 time per month at a different place each month): Did not happen... I tried to sign up for some CPR training (as the trainer) but others had already taken the slots I had. I did do some free babysitting for a friend of T's. So semi-credit.

So even being generous with myself, I only managed 4/10 goals. I need to keep focusing on this! Do I need to be more serious with myself? Or more realistic?

Investing in Myself?

2011-01-25T17:25:00.000-06:00

I had my credit card budget set at $700...then moved it close to $800-850 since I bought my mom an extra birthday gift that was $250.

Yesterday, after my last personal training, we found out they were offering a 20% off deal, but you had to buy at least 12 sessions. So my friend and I talked about it and decided we should do that and spread them out over 6 months. With us splitting, they are $22 each an hour. If we can bring a 3rd friend, then it is split 3 ways.

So there is a nice $528 charge on my card, but I'm going to keep track of it when I "actually" spend the money (i.e. personal training). That wont' start until February.

Am I tricking myself? Or do you understand my logic?!

Allergies, Cold, and Goal Review

2011-01-23T08:55:00.002-06:00

Despite a great first week of 2011, allergies hit me, and I think a good ole cold as well. The remaining two weeks have been miserable.

This week I finally was able to get sufficient sleep to feel semi-okay, and went out for an evening jog on Thursday. I ended up doing 3 miles at a 9:47 pace which was exciting for me. Yesterday, I went for a short little over 2 miles at a leisurely pace. Then I came home, showered, and fell asleep. :-(

Having no energy is tough... I have a half marathon in one week. Oh boy. I'm not expecting to PR; I just want to make it through.

My friend and I are supposed to have the final personal training today. I did 4 of the 9 sessions with her... it was a nice kick in the butt to do more strength training. I also need to do more stretching.

#1 - Host two parties at home: We had our first one: our book exchange club. It was small but fun.

#2 - Run 3 days a week, strength train 2 days a week: I've done 2 runs, and I'm going to the gym for strength today. So halfway...

#3 - Less than $700 on the credit card (minus the cost of windows): I'm just over $610... This is going to be really tough with that unexpected $250, but I'm still trying. If I keep it under $800 I will still consider it a success.

#4 - Read 2 books: One book done, second, third, and forth books all started! Haha

#5 - Be intimate >= 20 days: I'm only at 8... no progress. How sad :-( We were both sick this week and sleeping habits were all sorts of off.

#6 - 1 coffeeshop personal time per week: Still not... but I am finding time to make tea and read at home.

#7 - Have taxes mostly done: I am keeping up with this still...just waiting on forms.

#8 - Take dogs running or hiking 10 times: 1 time! 3 milers with my lab, and a little cool down walk with the shepard.

#9 - Review AIM modules: No progress since last week.

#10 - Volunteers (my friends and I are trying to volunteer 1 time per month at a different place each month): Scheduling seems to make it tough this month... and feeling so blah.

Second Week of January Update

2011-01-16T08:05:00.000-06:00

Perhaps what I thought was allergies was more of a cold. I have been zapped of energy, which make it hard to do anything after work. But I still tried to make some progress!

#1 - Host two parties at home: We have the 1st one scheduled. I think the second one might be a smaller dinner party with just a couple of friends.

#2 - Run 3 days a week, strength train 2 days a week: This did not happen this week at all, due to feeling awful each day.

#3 - Less than $700 on the credit card (minus the cost of windows): I'm just over $500... This is going to be really tough with that unexpected $250, but I'm still trying. If I keep it under $800 I will still consider it a success.

#4 - Read 2 books: One book done, second book picked out. It is a field related book that I want to review on my business blog.

#5 - Be intimate >= 20 days: I'm only at 8... being sick puts a damper on these things :-(

#6 - 1 coffeeshop personal time per week: doh, not yet, but I need it!!!

#7 - Have taxes mostly done: I am keeping up with this. Each new form I get I enter in right away!

#8 - Take dogs running or hiking 10 times: Negative... freezing temps, and rain have deterred this one

#9 - Review AIM modules: No progress since last week.

#10 - Volunteers (my friends and I are trying to volunteer 1 time per month at a different place each month): Not technically... I did babysit a 3 month old last night so the mom could pick up an extra shift. I didn't charge them anything. T said that could count, but I still want to do something else!

First Week of January Update

2011-01-08T18:55:00.000-06:00

So how I have done on my goals? Not too shabby actually! I would have done worse if my allergies weren't so bad. The two that really bother me decided to attack at the same time, which means I am foggy-headed and sneezing all the time right now. It's supposed to rain and lower the allergy count starting tonight.

Here is my goal review so far:
#1 - Host two parties at home: My book exchange club cohost and I are trying to get a date set...

#2 - Run 3 days a week, strength train 2 days a week: I have been to the gym 5 of the last 7 days, 2 runs, 1 walk/run, one bike, 2 strength days... yay!

#3 - Less than $700 on the credit card (minus the cost of windows): I'm just under $300 and that included an extra late $250 Christmas gift for my mom. :-) Cause she's awesome

#4 - Read 2 books: I finished The Help :-) The book is awesome.

#5 - Be intimate >=20 days: 5/7 days so far... looking good ;-)

#6 - 1 coffeeshop personal time per week: Not yet...

#7 - Have taxes mostly done: I have done as much as I can without any tax forms back (i've entered business income, and ordered 1099s)

#8 - Take dogs running or hiking 10 times: 0/10... with allergies right now, I can only exercise inside.

#9 - Review AIM modules: there are around 30 total... I've looked through 3

#10 - Volunteers (my friends and I are trying to volunteer 1 time per month at a different place each month): I have emailed my friends, but that's as far as I have gotten.

One Word Resolution

2011-01-02T17:29:00.000-06:00

Over at Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project, she explained the idea of a one word resolution or theme for the year.

My guy and I were talking about this, and decided we would have our own individuals goals, but pick a one word goal for us as a couple.

Our word: CHALLENGE

More specifically, we want an Intimacy Challenge, a Fitness Challenge, and a Financial Challenge.

I've got a calendar ready to check things off each day! Here we go! :-) (And on that note, we are off to the gym!)

January 2011 Goals

2011-01-01T08:00:00.003-06:00

So each month, I am planning to have 10 more detailed goals that at least semi-align with my year long goals. There may be some others thrown in as well.

#1 - Host two parties at home

#2 - Run 3 days a week, strength train 2 days a week

#3 - Less than $700 on the credit card (minus the cost of windows)

#4 - Read 2 books

#5 - Be intimate >= 20 days

#6 - 1 coffeeshop personal time per week

#7 - Have taxes mostly done

#8 - Take dogs running or hiking 10 times

#9 - Review AIM modules

#10 - Volunteers (my friends and I are trying to volunteer 1 time per month at a different place each month)

New Year's Resolutions 2011!

2010-12-31T18:07:00.000-06:00

So I decided to go with Happy, Healthy, and Heart as the 2011 Theme... but with additional 10 monthly goals. My business life will also have a separate set of goals. Oh, I love goals!

Happy:
* Find a two hour time each week to have "me time". This could be sitting at a coffeeshop reading, or hiking by myself. I need this time.

* Have a 1 hour a week check-in/organize for the week time. I also really need this time.

* See friends an average of 2 times per week.

* Take my dogs hiking/long neighborhood jogs 1x/week

Healthy:
This is going to be one of my big pushes this year...
* Set a PR in Austin Marathon on 2/20/11

* Run a sub 2:15 half on 4/16/2011

* Set a PR on a half or full marathon after the above

* Run a sub 55 min 10K

* Run 1000 miles (trying again after last year's miserable fail)

Heart:
* At least one visit to NYC & Baltimore to visit family

*Have intimate time with my guy at least 4 time a week... things get so busy and I need to make sure there is plenty of time for us.

* Read and follow through with a personal development book I have

* This isn't measurable at all, but just be more present in my relationship. I am bad about letting deadlines and other times get in the way.

Personal Training

2010-12-22T05:56:00.001-06:00

My good friend, Ms. T and I, were at the gym. I have temporarily joined a second gym. Yes, goofy, but I get a great month to month deal through my employer. We were attempting a weight machine, when I made it go **Clang!** A trainer walked by and gave me a hard time about breaking the machine. We chat with him for awhile... new training, just got out of the Marines, and he told us to come do our free orientation with him.

So we did. And at the end of it, Ms. T had signed up for 9 personal training sessions with me as her sidekick! Ms. T has always struggled to get in shape (at least in the 5 years I've known her) and felt like this was the only way to ensure success. We had had success one other time when we did a boot camp together. At this gym, it doesn't cost any extra for me to tag along, so when I can, I will and just give her money towards the cost of that session.

