Achieving Resolutions: Work

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

December 30, 2012 UPDATE: These are hard to measure as the business has taken turns even greater than I expected! I think I may have come close on the first goal. I was able to be gone for two weeks for my grandfather's passing and basically not work and everything be fine. We went from 5 on staff to starting 2013 with 17!  Had we not chosen to open a large facility in a great location I think I would have made goal two without any problem. Instead, the business is in debt! But it's a good thing in some senses... now it's going to be gazelle focus to pay it off!

Achieving Resolutions: Relationships

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!

December 30, 2012 UPDATE: For number (1) we managed just over 100... quite short of the goal. This will be repeated for 2013. Number (2) should be repeated as well... and not just rekindle but make some new friends as well. We've started hanging out with some new couples, whose company I enjoy!

Achieving Resolutions: Personal

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.

December 30, 2012 UPDATE: This past year was not a good year on the personal side... I bailed on two half marathons and one full marathon, and never signed up for the Tri. I have just started running again despite doing a 10K, full marathon, 10 miler, and a half marathon since October (and a whole 5 miles outside of those races!) I did run the marathon with true enjoyment, running when I wanted, walking when I wanted, and it wasn't my slowest yet! This year needs to be a big focus on self-care and relationship care. 

Resolutions?

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?!

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

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

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!