This post is a bit overdue, huh? But better late than never!
NOTE: these posts ALWAYS end up being sooo long, so I apologize in advance!
Last year, as the end of 2019 was approaching, before we got the news about my dad’s cancer coming back and when the idea of a global pandemic was unimaginable, I saw something floating around the interwebs about setting 20 goals for 2020. Instead of normal resolutions, you create a list of 20 things to work on in 2020. These could be goals with measurable results, or habits to adopt (or to say adios to), etc, etc, etc. I liked this idea, so I worked on writing a list.
If you’ve been with me for a bit, you may recall my previous approach to New Year’s resolutions, giving myself freedom to continue goofing off until my birthday at the end of January. Then I’d buckle down and start tackling goals and such. This year was different, of course. I was more focused on spending as much time with my dad as I could, praying he’d make it to my birthday (which, he did). When he passed away in late February, goals were the farthest thing from my mind. And then of course the world changed and we went into lockdown.
Lockdown seems like the perfect opportunity to work on goals, doesn’t it? Unless of course those goals are to travel the world, to spend more time with family and friends, or to go to the gym, ha! I think my list has a good mix on it, but mostly there are things I can work on while practicing social distancing. So here we go, in no particular order, my list of 20 Goals for 2020 (plus updates on how each one is going so far), from back before the world (mine personally, and the world at large) was turned upside down:
- Prioritize movement
I tend to be perfectly content sitting on the couch watching something, reading something, scrolling something, and now writing this blog for hours on end. Sometimes that’s okay to just veg out and take it easy, but then my body doesn’t like me very much when I go to stand up… And humans are made to move, so I should probably move more.
How’s it going? I’ve been a lot better about this recently, getting up and doing other things instead of just sitting around. Whether that’s chores I have to do or projects I want to tackle. I set timers for both work and rest! - No phone while driving
When I’m at a long red light I find I reach for my phone. I don’t even know why. But I don’t want to be tempted to continue whatever I’m doing when the light turns green and I start driving. This is how accidents happen. It’s how my first (and only) accident happened, so I’m particularly keen on not repeating that! Best to not pick it up at all.
How’s it going? I am definitely more aware that I’m doing this and I stop myself mid-reach. Now I’m using long lights to find a good song on the radio to sing along to instead.
- Be a calm, considerate driver
I get mad at other drivers. I yell and curse, to myself. Being on the road brings out the worst in me. But the thing is, none of us know what other drivers are going through, right? So I want to be more considerate of that. Maybe they’re having a bad day, week, month, year… I’ve been there! It’s no excuse, but it’s gonna happen.
How’s it going? When I find myself getting agitated I make a mental note of it, take a deep breath and try to relax. I’m not sure I will ever be able to curb it completely, but maybe! I am a work in progress.
- Hall closet revamp
My upstairs hall closet is like a mini room (you can see it HERE) and without a basement or a proper laundry room, it has a lot of duties. Recently it had turned into a dumping ground, and I just wanted to make better use of the premium storage space it offered and make it cute while I was at it, so I put it on my list.
How’s it going? This is VERY close to being complete. Stay tuned for a post about the updates I’ve made!
- Organize the attic
I wrote about my attic plans in more detail last year (check them out HERE). I had planned to do this update last spring, and then life happened and summer happened and it never happened. I still want to make better use of this storage space available to me, so I migrated this to my 2020 goal list. I have optimistic intentions…
How’s it going? Nothing on this yet. I want to buy more of the IKEA storage cases, but since they’re closed and I’m not willing to pay a $45 delivery charge that will have to wait. So this is still to come…probably in the fall at this point.
- Bathroom update (Phase 1)
I don’t think I ever went into any kind of detail on the blog about what my plans were for my bathroom renovation. I had intended to last year, but it never happened. I want to get Phase 1 done this year. What is Phase 1, you might ask? Phase 1 is basically all the things I can do myself (without needing to hire a contractor). Are you in suspense now??? lol
How’s it going? I keep telling myself I have to outline all of the steps I need to complete to get it done. Haven’t done that yet, but I am going to be writing a post about my plans, so will be doing it soon! Stay tuned!
- Merge, purge and dedupe
My overall intention moving forward is to live a more minimalist lifestyle. I will never be a full blown minimalist, nor do I want to be. But I want to reduce the amount of things I have, so my goal is to slowly go through everything and figure out what’s most important to hang on to, what has function, what brings me joy, etc.
How’s it going? I have started this. The floor in my office proves it (it’s a disaster). but I’m making progress. They say it gets worse before it gets better! I will be launching a new series on the blog to document my journey.
- Do it the night before
I am a professional procrastinator, I’ve shared this before. So my goal here is if I can do it (whatever “it” is) the night before, to do it. Make lunch, pick out clothes, wash the dishes, etc. They say this doesn’t really save you time, but that’s not really my intent, so I’m okay with that. I’m just trying to make my tomorrow calmer by preventing unnecessary rushing.
How’s it going? I can pretty much say that I am not doing this yet. Sometimes, but not usually. But there’s always tomorrow… or, err, tonight? Yes, there’s always tonight. - Document my outfits everyday
This one is pretty self explanatory, right? The idea is to take a picture of my outfit everyday so that I can look back and see what outfits I liked, or, more importantly, which ones I didn’t like. I can also make sure that I’m not repeating a certain outfit or piece of clothing too soon by looking back at my outfits from the previous week or two.