We had our first session last night. Oh my gosh, I've lost a lot of strength. This will be good for me too! I love the idea of personal training and think I would really benefit from it... just not as much of a fan of the cost! It's fun doing with a friend as well. So this should help, since he is also going to function as an accountability buddy! We even have to do a food diary. Ms. T is doing the next two on her own while I'm out of town, and then I'll join up again.

I'm excited!

Final Two Goals

2010-12-20T06:58:00.000-06:00

Streamlining My Work & Organizing My Life...

Oh boy, I kind of set myself up to fail on these two. They are way to big, and I struggled making the monthly goals. I feel like I made small progress on these, but it is very much two steps forward one step back.

I still work after 7:30pm (or just get up at 5am!), but I consciously try to have some nights when I don't do any work at home. I still need a better system, and I am trying to stay on top of things better. The big things I need to stop doing are procrastinating and being late!!! I am a chronic over scheduler, and I know this!

I am trying to place the right scaffolding around me to help me relax while still being productive.

2010 Goal Review!

2010-12-19T07:18:00.000-06:00

If I grade each on 0=fail, 1=minimal success, and 2=success... for goals 1-8 I have 10/16 points!

Goal #1: Spend More Time with Dogs
FAIL - I did not do so well on this one. I really need to work on this. I think it's more a time management issue then an issue with the dogs personally. (When I do take time with them, they are so much fun!)

* Note, I also said I was going to post weekly progress... oops. :-(

Goal #2: Finish Paying Debt to Mom
SUCCESS - I did great on this! I paid that debt off easily, and I am making even bigger payments to the other loan from her. (She helped pay off my student loans when I bought my house, and I pay her back each month, even though she tells me to stop.)

Goals #3: Get In Better Shape
MINIMAL SUCCESS - While I ran two marathons, I did not really train for either. Let's investigate the mini goals further

MiniGoals:
a) Go to the gym and do some basic weight training at least 3 days a week
FAIL: I really need to add weight/strength training back in

b) Run at least 4 days a week
FAIL: Darn it... must do, must do, must do.... even if they aren't "good" runs, just get out there!

c) Try the Gluten free diet and see if that helps
SUCCESS: I went GF from Jan-Oct and enjoyed it. I am back on some gluten for November and December to see how my body reacts. I think I am going to just keep the gluten to a minimum but not totally eliminate unless I start having tummy problems again.

d) Sign up and complete another marathon at a fast time
SUCCESS & FAIL: I ran one half and two full marathons, but failed at the fast time part. Oddly, due to not running fast, I have guaranteed entry into next year's Nike Women's Marathon!

e) Run more than 1000 miles this year.
FAIL: Not even sure I made it to 500....

Goal #4: Explore More Foods
MINIMAL SUCCESS: While going gluten free did force me to explore more foods, and this fall I started cooking more, and we went to a few new restaurants, I would love to start cooking more. Going to Thailand also helped expand my food experiences. We even did a cooking class!

Goals #5: Wear More Jewelry
SUCCESS: Yay! I did well on this one. I am much more conscious about wearing my beautiful jewelry, and I really enjoyed this goal.

Goal #6: Increase Engagement with T
MINIMAL SUCCESS: This went up and down... I had a tough 6 months or so where I just didn't feel like myself. I feel like this is something that is important to ALWAYS be working on. We did do well about date nights. :-)

Goal #7: Be More Social
MINIMAL SUCCESS: This went up and down as well with my mood, which was frustrating. It's something I have to be aware of... otherwise I use any free time I have to power through the to-do list. This is slowly getting better though, and I expect it to keep increasing!

Goal #8: Save Money
SUCCESS: This was probably my biggest success. Check out the mini goals!
Mini-Goals:
1) Save $2500 towards a Thailand trip (my best friend will be in China this summer)
SUCCESS: It ended up being a little more per person, but well worth it. And I paid for it all easily!

2) Increasing emergency fund savings to $5000
SUCCESS: I have $10,000 in savings! Woohoo...and just opened an investment account. (I feel so grown up!) I also maxed out my Roth and put a little into my SEP.

3) Have 6 months where my credit card statement is under $1000 (I put EVERYTHING on my credit card, phone bills, gas, etc. since I get cash back rewards.)
ALMOST: I think I had 5 months, but I'm all good with that!

4) Pay off my small mortgage
SUCCESS: Paid it off right after we got back from Thailand!

I am going to go over the last two goals later today, since I am actually working on them today!

Goal Setting is Hard!!!

2010-12-19T06:46:00.000-06:00

So I am working on my 2011 goals, and I am struggling! I have thought about going with 10 like last year... I've thought about a theme to the year (Happy, Healthy, Heart!), just do goals per month since things always change.

What is exciting is some of the things that I had as goals last year, are basically automatic now. Mainly financial things, but hey, one piece at a time.

So how do you decide to do your goals?

I feel like the first step is to figure out my priorities...
My relationship with T & my family
Feeling more on top of things, calmer
Reconnecting with friends
Improving myself professionally
Travel!

That feels like I've covered everything however! arg...

Ideas?!?!

November Goal ReCap & December Goals

2010-12-04T08:01:00.000-06:00

November:
1) Put $1000 into my SEP - DONE!
2) Get windows ordered for house - all picked out, the bf is putting in the order today or tomorrow
3) Get majority of Christmas shopping done - I'm about halfway there...
4) Create and start running plan - must do today...
5) Begin making spare bedroom into my private business supply room! - got a great start going, more this weekend
6) Get pictures up in bedroom - halfway... got current pictures up, still need to do new pictures

December Goals:
I'm going to leave out the obvious things like finish Christmas shopping and travel plans...

1) Read 4 books at least! My reading has slacked a little in the past few months, and I really miss it. I picked up a new book at work (book exchange) and I'm excited to read it. It's the Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Has anyone read it?

2) Run 100 miles: I finally started going back to the gym yesterday. I went twice... at 5am and around 5pm. I just did a mile plus elliptical in the morning, and in the afternoon I just did the elliptical plus the bike. Hopefully, with a little more free time, I can make this goal!

3) Go hiking with the dogs 6x. We used to be really good about this, but not lately. It's much cooler out, and the dogs love it. We have so many great hiking places here too.

4) Get my January calendar done. Scheduling is going to be a bit more tricky this spring with my small business.

5) Finish organizing stuff for my small business, so I can start 2011 off right! I have a good start going, now I just need to finish!

6) Relax for the holidays! (Easier said than done for me!)

What are your holiday goals?

Breaking the Cycle

2010-11-22T11:21:00.000-06:00

Jenny at Life After College had a post that really resonated with me. She talked about taking time for herself and then going into a spiral of anxiety because of trying to catch back up. This is something I feel like I go through almost daily, if not weekly. I'm trying to find a way to break the cycle... here are some ideas I have come up with:

* Have a weekly time set up just for me to go to a coffeeshop or bookstore or something where I can review where I am, what I need to do, and a little me time.

* Set up some type of schedule for housework to get done

* Make a concerted effort to pick up things as they are dropped!

* Build in fitness and healthy eating more

I'll keep updated on my progress. :-)

Please let me know ANY ideas you have!!!

November? Goals?

2010-11-22T10:34:00.000-06:00

Yes, it is November 22... and I have yet to post any goals for the month. Here's the quick rundown...
1) Put $1000 into my SEP
2) Get windows ordered for house
3) Get majority of Christmas shopping done
4) Create and start running plan
5) Begin making spare bedroom into my private business supply room!
6) Get pictures up in bedroom (from August!!!)

Turning the Corner

2010-11-22T07:53:00.000-06:00

I've had a hard past few months... I have felt constantly unhappy with myself, and somewhat powerless. It came to a culmination this weekend when I almost finally pushed away someone extremely important to me. Perhaps, that was what I needed, for I have felt more like myself the last 36 hours than I have in awhile.

I have a bunch of half written articles that require me to look in depth as various aspects of my life. I hope to get to these this week.

Also, Trent at the Simple Dollar had a nice article about taking the time to make sure his life was aligning with his future goals.

It is quite timely that I feel better with it being Thanksgiving week. I need to take the time to acknowledge those who make a difference in my life.

October ReCap

2010-11-07T12:39:00.000-06:00

Oh October...where did you go?
The happiness thing happened a little...but fell apart as soon as I got a whiff of November. Sad, isn't it? (Literally...) This is something I really need to focus on more; I just need to find the energy. (Crazy cycle isn't it?

