Tag Archives: resolutions

On goals, targets, tracking

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In case it’s not clear, I like having plans and goals. The blog is a great way to hold myself accountable. Whether it’s home goals or the One Room Challenge, saying publicly, “I’m going to do something” gives me extra motivation to follow through.

(BTW, if productivity, discipline, focus and motivation are among your goals for 2024, this podcast has some good tips.)

Tracking progress is also motivating. As I was setting new home goals for 2024 and looking back at how I did in 2023, I started thinking about some other things I tracked last year. So in the spirit of motivation and accountability, I’m going to share them here.

Walking

Hiking with Cigo is one of my favourite things to do. Last year, we hiked 466.3km. (I use the Map My Walk app.) This is about 39km a month. I’d like to see if we can make it 42km a month this year (the distance of a marathon). To be honest, we’re probably already there, as I don’t track walks we do around the farm or hikes with Ellie. But I’ll continue to skip those and try to find an extra 3km in my month. Hiking is pretty much my only exercise (aside from working around the farm), so increasing this would not be a bad thing.

Monkey Bars

I have one “workout” that I added to my routine last summer. The route I walk on Sundays includes a small set of monkey bars. So since the summer (after hearing on the 1,000 Hours Outside podcast about the benefits of different types of movement and hanging), I have been trying to do the monkey bars. At first, I fell off every time. But by December, I made it to the end–eight monkey bars. Yesterday, I turned around and did them twice. What else should I try? A chin up?

Reading

Last year I tracked the books I read for the first time. Reading is a huge part of my life (and I’m still a paper-reading, library-visiting bibliophile). In 2023, I read 63 books (plus 2 that I didn’t finish). Finishing Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache series accounted for a 13 of those books. Another 15 were non-fiction. To Speak For The Trees by Diana Beresford-Kroeger (please consider reading any of her books–she is amazing on nature and climate change) and Outlive by Peter Attia were standouts. I’m hoping I’ll make it to 50 books in 2024.

1,000 Hours Outside

This will be our fourth year doing the 1,000 Hours Outside challenge. I love this movement and have come to believe strongly in the value of free play, unstructured time, and time outside. Last year, we spent 1,108 hours outside and made it to 1,000 on Nov. 3. I’m curious how we’ll do this year. This is a challenge that even when you lose, you win.

Family Albums

I started making a yearly family photobook when Ellie was born, but I’ve missed a few years. I recently made our 2023 album, and it’s so lovely to have all of those memories in one convenient place. (I use Blurb.) I’m motivated to go back and make the missing books.

Rest

My word of the year. Rest is truly a challenge for me. My goal in January (and continuing) was to be in bed around 11 two nights a week. Coming up with a strategy (finish work at 10, take Cigo out, brush teeth, read for a few minutes to try to turn off my brain) and a target (2 nights a week) is very helpful. I also instituted a rule that I can’t start anything new after 11, so on those nights I don’t shut down by 11, I’m trying to be not too many hours beyond it. I’ve also started plugging my phone in to charge in the mudroom by 10, which helps to remove one source of distraction and delay. So far I’m doing not too bad. I also downloaded a habit tracking sheet from Passion Planner so I can note the nights that I achieve my goal.

Speaking of Passion Planner, it is a really good goal setting, task prioritizing tool. I’ve used this planner for more than 5 years. I also tried “time boxing” recently, a technique recommended by Nir Eyal on the podcast I mentioned above, and it’s helped me to plan my time and feel more focused.

Writing this post, I found it interesting that so many of my goals are about well-being. Making good use of my time, getting outside, spending time together, relaxing, being healthier, and holding onto memories are all part of the overall quality of our life. It’s worthwhile to spend some time thinking–and writing–about them.

What activities do you track? Do you have any goals that are more personal this year?

Word of the year: Rest

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I’ve been musing about what word I want to choose (last year’s word) as my guide for this year. One word keeps coming to mind, but I’ve been resisting it.

Rest.