How’s it going? I’ve been doing this pretty much everyday. I usually forget on the weekends but it’s mostly to keep track of what I wear to work. You know, when other people can see me.
- Spend less money, spend more time
The gist behind this goal is to spend less money on stuff I don’t need (I am trying to be more of a minimalist after all), and to spend more time with the people I care about, and on exploring new things, having new experiences, cultivating hobbies, working on self reflection, etc.How’s it going? Lockdown kinda limits what you can experience in the outside world, but I am definitely making fewer purchases or thinking longer about the ones I do make.
- Music jar challenge
This idea is from A Beautiful Mess (HERE). Write down 52 musicians on little pieces of paper and put them in a jar. Each week randomly select one to listen to. The idea on ABM was to intentionally expose their young kids to great musicians. I like to think I listen to a wide range of genres, but I want to broaden my range even more.
How’s it going? First of all, it’s hard to think of 52 musicians! I only have 45 so far. Google tells me there are 36 full weeks left in the year, so I have enough to finish out 2020… maybe I’ll pare down my list to 36 and start now!
- Pay off my car loan
I decided I wanted to pay off my car loan early. My parents were helping me (I upgraded to an SUV in 2016 to make driving them around easier for them), plus I was paying more than the remaining balance of the minimum payment due each month. So I was already a head of the game. I calculated what remained, divided by 12 and was ready to get it done.How’s it going? When I made this goal I didn’t know my dad’s cancer was back… after he passed, I decided to takeover his car, and my mom would take mine. She offered to pay off my loan. So technically this is done, even though I didn’t do it myself. I’d much rather have my dad around though, than have a paid off loan…
- Start an Etsy shop
I’ve been toying with the idea of starting an Etsy shop for a while now. I had it in my quarterly goals that I shared on the blog last year. I wanted to make and sell jewelry, custom textiles and printables. I think I was a little too ambitious there. So the plan for this year is just to focus on the printables (wall art, mostly colorful typographical designs).
How’s it going? I kinda started this! I looked up how to list digital downloads on Etsy, I searched my design archives for designs I already created for my own home, and I started to compile ideas for other printables I want to design.
- Rewrite my 40 x 40 list (and work on it)
Since writing my original 40 x 40 list last year (HERE), I have developed an abnormal fear of flying, and there were quite a few travel goals on the list! So the thought here was to ease my mind by removing most of the travel related goals. Along with some others that I had changed my mind about. And adding new ones in their place.
How’s it going? Well, now, with a global pandemic, seems that I was right to remove most of the travel goals! I still intend to travel, but at a slower pace. But I have rewritten the list and will be sharing it here soon!
- Put up the Christmas decorations by 12/1
Every year I procrastinate (big surprise!) putting up the Christmas decorations, and then I end up rushing to decorate a week or so before Christmas, only getting to enjoy the glow for a short amount of time. Though, I do end up leaving everything up through January, ha!How’s it going? Well obviously I haven’t done this one yet! But I plan to!
- Do a Daily Top 3
I’ve seen this on Laura Vanderkam’s blog a few times, and I might have even mentioned it here before, but the idea is to choose the top three things you want to accomplish each day. And now is the perfect time to do this! Don’t worry about having to be super productive during these crazy times. If you get just one, two or even three things done, you’ll feel great!
How’s it going? I attempted this earlier in the year, picking goals from different categories (personal, professional, home) each day. I’ve let it fall by the wayside, but I want to start back up because I think it’s a good goal to have.
- Consume more art & culture
I want to add more culture into my life: take in local art shows and go to museums, attend more concerts and shows (plays, musicals). Once upon a time I made a list of local galleries and music venues, putting opening dates on my calendar and even set reminders. I never did it then, but I want to start making more of an effort to immerse myself in the arts.
How’s it going? Of course, this is on hold for now… hopefully, we’ll be able to do these things again soon! When it’s safe to reopen. And hopefully we can do so without masks… - Go house hunting
Plain and simple, I want to move. I love my house, but I don’t like some of the things around it. I don’t particularly like the HOA and I don’t like neighbors on top of me. And I don’t like thin walls. So my goal is to start the search, virtually right now. And maybe in person once things are back to normal.How’s it going? I have changed my mind and made moving less of a priority. I will deal with it for a little longer. While I save money too. How do people buy a new house when they already have one? Seems like a logistical nightmare.
- Get/keep current on my podcasts
This is pretty self explanatory, right? I tend to get behind on podcasts, and then binge listen to them. I want to keep up with them.
How’s it going? I have a few new podcasts that I’ve added to my rotation and I’ve gone back and listened to them from the beginning, so now I’m caught up. However, there are two OG podcasts that I’m YEARS behind on! Oopsie…
- Practice discipline
After prioritizing movement, this is probably my next important goal. Or it’s my number one. You see, I have no self control, or very little of it, so I need to practice discipline in a lot of areas of my life. I want to be disciplined in health and fitness, home maintenance and house keeping, spending and saving, tech consumption, and most of all negative self talk.How’s it going? I am not going to lie and say I’m doing this in all of the areas I want to. I tell myself what I need to do and then I don’t do it. Or at least not consistently. But I am trying, and that’s certainly better than not trying.
Are you making progress on your goals for 2020?
Many thanks and much love,
laf
Photo by Jamie Street on Unsplash
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