Money-wise I'm very happy! The credit card total was $1036. Although it is just over $1000, I'm still considering it a success. At the Marine Corp Marathon, I splurge on two winter dresses and a desperately needed belt from my favorite store H&M (which I don't have at home) and two MCM Christmas Ornaments. One was for T and I, and one for my grandfather who was a Marine.

I'm debating whether to set goals for November at all... or to just try to live the month with a smile. Ideas?

Quicken 2011 Giveaway at Give Me Back My Five Bucks!

2010-10-23T18:02:00.000-05:00

Krystal over at Give Me Back My Five Bucks has a fantastic giveaway! She has two copies of Quicken 2011 for Personal and two copies of Quicken 2011 for Personal & Small Business. The Quicken for Personal & Business would be fantastic for me, since I run my own small business and have not found one program that can do it all!!

I Actually Relaxed Some!

2010-10-11T06:45:00.000-05:00

This weekend was better than most! T was working during the day on Saturday; I had to work about 8-1 and then spent the afternoon getting things done! While I didn't get everything done; I did enough that I felt good and not super stressed on Sunday. (Sunday Stress seems to be a common ailment for me!) Sunday I had to do a short bit of work, but overall, relaxed with T. We ate dinner outside, went grocery shopping, relaxed on the couch. And we went to bed nice and early. I read in bed until about 10:15 and was out!

The only thing I didn't really accomplish was much physical activity. No running or gym. That will be my focus come November.

So here is to this week being a good one!!! Just M-F and then we are off to Cali for my marathon!

Today's Happy Task: Easy jog on one of my favorite trails that just reopened & curling on the couch with T to watch a monday night show!

October So Far...

2010-10-09T19:29:00.000-05:00

October is happening, whether I was ready for it or not! I'm struggling with the Be Happy goal right now, but I am trying. Last night was the worst, but I feel much better today despite less than 5 hours sleep.

It looks like the money challenge will go well this month. So far I'm only at about $260 on the credit card. We are heading out of town next weekend, but will barely have to pay for anything between Saturday and Tuesday, so that's helpful. (Thanks family! I love you!)

I'm not at all ready for the marathons, but there isn't much I can do about it now. I am going to just try to enjoy them for the gorgeous scenery and not worry about times. I have signed up for one in February, so that will be my new focus.

Today's Happy Task is date night!

Today's Hapy Task

2010-10-08T07:11:00.000-05:00

Today I am going to make it to the gym or on a run! I've been under the weather all week and so have not done that. I always feel better after. If I go to the gym, I will try to swim a little too. I always find that relaxing...

Tonight we are probably going to high school football game which is always fun!

Today's Happy Task: Happiness Articles!

2010-10-07T11:06:00.001-05:00

My latest alumni magazine from my university is all about happiness. The university is extremely research oriented and so I would think they would cover some good information. So that it my goal today to read it!!!

This being happy thing is hard sometimes...

Yesterday's Happy Task Today!

2010-10-06T16:16:00.000-05:00

So we ended up both getting home last night and being exhausted and had easy leftovers. I did take about 15 minutes for myself to read last night which was great! Not Eat, Pray, Love but the Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. Tonight should be steak, wine, and a walk!

<br>S

Today's Happy Task: Feeling a little better

2010-10-05T08:27:00.000-05:00

I am feeling a little better today, not great (or even really good) but more functional. Today for my happy task, I want to enjoy a good steak, a glass of wine, and a walk around the block with my man. :-)

Sick Happy Task

2010-10-04T06:41:00.000-05:00

I started not feeling well late Friday night, and have not recovered. My nose won't stop running and my head is pounding. I canceled my first two appointments, but hopefully will make it to my 10:45 one. I'm not sure about the rest of the day.

My happy tasks today is to have a cup of tea this morning and flip through the latest Real Simple magazine I have. :-) That and try to feel better!!!

Today's Happy Task: Recipes!

2010-10-03T06:48:00.000-05:00

Today I want to find 3 yummy recipes from my new cookbook, Cook Yourself Thin, that I want to make this month.

Today's Happy Task

2010-10-02T09:17:00.001-05:00

T is working all day and possibly all night unless he gets sent home sick... so it's just me today! While I have work and such to do, I'm going to try to set a "Happy Task" for myself each day.

Without further ado, today's happy task is:

Read the new book from book club for at least 30 minutes. The book is Eat, Pray, Love :-)

October Goal: Be Happy

2010-10-01T06:30:00.001-05:00

Instead of setting a bunch of goals, I am setting one: BE HAPPY.

This has been a tough week and yesterday was an especially tough day. I need to find a way to get over things faster, to enjoy life more, etc.

So that is my goal for October.

Felt Good, But Not So Much On Paper

2010-09-30T07:15:00.000-05:00

I barely made any of my September goals, but I felt fairly good about this month overall! Funny how that works...

This month flew by; things were way busier than I originally planned. I took over running Special Olympics where I work and that took up a lot of time to figure it out.

Running: I did not run 100 miles, but I did do a little better here and there. I ran close to 30 I think.

Money: As noted in last post I didn't make the <$1000 challenge, but I'm okay with that. I'm going to attempt it again

Business: I have been working on it, more in the first half of the month, but I am making strides. My 1 year plan isn't quite as concrete as I would like, but I have some time to work on it again today.

Home: This is going slow!!! All the weekends away and working. We have things in place and organized. We just need wall decorations.

Social: I did fairly well on this goal! Book club is this Friday (my friend I run it with had to postpone) and I went scrapbooking with a friend. I also went to lunch a little and saw some old friends. I have a couple of friends I need to see that I miss, but they are on the October list!

Cooking: I made a new dish two nights ago! And I found some cooking shows and a cookbook I really like. I did a good amount of cooking, but I need to start using recipes!

Money Oops Lets Do It Again

2010-09-30T07:07:00.001-05:00

Yes I watched Glee this week (if anyone gets the reference!)

So I didn't make my <$1000 on the credit card goal. Not even close actually! I spent a little over $2000. Some of this is to do having unexpected car repairs (including a spare): $300

We had to book hotels and flights for our DC marathon; we opted to stay with family for SF: $600 (just for hotel! We wanted it to be close, and have decide we are financially secure enough to stay at a nicer place)

I decided to sign up for another marathon: $110

All in all I am okay with it. I did almost all the grocery shopping this week and went to lunch a few times at work.

I think I'll go for the <$1000 challenge again next month. We are traveling for two weekends, but will have family around which always helps. :-)

Goal review and October Goals coming up!

Living on Pennies!

2010-09-13T06:19:00.000-05:00

It's only the 13th and I have $245 left for the month. T and I are going to dinner tonight and I have a $25 gift card at least. We are going out of town with T's parents this weekend, so I shouldn't have to pay for much, if anything, for three days. I need the rest of the week to be No Spend Days with the except of gas.

Otherwise, money is good! I just got a new client, so that is good. I think I will be able to hit my new savings goal without any problem.

The main difficulty I am having is running. I had a super busy weekend and allergies were beating me down, so T and I went for about a 2 mile walk last night, but that was it. Therefore, the alarm went off at 5:45, and I'm finishing my tea about to head out the door for a run!

Happy Monday everyone!

Tricky Money Challenge

2010-09-09T21:55:00.000-05:00

Just a quick update...but I didn't realize the room for the wedding hadn't been charged when I reserved it. In summary, 9 days into September and I have charged $620 so far. This is going to take a bit of finesse to stay under $1000! All I know that I'll need is gas, one grocery run, and 1-2 lunch/dinners out for T. (We have some treats planned.)

No splurges this month!!!

California Dreamin'!!!

2010-09-05T12:48:00.000-05:00

T and I are in California this weekend for a wedding of a good friend of mine from high schools. I got to spend yesterday hanging out with old guy friends that I've missed. It's been great so far!

The last week was super busy at work. We had a coworker whose job overlaps with mine leave. She left some big programs unfilled, and I was asked to step in and take over one of them for an extra half days worth of pay for the year. I'm excited about the opportunity (and the pay raise!) T and I have also been talking about how to expand my business more. Life feels like it's picking up and yet I have more social time than usual! It's nice for the most part... but I do need to keep hyper organized, and remember to keep running!

Being in California, where I grew up and love, always makes me think of goals. I would love to be able to live here again or at least visit more often. (I did have an opportunity to move here this summer, a good offer, but we decided against it.)

Things are really good in the money realm. I have paid off my mom, paid off my small mortgage, paid for the trip (which we went over budget for), paid for a new garage door, paying for a new bedroom set, and already have $6000 in my emergency fund. Despite the traveling we have coming up, I still think I can be ambitious and up my e-fund savings goal to $10,000. This gives me more than 3 months living expenses (and many more if T is splitting the mortgage.)