Rest is something I’m not good at. As I’ve reflected on my words of the year, I’ve realized past words have not really been stretches for me. (Balance … Slow … Resolve … Focus … Content … Choose.)

It’s not difficult for me to focus on Ellie, Cigo, the farm. I love the life we make and I’m pretty content overall.

Rest, though. That feels hard.

Then last night, as I scrolled through my phone after Ellie went to bed, I saw this quote:

“If busyness is your drug, rest will feel like stress.”

Oh, I can identify with that.

Then another quote from the same post:

“Every single human function is improved or enhanced with sleep.”

I’ve been thinking about sleep a lot this past year. Once I go to bed, I sleep. But making myself go there is hard. Busyness wins most of the time. I can always find something else to do. Part of it is the season of life that I’m in where working til 3am sometimes feels needed. Part of it is choice.

But I’ve read about how important sleep is for long-term health, and I know I need to better.

So as I stay up later than I should tonight to write a blog post I had decided earlier today to put off, I feel like the universe is speaking to me. The word that has been floating around in my head for the last few weeks came out into the world and appeared in front of my eyes. I try to listen to the universe when it speaks. So I’m choosing rest as my word of the year.

This will be a goal for me. I’m going to have to make some changes and come up with some strategies to choose rest. But I think it’s time to stretch myself a bit more and it’s worth the attempt.

Busy is my comfort zone. Rest is not.

But here’s to a more restful 2024.

Happy New Year to you. I hope that 2024 brings goodness, whatever that looks like for you.

Word of the year: Choose

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Ice coating red branches with a wood barn and metal silo in the background.

Last year at this time, I was aiming for “a state of peaceful happiness.” I had selected as my word of the year “content.”

I’m not sure I achieved peacefulness in 2022, but I definitely achieved happiness.

(For a refresher on my words of the year, here are the past posts: Balance … Slow … Resolve … Focus … Content.)

The summer was a turning point for me.

Heading into the summer, my mind was full. Ellie was going to be out of school for two months. We would be together every day. How was I going to work?

Then, I decided that we were going to do summer. Work was going to fit in where it fit. I was choosing us.

I’m a big believer in choosing. I choose how I look at situations, how we spend our day, how I feel about things. Making that conscious choice to focus on summer clarified my priorities and opened up so many opportunities for us. If an invitation came along, we said yes. If we wanted to playground, swim, hike, picnic, campout, bonfire we did. We had an amazing time.

That attitude has stayed with me through the fall. I’m saying yes as much as possible and choosing the balance that works for us. Some weeks that means I’m typing madly on my computer the whole time Ellie’s at school and much of the nights. Other weeks, it means I’m outside in the garden or hiking with Cigo or meeting a friend for lunch–and work fits in where it fits.

So, for my word of the year for 2023, I’m choosing “choose.”

I want to remember to choose my attitude, how I feel, how I react, how I spend my time. I’ve found that when I make a choice, there’s an acceptance that I’m letting something go in favour of something else. Being conscious of that helps me to not put (as much) pressure on myself to do everything.

I’m also choosing to build my life based on what is most important to me–Ellie, family, friends, Cigo, this farm, freedom to enjoy it all. It may not be leading to peace all the time, but it’s definitely leading to happiness.

Happy New Year to you. I hope that 2023 brings happiness for you.

Looking back at Home Goals 2021

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I returned to annual home goals last year after a four-year break. It felt good to be focused and have some projects to work on through the year. And I feel like I did pretty well at accomplishing my goals.

Here’s a look back at what happened around the farm in 2021.

Garage addition

Our biggest project last year (biggest home project so far) was the garage and mudroom. These spaces have made such a difference for our home and how we use it. There are a few things to work on still (Home Goals 2022 coming soon!), but I am so happy we did this renovation.

Playground expansion

The treehouse playground was a highlight of last year. Both for the actual building and for the fun Ellie has playing on it.

