Goals in Progress: July

…and it’s August.  Yikes. And yet, I don’t have that panicked “oh no! Summer vacation is almost over and then I have to go back to work!” feeling that some of my teacher friends get around this time.  I feel like, so far, the summer’s been really good and it’s not even over yet.

Last month, along with my progress, I listed all the goals I wished I’d made.  This month (and probably for the rest of the year), I’ll be documenting my progress on both my January goals and my June “if I’d only known” goals.

1.  Waste less time/Create a posting schedule and stick to it

Considering that it’s summer and I’ve had lots of time to waste, I feel like I’ve done a pretty good job of making good use of my time.  I taught summer school, worked hard on this website, finished a book, hung out with my husband, participated in some other work-related activities and got some good relaxing in.  Unlike last summer, which I felt like didn’t exist, I feel really good about July.

And, within the last week or so, I created a posting schedule and calendar and I’m feeling really excited about it.  I’ll be posting on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, which is close to what I was posting previously.  Now that I’ve formally set my own deadlines and mapped out when I’m writing about what, I’m hoping more quality, consistency and clarity is on the way, plus less stress.

2.  Read a chapter of the bible every day/(no revised goal)

July was definitely an improvement over June’s almost non-existent reading, but there’s still room to get even better.  Hopefully the majority of August days will feature some bible reading.

3.  Drink more water/Drink at least one water bottle of water a day and drink something else with every meal

I didn’t really keep track, but I’m pretty sure I made it on this one.  As I’ve mentioned, for some reason if I’m teaching, I tend to carry my water bottle around the room with me and drink from it often.  Teaching summer school, even though its not a full day, has once again increased my hydration.  That, and the miserable hot weather.

4.  Read at least one book a month/Read at least 12 books this year

During July, I read 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think by Laura Vanderkam.  I didn’t agree 100% with what she said, but I did pick up a lot of really good tips and have started looking differently at how I spend my time. There’s a full review of the book coming, I promise.  August’s book is Just Don’t Fall: How I Grew Up, Conquered Illness, and Made It Down the Mountain by Josh Sundquist, which I’m really looking forward to reading.  I’ve seen some of Josh’s videos on YouTube and they’re hilarious.

5.  Improve my fitness by going to the gym twice a week and doing sit ups and push ups on off days/Do something physically active at least 3 times a week

Again, I haven’t really been keeping track, but I did well this month.  I ran my second 5k (and set an awesome PR) mid-month and have run a few more times since then.  I haven’t been sticking to the 3000 in 35 ab challenge too closely, but I have been doing more ab exercises than usual.

6.  Open our home at least once a month/Have at least 12 different groups of people over to the apartment

At one point, I thought we were going to double up this month, but there was so much stuff going on it just didn’t happen.  We did have some friends over at the beginning of July and I made my mom’s Spaghetti with Herbed Tomatoes and Cheese, which was a hit.  We’re definitely going to get together with them again.

7.  Give Relishments a makeover/(no revised goal)

The makeover was done this spring, but this month I discovered a new plugin that allows for easier printing of recipes.  Maybe if I get the chance I’ll edit some of my old posts to include it.  I’ve been feeling really good about what I’ve been producing for the blog, as well as the feedback I’ve been getting.  Finally, my readers are giving up lurking and have begun leaving comments!  I’m sure I’ll come back from HLS this month with a lot of ideas of how to keep making things better as well.

8.  See new things/(no revised goal)

Brian and I ventured to the Northampton/Hadley area one afternoon, partially to attend at Kim O’Donnel book signing, and had a lovely time walking around downtown.  We also explored a local park I’d never been to.  We’ve got some really great adventures coming up in August, so stay tuned.

Don’t forget to check out my 2011 goals page to see how I’ve been progressing since January!

Speaking of adventures, in order to get the most out of what’s left of summer, I’m taking a little blogging break over the next couple of weeks.  Fear not-I have some really excellent guest posts lined up and I’ll fill you in on how I spent my free time when my break is over.