Now, to figure out how to get the rest of life to go that well! I'll brainstorm some ideas while I'm California dreamin'!

September Goals!

2010-09-01T09:16:00.001-05:00

I like the idea of focusing on different areas and setting a goal for each. So here we go!

1) Running: One of the marathons is only a month and a half away so this month has got to be good. I want to follow the plan and run at least 100 miles.

2) Money: Keep credit card <$1000: This is going to be difficult, but I really want to try. We are going to a wedding this weekend which will mean paying for some food and drink, gas, and a gift. However, I am going see some old high school friends and I'm super excited!!!

3) Business: I want to have a more concrete 1 yr plan, and get started on a vague plan for years 2-5 as well.

4) Home: We still need to do more decorating in the master and guest bedrooms. We have pictures to put up and just general organizing to do. That is this month's focus.

5) Cooking: I want to cook three new recipes this month!

6) Social: I have been working so hard to not have to work so much! I want to be social again... I have already signed up to scrapbook with a friend. I want to start up my book exchange club again. I want to have people over for BBQ or dinner at least 2 times. I joined a soccer league as well, so that should be fun!

August Goal Review

2010-09-01T09:12:00.000-05:00

So how did I do with just a little over 2 weeks to complete August goals...

1) Credit Card <$1000 : Success!!! I'm only about $25 under but it's under!

2) Running: Fail. Big time... I ran a total of 22 miles in the last two weeks. As usual, I need to step it up!!

3) Finish September Calendar: done... although it is always changing.

4) Business: I did make a list of some loose ends, and I make some good progress on them. I am working on increasing the business, and I feel good about what I did. :-)

5) Cooking: Well, it depends on how you define cook! I did cook a couple nights, and so did T. However, there were a couple nights, like last night, where we were tired and not very hungry and just had some chips, or a simple quesadilla. Overall, we didn't eat out much which was part of the goal!

6) September Goals: I have them on paper... I just need to type them up!

I feel good about everything in August except the running.

We got a new bedroom set so we've been having fun setting up the room and figuring out what to do with the two other rooms now! We are working on a hodge-podge guest room and it's starting to come together.

Look for September goals shortly!

August Goals

2010-08-16T05:03:00.000-05:00

First, the trip was great! We had a few unexpected things occur and a few chances to do things we would be unlikely to do anywhere else, so we splurged a little. We also picked up some nice gifts for the Moms! So we were almost $1000 over the budget I had hoped to hit, but just under our absolute max budget. As it worked out, the amount over for me personally is on my credit card. We did a liveaboard for scuba diving one night which included room, awesome food, and 7 dives! That leads me to my first goal for the remainder of August

1) Keep Credit Card under $1000: I have about $400 left for the month, and I'll need to get gas a few times and have the pest guy charge of about $150. We just stocked up on groceries so we shouldn't need much more than a quick milk run.

2) Marathon Training: We were very active on the trip, but I didn't actually go for a run ever. (Except through an airport...) I did a little bit at the gym yesterday and need to get back into it. I need to do at least 50 miles in these next two+ weeks.

3) Finish September Calendar for Work: easy enough... I'm through about the 18th.

4) Make a List of Loose Ends for my Business: T and I were talking about how I want to grow my business over the next few years. I'm scared to even think about it because I have so many things I want to improve on first at this level before I move ahead. I need to get those things written down.

5) Cook at least 8 nights: I cooked last night so that's 1. That is me cooking at least half of the remaining nights. T should pick up another few of those, and we sometimes splurge after yoga for Chipotle. I'm also supposed to meet a friend from high school who just moved here for dinner as well.

6) Make September Goals before September Starts!

July Loose Ends

2010-07-20T18:35:00.003-05:00

Since we head out in less than 2 days, I though I'd update on my July goals!

1) August Calendar: DONE! And the first bit of September is completed as well! Gold Star for me!

2) Get rid of caseless CDs!: I kept the ones I wanted and the rest went to Goodwill!

3) Put pictures up in bedroom: We decided to wait until we got back from Thailand so we can include a picture from there, so fail on this one.

4) Get Thailand itinerary worked out: Funny-not-so-funny story, things changed, but we have 3 nights hotels booked, and we might just backpack and wing it! So semi done?

5) Fill out health care applications (for business): Negative...

6) Work on my field related blog: Not yet...

7) RUN MY TAIL OFF!!!: Darn, a little, not really

8) Organize my iTunes and get more good running songs: Got some songs, made a running playlist. That's as far as I got.

9) Organize the office: DONE! And it is AWESOME :-) We have some little things to put on the walls, but the organization part is so much better. We rearranged which helped a lot

Money Challenge No More

2010-07-15T12:31:00.003-05:00

So my goal of <$750 before I leave on my trip did not happen! It was a combination of things. We decided to reorganize the office since we have more room now, so I bought a bookshelf and some bins for that. I also spent a little more on our anniversary (2 years!) than originally planned, but he's worth it! And finally, I found good deals on flights to the marathon in San Francisco so we booked those along with flights to California for a wedding over Labor Day.

Overall, I'm still keeping it down, just now below $750!

I'll shoot for August then!

July Money Challenge

2010-07-05T07:34:00.002-05:00

This month we leave on the 22nd, so I am going to do my <$1000 challenge a little differently. My goal is to keep the credit card purchases under $750. This should be easy. The only difficult part is if I buy my tickets for one of my destination marathons this fall.

Here's to Monday everyone! We ended our 4th with one dog on the porch and the other missing all night. A neighbor found him this morning. I must get a run in today and we have poker night at a friends later. I have a feeling this is going to be one of those really long, but really fast weeks!

July Goals: Cleaning Up Loose Ends

2010-07-02T07:57:00.002-05:00

This is a short month for me in some senses. We leave for our big Thailand trip on the 22nd. So I only really have 3 weeks to get everything done this month!

The "theme" this month is tying up loose ends! So without further ado here are some of the loose ends I need to tie up!

1) August Calendar: We get back the 12th, but I still need to get the whole months schedule for my business (and contractors worked out) It's also transition back into the office job time.

2) Get rid of caseless CDs!

3) Put pictures up in bedroom

4) Get Thailand itinerary worked out

5) Fill out health care applications (for business)

6) Work on my field related blog

7) RUN MY TAIL OFF!!!

8) Organize my iTunes and get more good running songs

9) Organize the office

10) PLAY! :-D

June Goal Review

2010-07-02T07:28:00.003-05:00

I set some goals for June that were work-life balance based. Let's see how I did!

"Work"
1) Birthdays: Pass with honors! I rocked this one... this included hiding a giant grill in one of the bedroom closets! My credit card definitely has some side effects though...

2) Following running training plan 25 of 30 days: Fail! Oops... started out pretty good, kept it up in California, then it just fell away. Getting back on that horse for July.

3) Pay $1500 to small mortgage: PASS Still waiting for some work checks, but already put $500. I should be able to accomplish this without any problems

4) $2000 to savings: PASS This will be close... due to all the birthdays. Again, I'm still waiting for some work checks to come in. I will definitely put a $1000 into savings and hopefully the full $2000.

5) Get at least halfway through my online literature class FAIL I did nothing. Doh

"Life"
1) Read 4 books PASS I think I read at least 6 books! 3 Jodi Picoults, one field related book, The Happiness Project, and I think there was one more somewhere!

2) Go tubing at least once. FAIL but not our fault, for most of the month tubing was closed due to flooding.

3) Go hiking 10 times SEMI PASS We didn't make it 10 times, but I did do 3 great walks with my mom and at least 5 hikes with with bf and dogs.

4) Cook 3 new recipes SEMI PASS I did 2!

5) Play with dogs (walk, fetch out back, etc.) 20 of 25 days: FAIL I probably did closer to half of the days... which is an improvement but still not where I want to be!

2010 Goals Update Part 3

2010-06-08T23:17:00.002-05:00

And for the final two goals. These were a bit more complex...

Goal #9: Streamline My Work : B
Personal business, I am getting better as staying on top of things. I have a plan to have one of my contractors take on a bigger role, and T set me up with a billing software. I have semi organized paperwork, but I still need to work on that. I have a good idea of where I want my business to go, but I need to hammer out a more detailed plan.

Office work is chaos but not too bad. I organized a bunch of files, and I feel pretty good about things for next year. I need to get in there a little before school just so I feel ahead of things. I have a list of things to get running on as soon as the year starts again.

However, I still have a long way to go before I feel like either is a well-oiled machine!

Goal #10: Organize My Life : C+

Two steps forward, one step back, fall asleep and forget to move at all. I think that adequately describes how I feel about this goal.