Pond shore

The pond shore is my perennial home goal. Last year, we cleared a little more of the shore, though I didn’t do as much as I hoped and I didn’t build a little bridge across the creek. What is clear, we enjoyed, though. I had bonfires almost every week with my friends over the summer, and Ellie and I make regular visits to the little waterfall.

Vegetable garden

I would classify the garden as a fail last year. I tried mulch, but didn’t build proper raised rows. And I didn’t spend enough time in the garden to maintain it. We did grow a few things, and I feel like I keep learning every year.

The last big junk pile

The last big junk pile is pretty much gone and our new compost area is built. I have a bit more to tidy this spring, but the view out the dining room window is vastly improved.

Bedroom refresh

I thought my new duvet cover might inspire other changes in our bedroom. That didn’t happen. (My Mom did gift me with new pillows for Christmas.) The space is working well enough. Though I still think a closet reorganization would be lovely.

History

I was able to keep in touch with the woman who’s family first owned this farm over the last year. In fact, I have a story of a special tree planting to share soon.

Black and white photo of two children sitting on top of a wood gate

The garage, mudroom and treehouse are the big wins of last year. The garden is the big fail. But overall I am really happy with what we accomplished. I work best when I have specific projects to focus on, and I’m looking forward to setting new goals for 2022.

What was your biggest accomplishment at your house last year? Did you have any fails? Did you set any home goals?

Word of the year: Content

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At the start of each new year, I think of a word that I want to guide me for the next year. As I looked back over the last four years, I can see how the words have built on each other and stayed with me.

Balance … Slow … Resolve … Focus

This year, I wasn’t sure what word I wanted to use.

Then I thought of content. (Pronunciation note: Being content. Not creating content.)

I have tremendous joy in my life and celebrate each day. However, sometimes my thoughts are ones of impatience, envy, worry, criticism or doubt.

My brain feels very full. I don’t have room for negativity. I want to be more content.

As I was writing this post, I found that one of the definitions of content is “a state of peaceful happiness.” That is exactly what I’m looking to achieve.

For me, content builds on my quest for a slow, balanced life focused on what’s most important to me. I feel like I know myself and have made the choices that are right for Ellie and me and the farm. But sometimes I second guess myself or wish things were different. Being truly content will take effort. But it will help me to quiet my brain a bit and appreciate each day even more.

What are you feeling as we begin 2022? What are you hoping to accomplish this year?

Word of the year: Focus

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Hello. Happy new year. I hope that you are well and had a nice holiday.

Over the last three years, I’ve enjoyed figuring out a word of the year.

The word gives me some guidance for the year ahead. It reflects my mood and some of the things that are on my mind.

When I was pregnant with Ellie, my word was balance as I wanted to hang on to who I was and be open to who I was going to become. When we were in the depths of Matt’s illness, my word was slow. I was trying to savour moments with Matt and Ellie and not rush through our time together. Last year my word was resolve, as I was trying to figure out how to keep it together and keep moving forward.

This year the word that keeps coming into my head is focus.

I want to focus on what is most important to me. Ellie, this farm, myself, family, friends, my work. Knowing what I value means I know where to put my energy and time. By being focused, I give myself permission to spend extra time playing with Ellie, prioritize a home project or connect with a friend. I can also say no to things that don’t fit with what’s most important.

I also want to be focused in the moment. There are a lot of thoughts in my head and the to-do list is long. I am often rushing, distracted and multi-tasking. In simple tasks like tidying up from meals, I flit between loading the dishwasher, putting food away and clearing the table. Several times I’ve walked past the dining room an hour after we ate and discovered I left the orange juice or milk on the table rather than returning it to the fridge. I’ve learned I do better if I can focus on one thing–clearing the table–and then move onto the next. This goes for more complex tasks too, whether it’s work or Ellie.

My word of the year isn’t at the forefront of my mind every day. But it’s enough of a reminder most of the time to help me focus on what matters most and how I want to be.

What are you feeling as we begin 2021? Anyone else seeking focus or balance or to slow down or resolve?