This past month...
Feb. 2nd, 2026 10:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
arthur_p_dentHere I am for the first of this year's monthly goal reviews. This post is one thing (among many) that I wasn't successful at completing very much last year, but I'm looking to turn that around. Let's see how I fared in January.
Weekly goals:
Sleep: On work nights, in bed by 11pm.Other nights, minimum of 5 hours of sleep.
>> Mostly successful here. I made a change to have this only for work nights. I realized after the first weekend that I can't control the amount of sleep I'll get on any given night, so having that as a condition was only setting myself up for failure.
Snacking: No snacking within 3 hours of going to bed (for example, nothing after 8pm on work nights). This has become a really bad habit lately, and I'd like to get it back under control.
>> Another modification here, to have this apply only on work nights (since that's when I know when I'm going to bed by). It's not carte blanche to eat junk all night on the weekends, but trying to cut it out completely was going to be problematic. With the change, this is going well.
Hydration: Minimum of 2.5L of non-alcoholic drinks daily.
>> No problems so far.
Alcohol: When out (dining, etc), maximum of 2 drinks. For the week, maximum of 10 drinks total. My doctor wants me to cut back, and I don't disagree. I'm also doing Dry January, which I'm hoping will make cutting back a bit easier.
>> Technically I missed on this one. I went out twice during DJ, but both were planned occasions. The real test starts in February.
Leisure time: Read at least once a week, and work on a puzzle at least once a week. I have a trilogy of books that I'd like to finally get through, so those will be first on the list. Also, I got 10 new puzzles for Christmas this year, and I'd like to complete at least 6 of them.
>> Doing well on both of these. I've been reading during lunch, which is a good way to pass the time. Also, I finished one puzzle and have started on a new one.
Exercise: Gym 3-4 times a week, plus running 3-4 times a week. Plenty of distance races to get ready for.
>> I have a good schedule worked out, and so far I've been sticking to it with no missed days.
Banking: At least once a week. I really need to be more diligent about keeping up on this.
>> Missed this on two of the three weeks.
DW Post: Weekly on Mondays. This year I'll be tracking my weeks Mon to Sun, so posting on Mondays just makes sense.
>> Made my post each week. One week was a day late, but I gave myself a break on that one.
Weight: Weekly weight-in (no specific weight goal, just for tracking).
>> Trending downward, which is what I'm hoping to see each month.
Monthly goals:
Haircut: At least once a month (every 3-4 weeks). May seem like a weird thing to have as a goal, but I feel poorly about myself when I let it go too long, and I feel much better after I do it, so this way I make sure I don't let it slide.
>> Done.
Goal review: Post monthly review on DW by day 3.
>> Also done (will be finished shortly).
Quarterly goals:
Activity: Sign up for a class, etc. I only did this once last year, but I really would like to do it more often.
>> Nothing yet on this one.
Me day: I had zero success with this as a monthly goal - it's simply too difficult to get an entire day to myself that often. So I've changed it to quarterly, and I'm combining it with last year's "fun day". The idea is to take a day trip in each season, and explore some things nearby that I feel like I've been missing out on. We'll see how it goes.
>> Also nothing so far.
Running goals:
Half Marathons: I have 2 goals for this year. First is to complete at least 4 half marathon races. I'm already registered for 3 of them, and next month I'll be able to sign up for the 4th. The second goal is to break the 2 hour mark. That one is going to be really tough - I'll have to cut almost 20 minutes off my current best time. But if I can stay healthy and follow a good training plan, I think I can get there.
>> The training plan is going well, and I'm making good progress.
Overall I hit 70% for the month, which I think is a pretty good start. Hopefully things keep going well in the months to come. =]
Weekly goals:
Sleep: On work nights, in bed by 11pm.
>> Mostly successful here. I made a change to have this only for work nights. I realized after the first weekend that I can't control the amount of sleep I'll get on any given night, so having that as a condition was only setting myself up for failure.
Snacking: No snacking within 3 hours of going to bed (for example, nothing after 8pm on work nights). This has become a really bad habit lately, and I'd like to get it back under control.
>> Another modification here, to have this apply only on work nights (since that's when I know when I'm going to bed by). It's not carte blanche to eat junk all night on the weekends, but trying to cut it out completely was going to be problematic. With the change, this is going well.
Hydration: Minimum of 2.5L of non-alcoholic drinks daily.
>> No problems so far.
Alcohol: When out (dining, etc), maximum of 2 drinks. For the week, maximum of 10 drinks total. My doctor wants me to cut back, and I don't disagree. I'm also doing Dry January, which I'm hoping will make cutting back a bit easier.
>> Technically I missed on this one. I went out twice during DJ, but both were planned occasions. The real test starts in February.
Leisure time: Read at least once a week, and work on a puzzle at least once a week. I have a trilogy of books that I'd like to finally get through, so those will be first on the list. Also, I got 10 new puzzles for Christmas this year, and I'd like to complete at least 6 of them.
>> Doing well on both of these. I've been reading during lunch, which is a good way to pass the time. Also, I finished one puzzle and have started on a new one.
Exercise: Gym 3-4 times a week, plus running 3-4 times a week. Plenty of distance races to get ready for.
>> I have a good schedule worked out, and so far I've been sticking to it with no missed days.
Banking: At least once a week. I really need to be more diligent about keeping up on this.
>> Missed this on two of the three weeks.
DW Post: Weekly on Mondays. This year I'll be tracking my weeks Mon to Sun, so posting on Mondays just makes sense.
>> Made my post each week. One week was a day late, but I gave myself a break on that one.
Weight: Weekly weight-in (no specific weight goal, just for tracking).
>> Trending downward, which is what I'm hoping to see each month.
Monthly goals:
Haircut: At least once a month (every 3-4 weeks). May seem like a weird thing to have as a goal, but I feel poorly about myself when I let it go too long, and I feel much better after I do it, so this way I make sure I don't let it slide.
>> Done.
Goal review: Post monthly review on DW by day 3.
>> Also done (will be finished shortly).
Quarterly goals:
Activity: Sign up for a class, etc. I only did this once last year, but I really would like to do it more often.
>> Nothing yet on this one.
Me day: I had zero success with this as a monthly goal - it's simply too difficult to get an entire day to myself that often. So I've changed it to quarterly, and I'm combining it with last year's "fun day". The idea is to take a day trip in each season, and explore some things nearby that I feel like I've been missing out on. We'll see how it goes.
>> Also nothing so far.
Running goals:
Half Marathons: I have 2 goals for this year. First is to complete at least 4 half marathon races. I'm already registered for 3 of them, and next month I'll be able to sign up for the 4th. The second goal is to break the 2 hour mark. That one is going to be really tough - I'll have to cut almost 20 minutes off my current best time. But if I can stay healthy and follow a good training plan, I think I can get there.
>> The training plan is going well, and I'm making good progress.
Overall I hit 70% for the month, which I think is a pretty good start. Hopefully things keep going well in the months to come. =]
no subject
Date: 2026-02-05 03:41 am (UTC)Are you enjoying the trilogy you're reading? I imagine it's satisfying to finally get around to it, if nothing else. Do you have ideas in mind yet for fulfilling your quarterly goals?
no subject
Date: 2026-02-05 05:29 pm (UTC)The first book is better now that I've gotten into it. Unless the storyline gets a bit more interesting I fear they may be a one-time read, but as long as I get through them once I'll be happy.
A couple loose ideas for the next month or so, but nothing concrete. Fingers crossed. =]