The sub-goal to not work past 7:30pm comes and goes. Overall, I have been doing better, but then I'll get super overwhelmed and be up half the night.

Being early. Gosh I want to accomplish this one, but I'm so bad about it. I think I need to just keep a book with me at all times, and take those few minutes as personal time. I'm looking into getting a Kindle... so that would help!

Gathering Goodwill and trash... I think I did the best on this one! I almost constantly have a Goodwill pile going, and I'm on a missing to clean out. I scanned a ton of articles from graduate school, so I don't have to keep the paper versions anymore. I'm on a minimizing kick! T is also starting to join the bandwagon.

Processing incoming papers. I am getting better at this. I try to sort my inbox about once a month now, but I still need to figure out a more permanent solution.

So there are all my goals so far. Wish me luck!!!

2010 Goals Update Part 2

2010-06-08T18:19:00.003-05:00

Without further ado, goals #5-#8

Goal #5: Wear More Jewelry : B+
I have really made a conscious effort on this one! I am trying to find fun jewelry that goes along with what I am wearing. I also organized my jewelry which makes this much easier. I do default to my favorite when life gets busy, but I think that's reasonable.

Goal #6: Increase Engagement with T : C+
::Sigh:: This should be my main priority, but life just seems to get in the way. I am trying, I'm just not very successful yet. :-( However, I am constantly thinking about this and with the roomies gone, we have much more time to ourselves which helps.

Goal #7: Be More Social : B-
We started up our Sunday BBQ's again. I finally made it scrapbooking again with girlfriends. Happy hours are harder, but when I have a cancellation, I've tried to sneak in meeting a friend for coffee or something similar. I need to make a list of those I must get together with so I don't like time take over!

Goal #8: Save Money : B+
So far I have already paid for my flight and T's, so that should be only ~$500-1000 max more for me for our big trip this summer.

Even assuming $1000, that still leave me with $2000 in savings. Not quite 3 months income, but it will get there.

I have had 3 months so far keeping expenditures under $1000: February, March, and May. Right on track!

My small mortgage is down to $2500. That will be paid off this summer!

2010 Goal Review Part 1

2010-06-08T18:16:00.005-05:00

Here is review of my 2010 goals. This will be split into 3 posts. Please leave comments and feedback!

Goal #1: Spend More Time With Dogs : D+
Overall, I failed at this one. Since the roomies moved out I have made much more of a conscious effort to spend some time with them each day. Usually we go outside and play quasi-fetch! Hopefully, we'll start getting more walks in too. In May I took them on a few runs with me as well.

Goal #2: Pay off House Debt to Mom (by April) : A!
I paid this debt off in March! I am continuing to make monthly payments for student loans as well. Hopefully I will up those in the fall.

Goal #3: Get in Better Shape : C+
While I did try to run more, it was sporadic at best. Going gluten-free did help, but that wasn't enough. T and I made a habit of going to yoga once a week at the gym (a strength training based yoga). Overall, I need to establish a more consistent routine for getting in shape.

Goal #4: Explore More Foods : C
We have been cooking more variety of foods, but do fall back on the old standards. Going gluten free has increased my food variety and exploration some! I am trying to focus on this one more this summer, since we finally have the house to ourselves. Going out to eat we didn't do well... we need to find new restaurants!

June Goals: Work-Life Balance

2010-06-01T10:38:00.002-05:00

One of my major focuses this year is achieving a better Work-Life Balance. To honor that goal, this month's goals are separated into "Work" type goals and "Life" type goals. Feedback is welcome!

"Work"
1) Birthday: brother, mom, and T's. His is the big one for I need to figure out my plan of attack and execute. Luckily, I have until the end of the month!

2) Following running training plan 25 of 30 days

3) Pay $1500 to small mortgage

4) $2000 to savings

5) Get at least halfway through my online literature class

"Life"
1) Read 4 books (I started one last night, but that counts in June! I only read a chapter!)

2) Go tubing at least once. Yay summer!

3) Go hiking 10 times

4) Cook 3 new recipes

5) Play with dogs (walk, fetch out back, etc.) 20 of 25 days

Look for a update on my year long goals as well as information on some big changes at my house happening today in fact!

<$1000 Challenge?

2010-05-18T05:53:00.002-05:00

So I originally thought I would do an <$1000 on the credit card challenge minus the tickets for our Thailand trip this summer. (Yay we bought tickets!) Just over halfway through the month I'm easily at $700. I know I have another $50 on a gift card for a friends wedding. Plus I have my brother's bday and his girlfriends in the next two weeks. I am going to try my best though! The only debate I have is whether I can not count gas over memorial weekend when I am going to a conference. I will get mileage reimbursement and per diem, so I think I will still satisfy the challenge if I remove those things. Perhaps I'm just justifying!

A lot of the money this month has been spent on treating friends out, the bf's brother, a movie. Nothing too extraneous, just more eating out than necessary.

In other news, our roommates are moving out this month. This will increase our monthly expenses for the mortgage and bills, not quite doubling it. But the amount of sanity and serenity it will bring to my life is well worth it. My job is good; my business is going well. I will be more productive with room in the house... it's time. :-)

1 Happy Things for Me A Day

2010-04-27T08:34:00.002-05:00

One of my favorite personal blogs is Well-Heeled. She has a post up about squeezing more time out of her day and one suggestion is doing one happy things for herself each day. This is something my guy is always trying to tell me to do. I'm a bit of an over-achiever who tends to set unrealistic expectations for what I can accomplish in a day.

So I'm going to adopt this one happy thing a day mantra of sorts...

Today's: Going to read for a good 15 minutes in my current book.

Yesterday was my birthday... I turned a grand 27! I'll be posting more about that later!

Refinance Complete!

2010-04-18T08:03:00.002-05:00

On the second closing attempt, I signed my closing paper for refinancing. Our goal was to make our monthly payment as low as possible and I think we achieved that!

Money is doing well... now I am working on how to best allocate it. I won't be under $1000 this month. There is already a good $200-$250 that is donations/charity race sign ups. And the last three nights we went out to dinner. (Need to slow that down!)

My credit card goal this month is going to be to keep it under the old mortgage payment amount, since I won't have a mortgage payment due in May. I think I can manage that!

I am working on relaxing a little more. I'm still not great at it. On foot doctor's orders, I have started some yoga to work on stretching my legs out, and it's not as bad as I thought.

The Project M-31: Simplify Your Life in 30 Days at The Minimalist Path is going slowly!

I have done a couple of the days, but we haven't done them all yet! I will give an update on that soon as well!

Happy Sunday everyone!

Day 3: Vehicle

2010-04-08T07:18:00.002-05:00

As you may remember, last week I started doing Project M-31: Simplify Your Life in 30 Days at The Minimalist Path.

Last Tuesday, I was supposed to attack my car! Now I need to explain something. With my office job I am still traveling between about 6 different sites. With my business I travel even further between more sites. Given the population I work with I need certain materials in my car. So the complete minimalists in the car concept just doesn't work for my career. That aside, I spent a day last week on Saturday when I cleaned out my car. I went through the glove compartment. I cleaned out under the seats, in pockets, etc. It was fantastic!!! I did everything but only put in the minimalist items.

Then yesterday, I got my oil changed and they vacuumed the car. I feel much more calm in my car so I'll count that as a success!

So I have completed Day 2 and Day 3 so far! Look for more posts soon!

Lots of Appointsments Made

2010-04-06T08:11:00.002-05:00

Less than a week ago, I posted my Big To Do's for April.

So far I have already completed the following:

* Make a dentist appointment for me (I've told T, but he's technically on his own. I did buy us new toothbrushes and flossers though!)

* Scheduled my annual doctor's with a doc who can give referrals for all things (including gastro)

* Scheduled an appointment with a foot specialist

* Got my oil changed this morning!

* Set up my online account to pay the government electronically (so part way on that one)

Feels GOOD!

Credit Card Challenge Thoughts

2010-04-05T08:05:00.001-05:00

I was looking through my credit card statement last month when I successfully kept it under $1000.

And I realized...
That wasn't very hard!

I bought groceries, lots of gas, two gifts, two cheap bracelets for myself, AND even spent over $200 on clothes.

And I still made it!

Now this month we should be buying our tickets for Thailand, which will be around $1000 alone. But perhaps taking out plane tickets I can still say under $1000.

Perhaps instead of it being a challenge, it should be the norm.

March Money Update

2010-04-02T06:23:00.002-05:00

I did it!

