I am a master of the starting over self-improvement kick. I think this may have something to do with my MBTI- I’m an ENFP. Improvement and coaching are big for me, so when I aim that at myself, it can be good and terrifying. I’m always coming up with self-improvement plans, and the two best times to start them? The New Year and the New School Year.
I no longer have any kids starting public school (college started back in August for my youngest), but I still feel the pull of the school year luring me into the self-improvement mindset.
I have crafted a betterment program for myself that runs from Labor Day to Christmas. I have four areas where I’m trying to reach a certain goal by Christmas. Here are my 16-week goals:
1. Books– I’m aiming for 20 books. I know that this pace will slow as the holidays approach, so I’m trying to front load this goal as much as possible. Next year I’m determined to hit 100 books minimum, but this year didn’t quite go as planned for reading.
2. House Projects– 16 projects completed. I’m a little fuzzy about what counts as a project right now, but I’m trying to count things that have been on the lingering to-do list. If I can cross it off, I count it.
3. Blog Posts– 16. Trying to get into the rhythm of writing and posting. Haven’t mastered it yet, but I think I can get it going soon. (I’d love to be posting 6 days a week, but I’m not sure I have that much to say yet.)
4. Weight– 10 pounds lost. I have about 15 pounds to lose total, so my interim goal for this 16-week period is 10 pounds. This has gotten really hard in the past few years. Weight really doesn’t like to budge after 47. This will involve starting an exercise program at some point.
Previously, I’ve added other things like hours of sleep, glasses of water per day, miles walked, scrapbook pages completed. This time I’m keeping it a little simpler for me in an effort to accomplish more. Hopefully, I can keep up some momentum. I’m using a very low-tech notebook to keep track of everything and adding projects to my calendar. Trying to space things out between now and Christmas, so I don’t feel like I have to do everything in September. Which might happen if I’m not careful. Burnout is not the goal.
September is always a rough time for me. I’m trying very hard to concentrate on the good things (sleeping with the window open! Not dying from humidity while walking the dogs! TV premieres!) and not dwell on the lack of light to come. Already, it is getting dark too early for me, and December 21 is way too far away. Better to be doing something rather than cocooning in my couch for the duration.
How about you? Do you ever make plans like this (I’m not sure I want to know if I’m the only one…)? What goes on your list?