I didn’t achieve everything in 2018
In 2018, I started planning for the first time for the year ahead. If you’re interested, here’s the Planning Document I used.
I didn’t even get close to achieving everything. Here’s a list of items I had on my to-do list:
- write 3 books—didn’t make it;
- write 2000 words a day—you’d think that would be easy, given that I don’t work outside the house;
- keep my house decluttered and tidy—nope, still a mess;
- lose 50 lbs and walk a lot more—uhm, no. Didn’t get there at all.
When I read through my failures to succeed, my heart sank. It took a good friend to point out that a) my to-do list was a little ambitious, and b) moving towards my goals also counts.
So let’s review:
- I did publish one book and finished the first draft of a second. That’s two more than the year before;
- I may not have written 2000 words a day, but I wrote on average 500 per day. I did that despite some nasty bouts of depression and two weeks in hospital with a suspected heart attack which thankfully turned out to be not as serious as I first feared;
- I followed a great lady, Dana White, and her website A Slob Comes Clean, and made a lot of progress. I donated three large bags of toys and other items to fleamarketers (is that a word?). There is no such thing as Goodwill in Germany, so this is the next best option. Seriously guys, check out Dana’s site and her book How To Manage your Home Without Losing your Mind. It’s awesome!
- I’ve recommitted to getting fit in 2019 to get off my blood pressure meds and reduce my weight.
Progress WAS made in 2018, even if it didn’t feel like it when I first reviewed my old objectives.
Importance of Planning for 2019
Why should I plan at all if all it does is make me feel disappointed?
Because it reconfirms my objectives. Yes, I want to be successful as a writer. Yes, I want to lose weight and become the fittest me I can be. Yes, I want to learn to play jazz piano in 2019 (just a side-note)…
By planning and more importantly, reviewing those plans every three months, I can re-focus my efforts in areas I find difficult to sustain.
What are my plans?
I had to adjust my planning a little. For example, I wanted to write 2000 words a day. Even though I’m well capable of doing it in two hours, it’s too much day by day. I felt I was chasing my tail all year long. Worse, I felt guilty about it EVERY SINGLE DAY. That’s too much pressure.
So in 2019, I will aim for 1000 words a day.After 3 months, I’ll review. Maybe it’s still too much and I need to drop it to 500 words a day. I find once I sit down and get into the flow, I usually write a lot more than planned. It’s the inner resistance that stops me from sitting down in the first place.
There’s a great book I just finished reading. It’s called One Small Step Can Change Your Life by Robert Maurer. The book talks about taking baby steps to get anything done. Baby steps don’t overwhelm us, but each one gets us a little closer to our goals. Take enough baby steps, and you’ll be surprised how far you’ll go.
I will aim for publishing a minimum of 3, but hopefully 4 books in 2019. That’s a lot but I’m capable of it. I’ve had this aim for 3 years, and every year, I’m getting a little closer. I’ve planned out what to do for each quarter and will interlace publishing one book, editing the previous book, and writing a brand new book at the same time. Let’s see how this goes…
I will continue decluttering and getting my house in order.Compared to 2017, the difference is already obvious. My house is guest-ready within an hour at any one time. That’s major progress. I’ll build on that.
I’ve given up aiming for losing xx pounds per week or month. My metabolism is screwed up through years of dieting, taking medications that interfere with my insulin sensitivity, and Hashimoto’s, an autoimmune disease attacking my thyroid. I can’t control any of those factors.
What I CAN control is what I DO. So I will walk 30 minutes every day, adding 10 minutes per month until I reach 1 hour walking per day (broken into several sessions if need be.)
I will also work towards eating very low carb, as per Leanne Vogel’s book The Keto Diet which lays out a LCHF diet with special consideration for women and their hormonal requirements. Super interesting, and I know from previous experimentation that keto makes me feel great.
So hopefully, if I work on what I can control, my body will heal and weight might come off as a by-product. I won’t weigh myself (much).
Conclusion
I’m reasonably happy with what I’ve achieved in 2018. There’s always room for improvement, but I feel I’ve set myself up for a better year ahead because of all the work I did the year previously.
I’ll review progress every three months with an accountability buddy and report back to you guys 🙂