Even with spending a little over $200 on clothes (Friends & Family time at Gap, Inc.!) and buying one of my friends an early graduation gift, I still came in under $1000.

So excited!

I am set to refinance next week as well, and apparently I'm unique in that I want to bring extra money to closing to pay down the loan amount.

Things are good in that department!

April Goals Coming Soon

Monday: Clean a Junk Drawer

2010-03-31T13:06:00.002-05:00

When I was a kid, I remember staying up way too late and secretly cleaning out my junk drawer when I couldn't sleep. Don't ask me why...

So when the first task was to clean the junk drawer, I was a little excited. This is a task I've been meaning to do! Our junk drawer is a small drawer in the kitchen. It's full of JB Weld, dog flea and heartworm stuff, pens, pencil, notepads, recipe calendar pages, and more.

I spent about 10 minutes cleaning it. While I definitely didn't eliminate <10% of the stuff as instructed, I did get rid of at least half of it. Part of it isn't mine, so I feel bad just throwing it out. Also, all the pens worked and notepads are always being used in the house.

Am I justifying? Perhaps, but I still feel better having cleaned the drawer!

Big To Do's for April

2010-03-31T09:37:00.002-05:00

There are a couple things that I have just been putting off, so here's what I need to get taken care of!

* Dentist for T and I
* Annual check up for me (and get gastro referral)
* Oil change
* 60K mile check up
* Back to the gym!

* get foot checked out
* Figure out and pay quarterly taxes

I'll go through my March Goals later and a year long goal update too!

Starting to Simplify! PROJECT-31

2010-03-29T06:59:00.000-05:00

And so I begin Project 31 today... Here are my first 5 days...

Monday: Day 2 - Junk Drawer

Tuesday: Day 3 - Vehicle

Wednesday: Day 4 - Night Stands and End Tables (This for me will be dresser and two entrance tables)

Thursday: Day 5 - Start Thinking Differently

Friday: Day 8 - Collections

Project M-31: Simplify Your Life in 31 Days

2010-03-28T17:52:00.001-05:00

As I have mentioned before, I'm participating in the Manage Your Money Challenge over at Enemy of Debt. Well, I won a prize this week!!! I won the bonus prize which was a free copy of Project M-31: Simplify Your Life in 30 Days at The Minimalist Path

Basically, this is a 31 Day Guide on how to simplify your life simply! Perfect... since I love the idea of getting my life in order, and one of my New Year Resolutions was to Organize My Life more... this was the ideal prize for me.

So I started to go through it... and was excited to find that some things I have already simplified or just don't need to. These lucky six are:

Day 6: Travel Packing - I am known for my ability to travel light. I have even taught one of my roommates how to do so. I spent 80 days backpacking Europe with 40 pounds on my back, and got rid of extra stuff as I went. I even have a box in the closet of travel things. So I am good on that one!

Day 7: Bathroom Drawers - Completely randomly, two weekends ago, I decided to clean out the whole vanity. T had already redone the medicine cabinets and one other drawer so I attacked the rest (and some of my closet). Those are all nice and organized now. I still could do my jewelry, but that's a different story, for a different day...

Day 13: Storage Unit - Don't have one! Go me! We barely have anything in the attic either! (and remember, the garage wholes the stuff of 4 adults and still fits my car.)

Day 14: Finances - We just switched my Roth and SEP to a new company, all my other accounts are organized. I'm in the process of refinancing. I have minimal credit cards... I'm good!

Day 21: Paper & Plastic - This one is about cleaning out plastic bags and using the reusable bags. I have a couple of the reusable ones, and I keep some in my car! So check on that one! I do need to go recycle some of our plastic bags at the house, but we do try to use them around the house.

Day 27: Latte - I only let myself go get one if I have a gift card (that I got as a gift) to spend. So I'm good on that one! I used to only let myself if I was going to sit there and work for at least an hour. (I'm more productive there compared to at home.)

I also had to do a little rearranging for some things (like cleaning my desk/office area) that I know I'll need more than just an evening for. In the next post, I'll put up the first five tasks I'm working on!

March Money Update

2010-03-25T04:19:00.003-05:00

It's March 25th, do you know where your money is?!

Some quick money updates:
- The <$1000 money budget is going well... I have just over $100 left for the month. I know I'll need to get gas at least once. This included a HUGE grocery shopping trip.

- I am refinancing my house!!! Yay! I qualify for the HARP program so it is nice and easy. T's and my goal is to put some extra towards the principal so I can refinance for the smallest amount possible... thus making our monthly payment as small as possible. (And for anyone who is wondering, the mortgage is still entirely just in my name.)

- I am sending the last of the small amount I owe my mom today! That's an extra $200/mo I will have. (Although I have sent $3600 this year to her!)

- We moved my IRA and are in the process of moving my SEP. T is teaching me about investing more.

Also, I won a contest recently for a cool simplify your life book... I will start that probably this weekend, and I am going to chronicle my progress here!

Make it a great day! (yes, this is from the person who got up at 3:30am)

Still Dark!

2010-03-16T07:30:00.002-05:00

Although it was nice to have it stay dark a little later last night, I'm really not sure how I feel about it still being DARK at 7:30am. Wow does that make it hard to get up and get work done.

I'm a morning productive person; I ignored it for years, but slowly, during college, learned to accept it. Once the sun goes down, I'm pretty much useless. Perhaps this light later thing will help; I can still be productive in the morning when it's dark...

Perhaps I just need to work less ;-)

Fraud

2010-03-15T11:03:00.002-05:00

A little over a week ago I discovered fraud on my checking account... because I mainly use one bank that means they had to reissue EVERYTHING! So for over a week now I have been without a credit card...which is good and bad. It is annoying when I have to get gas. I had to do that today and go inside. "$20 on #1 please!" Seems like forever since I had to do that.

I also have spent $20 on dinner out with my old roomie who was in town for a week. We had a blast just running, playing dominoes with our elderly neighbors and relaxing when possible.

My credit card shows $270 right now, and I have spent that $40 in cash as well. My phone bill bounced on autopay so as soon as I get a new card that will be another ~$85.

I'm still just under $400 which is exciting given the month is half over!

This whole no credit card things has really kept my spending to a minimum, since I hate spending cash! Luckily, T was nice enough to pay me part of his rent in cash, so I could have some as needed.

The spending challenging is going well, now if I could just control the to do list!!!

Mangage Your Money Challenge

2010-03-09T17:11:00.001-06:00

I'm participating in the Manage Your Money Challenge over at Enemy of Debt.
We had to talk about how our partner and I feel about money and accountibility to each other. Here was my answer:

We have lots of discussions of money; he is more of a spender because he works hard and wants a higher level of life. He is more of a risk taker and investor of sorts, whereas I am more of a frugalist and saver. (However, I am the one with the house!)

What He Wants: He wants to be able to travel, have a nice house, be able to buy me things because he sees them and thinks I would like them. Luckily, my tastes are not very high end (i.e. Target having a budget category). He wants to not have to worry about if he has enough money to go out to dinner, or catch a movie one night. He wants to work because he gets something out of it and not just money. He wants to be able to give his children what he had and better (without spoiling!)

What I Want: I hate debt of all kind and I love my job in education, so I work more on the saving end. Like him, I am big on traveling and am willing to scrimp in other areas in order to do so. I want to be able to provide my children with all necessities and give them experiences and opportunities in life. I want to have enough money that I would feel secure to work less when I have children.

To Sum It Up: I’m a spend less, he’s a make more! Together we can be quite a powerful force!

As far as accountability, we are both responsible, paying off balances in full each month. If I need to borrow money or vice versa it’s never an issue. Things are split pretty fairly. I tell him when I am trying to keep my budget at a certain point, and he will tell me how much we need to save for upcoming travel. He is teaching me how to invest my money. We balance well.

For example, after the gym last night, I had planned on cooking dinner. He wanted to stop at Chipotle, so he paid.

March Money!

2010-03-01T15:42:00.001-06:00

Despite March being a long month, I am going to attempt the <$1000 on the credit card challenge again!

Here are last month's numbers:

Gas: $126 - this will be higher in march due to work ($200)

Dining Out: $151 - This will probably be the same ($150)

Groceries: $92 - this will likely go up with more days and our stock running low ($150)

Gifts: $214 - this should go way down ($50)

Target: $90 - this should also go down, all I kinda want is rain boots (into Misc for
March)

Misc: $92 - this should go down since I got the purse I needed, for march I'll have $190 not assigned

Phone: $80 - this stays the same ($80)

Gym: $75 - stays the same need to go more! ($75)

Taxes: $81 - no more!

So let's keep it under $1000!

So far I have spent $85 on a gift and some necessary home stuff

February Goal Review

2010-03-01T09:22:00.002-06:00

I had a few lofty goals for February! Let's see how I did...

1) Credit Card <$1000: This one is super close... I went about $20 over, but I bought my roomie's bday present for April (~$45) and had one meal that someone gave me cash for their portion. I am going to count that as a SUCCESS!

2) Running Plan: FAIL...big time. I did well the first two weeks, then it all went downhill from there. I am working 8am-11pm today, so running will not happen. Starting tomorrow however, I will get moving again.

3) Taxes: DONE! and refund received!

4) Organize Office: We made a TON of progress on this. While it's not perfect, we cleaned through a lot, and got rid of things, and found places for others. While I didn't completely success, I made a lot of progress.

5) March Calendar: It's done!

Contests around the BlogWorld!

2010-02-22T11:19:00.002-06:00

Well-Heeled is doing a $100 Amazon gift card giveaway! She is all fired about about Mr. Rebates so check that site out as well!

There was a contest from Krystal at Give Me Back My Five Bucks, but it seems to have disappeared...check later I guess!

Old 2009 Goal Complete!

2010-02-20T15:35:00.002-06:00

Thanks to my tax return and T's insistance, I just fully funded my 2009 Roth IRA!

The under 1K credit card challenge is going well! It will be close, but I should make it!

So Busy...

2010-02-19T14:21:00.002-06:00

My brother and his girlfriend were in town for a long weekend. It was an absolute blast and I loved having them here, but now I'm playing major catch up.

I feel like I'm always busy... I try to plan in break time and then something comes up and there goes relaxation time!

I know its hard on T, but he is being so supportive; I really appreciate it. Now to just find the time to let him know how much I appreciate it!

I need to keep working on streamlining my work... it's getting better but it's not quite there yet. And I don't think I ever posted my #10 resolution: Organize my life!

On a happy note, in preparation for our visitors, we SUPER cleaned the house. I did a lot of organizing in the office. It's not perfect yet, but it's SO much better. We are making a conscious effect to keep it as nice as we got it! We've been doing well so far! I also took a big old bag to goodwill and a bunch of old VHS and DVDs. I also took a bunch of books to the used book store. (And only came back with one that is semi job related.)

Here's to life calming down soon!!!

Taxes Done!!!

2010-02-08T13:58:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I felt awful, so while T went to a Super Bowl party I stayed home and finished my taxes. Thanks to putting solar panels on this year, I am getting quite a large refund back! Woohoo :-)

First thing it will be used for it paying the small loan I owe my mom. Then some will go towards a new garage door and towards my small mortgage. I still will have enough to beef up my savings a little.

This makes my money stress level go down quite a bit. However, I am still trying to spend minimal this month.

Money Update

2010-02-04T13:39:00.002-06:00

So I've spent about $80 in groceries last night, which should last most of the month. T should get the rest for the month. I also spent about $50 for rodeo/concert tickets for the 4 of us when my brother and his girlfriend visit Valentine's Day weekend. The trip is part of a late college graduation gift for him.

I also forgot about my gym membership... it's $75/month. Before anyone gets flabbergasted over the price, I do have some justifications! I went to a different gym before that was half the price, but T went to the fancier one. I finally switched and got about $150 in gym money to use on their spa (massages and facials for us!), and they have a MUCH nicer facility. There is an indoor 24 hour lap pool, many more machines, more (and better) classes, and an outdoor pool area. There is also a good little cafe and they have all different activities going on. Given that T goes there, I definitely go more and we get time to go together.

Hopefully this weekend will be a no spend weekend. T is working Saturday and I am working most of the day and going scrapbooking that night. I already paid to go scrapbooking and I'm not going to by anything there. Sunday is just relaxing and cleaning and watching a little Superbowl. I have a lot of work to catch up on, so I should take care of most of that as well.

Anyone else having a no spend weekend?

Interval Success!

2010-02-02T20:49:00.002-06:00

I went to the gym tonight with the goal of doing 7 X 400s at an 8mi mile pace. That's 2 minutes per 400. I gave myself a minute walking work up and 1 minute intervals between each 400. I walked the intervals at a 3.5mph pace. I wasn't sure if I could do it, but I was determined to give it a shot!

And guess what?!

I DID IT! It was awesome :-)

Just to keep everyone updated... with tonight's 1.75 in fast intervals, but I jogged out the remaining .25 after...

Mileage Goal: 22/1000

T working = Productive Laura

2010-02-02T17:47:00.003-06:00

T is working a 24 hour shift that started at 7pm tonight. I try to use the time when he is working to be super productive so I have less to do when he's there! Oh the fun of owning your own business.

Here's tonight's To Do List:
1) Collect and take out trash
2) Finish Lit Assign #1
3) Do Lit Assign #2
4) Type notes from office today
5) Do laundry! (completed 8:45pm)
6) Make pile of books for little brother to go through when he visits (completed 8:30pm)
7) Do scheduled training run (completed 7pm)
8) Figure out dinner for Wed.
9) More pick up in office!

Working Out Therapy

2010-02-02T17:14:00.002-06:00

I forget how good working out makes me feel. Since I finally have a plan, and I am starting to feel a little control over my life, I've been making time for the gym more. I feel SO GOOD after a great workout. I have been trying some new classes at the gym and I'm determined to stick to my half marathon training plan.

Last night, I got the gym in time to do a fast-ish 2.5 miles (24 minutes; 9:36 pace) before a 30 minute core class, then I did the remaining 1.5. Normally that remaining 1.5 would not have happened.

Tonight I'm going to do 7 X 400 (.25 mile sprints, seven times with walking or light jogging in between) I'm hoping to do them at a 8min/mile pace.

I have started cleaning out too... I have a bag full of mainly clothes to go to GoodWill. I have some books to sell on amazon. I posted them up this weekend and sold two for a total of $21.57 already. The only money I have spent was getting gas on Monday and the two post office charges.

I think this is going to be a good month :-) How is your February looking?

Half Marathon Training Plan

2010-02-01T07:47:00.002-06:00

I have 8 weeks until my half marathon and I really need a plan. I have semi used Hal Higdon in the past and I'm a fan! Given that, I am going to use (and just slightly modify for my schedule) his intermediate half marathon training plan.

Today: 4mi run
Tuesday: 7 X 400 at 5K pace
Wednesday: Fitness Pilates (unless I have a meeting, then just stretching at home)
Thursday: 3 mi run + strength
Friday: rest, or strength
Saturday: 3 miles
Sunday: 8 miles

I'm excited!

February Goals

2010-01-31T16:33:00.002-06:00

Without further ado, here are my February Goals:

1) Credit Card charges of less than $1000: Everything goes on my credit card, except my mortgage, IRA payment, and electric bill (and sometimes gas.)

2) Develop a running plan that involves running 5k per week and follow it!!! (Follow it meaning at least get out there and run. If I don't actually run the whole mileage plan, I at least walk it or make the distance in the following day or two)

3) Get my taxes done! I should have a refund, so that's motivation.

4) Get office ORGANIZED... this is a huge undertaking, but I desperately need to do it.

5) Have March calendar planned out

And of course, I'll keep tabs on the 2010 goals as well...

February's Focus: Money!

2010-01-29T14:01:00.003-06:00

The last two months, I have spent way more money than usual. While most of the big expenses were ones I don't regret, I still need to reign it in and revamp my sayings. I wrote about my money stress in more detail here.

So in February, I am going to really watch my spending. My brother is coming to town and I know there will be a few expenses with that, but my mom has offered to take the four of us to a nice dinner as our Valentine's Day gift. I am going to work on cleaning out the pantry instead of buying food, eating at home more, maybe having a few game nights, and just keeping the money side low key.

I'll keep updates on my progress here. Thanks for any support!

Goal #10: Organize my Life

2010-01-29T13:52:00.002-06:00

Truth be told, I'm a wanna be Type A person... on the grand scheme, I'm more Type A than not, but I end up over-scheduling and things just get out of hand. For this goal, I've spent most of the month trying to figure out how exactly to quantify this. Do I write goal of concrete things to do; or is it more a goal of "when I can do X without having to worry/reschedule" It's probably going to be a little of both. This is also going to be something that I need to continually work on. I want to set up systems to keep things organized, but I can't seem to find the time to. (Go figure!)

So here are some of my general goals to go with it:

a) No working past 7:30pm. This is usually the latest any of my private business goes to, and I need to stay onto of work so I don't procrastinate and end up working half the night. This will also allow for more time for T and I.

b) Be everywhere 5-10 minutes early: This one has not happened in January, so I need to focus on it now. I will get up plenty early and end up bustling around around just trying to get ONE more thing done. Then I'm late. I'm not usually super late that it has effected my job or anything, but just enough that it drives me nuts.

c) Each month gather one trash bag of Goodwill and one of trash

d) Find a better way to organize incoming papers... I had an inbox but I only cleaned it out every few months (read: 9 months?!)

I think I also need specific goals and parts of the house to work on each month:

January: Bathroom & Bedroom; we re-cleaned out the bathroom and go that back together, but the bedroom still has a ways to go. That's on this weekends agenda.

February: Office!!! (this is the worst!)

I just want to not feel overwhelmed like I do so much of the time!!! Any suggestions are welcomed, encouraged!!!

Goal #9: Streamline My Work

2010-01-19T17:02:00.003-06:00

I have spent a lot of time trying to figure out how exactly to accomplish this goal. My private business is rather small, just me and a couple of independent contractors. This year I have a couple of things I need to get, including insurance and looking at what would be needed to turn my contractors into employees. I also would like to offer a few more things with my business.

Office job wise I just found out I am doing a great job this year, but of course, I feel like I could always do better. My office is a bit of a mess right now and I really need to come up with a way to keep myself organized. I think I have mastered using my outlook calendar, but now it's a matter of keeping track of everything else!

In order to accomplish this goal, I decided I needed monthly goals instead of a yearly one.

January: Business:
1) Make new invoices and timesheets that are pre-filled in as much as possible for the first 6 month
2) Pick one client per month to provide a yearly report

January: Office:
1) Clean out drawers with random papers and file them
2) Sort through and organize the new set of materials I just received

Living Paycheck to Paycheck

2010-01-19T12:33:00.003-06:00

I had a fun realization this month that I am, at the moment, living paycheck to paycheck. There are a number of factors contributing to this: paid for solar panels this month, christmas, travel during christmas, scuba lessons, paying for flights for my brother and his girlfriend to come visit, an unexpected interview trip I had to buy a flight for, paying my business quarterly payment, going on an extended vacation this month, and not working half of Dec. These factors have all left me scrambling a little bit to make all of my payments this month.

Lucky for me, I not only live with an amazing man who was willing to give me February's rent early, but I am still able to pay all my bills and not go into any debt. Yes, technically I'm fine, nothing will default. However, this has really shocked me into revisiting a budget and fully concentrating on my savings.

So I have looked ahead, we get back next week and I shouldn't have any additional costs once we get back except gas. I am going to start to try having no spent days and focus on keeping my costs as low as possible. I'm also going to try and get my taxes done as I should have a refund coming my way. Finally, I'm going through my house and looking for things to sell and give away.

Any suggestions? What strategies have you used to go on a money diet after a bit of binging?!

Weekly To Do's: Jan 18-21

2010-01-18T11:26:00.006-06:00

Around midnight Thursday we are heading off on our vacation... between now and then there is a lot to get done!! Here's the list of private business and personal To Do's:

1) Get February private business calendar hammered out (completed 2/18)

2) Start 30 Day Shred (schedule for Monday or Tuesday) - due to being sick, putting this on hold

3) Finish posting remaining two goals for 2010

4) Get in some quality dog time!

5) PACK!

6) Reserve our place to stay on vacation

7) Go through pile on coffee table and process (this involves a couple of small mailings, some magazines, business cards for emails) (finished 2/18)

8) Get all invoices for private for the first half of the year prepped

9) At office, start working on next big presentation (mid-Feb.)

10) Mail in car registration check/form (completed 2/19)

11) Return dive equipment (completed 2/19)

12) Mail out 1099's for private business - I can do 3, the rest are back ordered...

Goal #8: Save Money

2010-01-15T09:48:00.003-06:00

This past year involved a lot of house projects and some unexpected travel (due to sad family events) instead of much savings. While I'm not in any debt outside of my mom and my mortgage. I want to amp of the savings this year.

Mini-Goals:
1) Save $2500 towards a Thailand trip (my best friend will be in China this summer)

2) Increasing emergency fund savings to $5000

3) Have 6 months where my credit card statement is under $1000 (I put EVERYTHING on my credit card, phone bills, gas, etc. since I get cash back rewards.)

4) Pay off my small mortgage

These will be attacked at varying intensity. First I am focusing on paying off my little loan to my mom, next is the small mortgage & travel. The fall will be hardcore saving time.

Goal #7: Be More Social!

2010-01-15T09:04:00.003-06:00

This last fall killed my social calendar. I felt like I was always having to get work done or study. My goal if having people over a couple times a month went out the door. The only person I really had energy to be a bit social with was T. I'm hoping that changes this year

Mini-Goals:

1) Meet up with friends 1x/week (even if that means taking a walk with one of the roommates)

2) Go out with friends at night at least 2x/month

3) Have people over 1x/month (at least!)

4) Go to 75% of work happy hours

Progress so far:
1) um, have in the other categories, but not so much this one; part of that is scuba lessons on the weekends

2) We went out for a friends birthday this week for dinner and trivia, so that's 1!

3) We have a game night scheduled for the 30th :-)

4) 1/1 so far!

Goal #6: Increased Engagement with T

2010-01-14T11:53:00.003-06:00

The fall was tough for T and I. I was overly busy and he got left to the side a little. I want to really focus on strengthening our relationship even more and making sure he always knows how I feel about him.

Mini-Goals:

1) Date night out 2x/month

2) Show love everyday

3) Send love (email/text) Mon-Fri

4) Do something new together 1x/mo

Goal Updates:
I went for a 2 mile run yesterday at a 9:36 pace! Hey, it's a start! And we're going to the gym tonight.

Getting Better

2010-01-13T12:04:00.002-06:00

The week has gotten better. I am feeling a bit more on top of things. The presentation is going well. T and I are good...

In fact today is our 18 month anniversary. I have a special dinner at the fancy all you can eat beef place in town! He was sweet; first thing he said to me was happy anniversary.

I am getting the last of my 2010 goals hammered out and should post them shortly. I'm excited about some of the ideas I have in store.

Also, on the work front, I just found out some interesting information regarding a coworker who could be leaving. This means there's a chance I could be bumped to full time (I'm at 80%) It would be perfect timing.

Now all that is left is to catch up on sleep and resume running! I'm planning on a quick 2 miler before I stuff myself at dinner!

Yesterday's To Do: FAIL!

2010-01-12T14:02:00.002-06:00

Let's try again today... so far it's been fairly productive. I had to rearrange my schedule a bit today, but it all worked out.

My presentation is done, copied and all! So all I have to do is show up tomorrow now :-)

We still need to book our hotel for our upcoming vacation and I need to start on the organizing the room and office.

Most of all, I need to sleep...

Goal #5: Wear More Jewelry

2010-01-11T15:51:00.002-06:00

So this might be a little silly of a goal, but I have more than my share of unique and beautiful jewelry that I have gotten as gifts or gotten on travels. However, more often than not, I just wear studs in my ears (I have two holes in each ear) and the necklace I got for T & my 1 year anniversary. In fact, my boss even told me I should start wearing more "Bling" instead of just my romantic pretty stuff.

So one goal is to vary up my jewelry.

Mini-Goals:

1) Wear at least 3 difference necklaces a week.

2) Wear fun earrings at least 2 days a week.

Left To Do Today

2010-01-11T15:46:00.004-06:00

1) Update a client's file
2) Rough powerpoint for presentation at work
3) 5 minute room clean up
4) 5 minute office clean up
5) Update another client's file
6) Email a client
7) Book hotel for vacation in 1 1/2 weeks!
8) Relax with T

Tough First Week Back

2010-01-11T08:53:00.003-06:00

I'm exhausted... this first week back from winter vacation has run me completely down. Feeling like this is tough, since I pride myself on being a productive person. I just can't seem to get anything done when I need to. I know a number of things are contributing: lack of sleep, body adjusting to the gluten free diet, two days of scuba lessons (over 8 hours of pool time) this weekend, crazy busy at office job, attempting to clean house, and not having much time left over for T or myself.

This all culminated in a long talk last night with T regarding ways in which we aren't satisfied or happy. I hate those conversations despite knowing they are necessary at times. I just feel so drained after, and that feeling is hard to shake.

I hope this week is better, T woke up with me this morning super earlier which made me smile.

I'll post my To Do's for the week shortly.

On the exercise front, giving all the in the pool scuba diving I did combined with subfreezing weather, I didn't head out to the gym or around the block with the dogs.

On the dog front, they didn't want to be outside either! Until we gave them the bone from our steaks last night; then they wouldn't come back in!

Here's to a better week...