Happy Monday! I hope you’re having a fantastic start to your week! If you're living in the Northeast hopefully you enjoyed a little of the winter storm we had over the weekend and were able to stay safe! Personally, I really love snow - but I'm not the biggest fan of the cold. That being said, even I love a true snow storm every once in a while!
It should be no surprise that I'm back with another goal setting post! Have we all gotten the routine down? You know the one where I share my monthly goals and hopefully give you some ideas on how to achieve your own goals? Well, I've also decided to start sharing a recap of how my previous month went in terms of working on my goals so you can really see the progress and hopefully gains some motivation to always be working toward your own goals.
So let's take a look back at January...
As a refresher my January goals were: create and stick to a budget, add different workouts (strength training/running) to my routine, and dedicate time to planning/producing content.
Creating and Sticking to a Budget
This is the goal I definitely did the best with over the entire month! Since it was my first month actually sticking to a budget there were definitely a few areas I needed to tweak going into February but overall I stuck to it in nearly every category! It was also a great way to track my spending and really see where I could cut back moving into coming months.
If you're looking to start a budget I highly recommend using the Google spreadsheet template. I know some people like to use apps and other was of tracking but for me I found this to be the easiest way to get into really sticking to a budget. I was able to customize the categories and the amount and keep track of all of my transactions in one place. Plus it was easy for me to check on my budget on any device since it lives in my Google Drive.
The biggest thing that helped me when it came to sticking with my budget was making sure I checked it every single day. I really started making it a part of my routine. At the start of my workday when I was organizing my planner, going through my emails, and prepping for the day I'd make sure to update my budget sheet. It was super easy and sticking with it daily kept the task quick so it didn't feel daunting.
This system also helped me see where I could save extra money and allowed me to start building up my savings - which is helping me get closer to reaching the financial security I talked about in my resolutions post!
Adding Different Workouts to My Routine
If I was rating this out of 10 I'd give myself a solid 6. I have definitely started adding in strength training (thank you dad) and a variety of Pure Barre classes into my routine but the cardio is another story. Ever since COVID knocked me on my a** for about a week in mid-January I've been struggling to get back into running.
That being said I would highly recommend taking it at your own pace when it comes to adding new workouts. From personal experience trying to add too much at once never works and almost always ends in you feeling disappointed with yourself.
That's why I'm really focusing on taking everything one step at a time. Sure, I can't fully commit to running right now - but I can add some low intensity cardio into my routines. Sure, I can't lift the same weight as my dad, but I've been able to workout with him every week!
That's the other thing... I don't typically like working out with people when it comes to running or cardio workouts. But, recently my dad and I have been lifting together a few nights a week and I have to say it's one of my favorite parts of the day! It's a great way to get a workout in and also spend some quality time with my dad! So, if you're looking for a way to make your workouts more fun try hitting the gym with a friend or someone important to you!
Dedicating Time to Planning and Producing Content
Alright this is definitely the goal I struggled the most with over the month of January. I did pretty well when it came to planning out content and even producing it for the entire first half of the month but the second half - not so much. I stopped writing it in my planner and truthfully, I think that's where the problem started. It was so much easier for me to skip planning or creating content if it wasn't on my to-do list staring me in the face.
That's why I'm so crazy about writing things down! People laugh at me but here we are! That being said, this is probably going to be a repeat goal for the month of February and hopefully the reflection post will look a little different at the beginning of March!
So what's the plan for February? As always I've got 3 goals: financial, personal and business related. They are...
Financial: Save an Extra 10% of My Income
Now that I feel like I've figured out the best system when it comes to my budget and my spending it's time to add another element. This month, I want to try saving an additional 10% of my income! 10% may not seem like a lot but over time it can add up to quite a bit!
One of the smartest moves I've ever made financially was setting up a certain percentage of my paycheck to go directly into my savings account. It's so simple and I like the fact that it's adding money to my savings without me even having to think about it.
Now, since this is the first month I'm increasing my savings goal I'm going to wait to adjust my direct deposit until I'm 100% sure it works out the way I want it to. But, I'll keep track of how much additional money should be added to my savings account and I'll be making sure it totally up to an additional 10% of my monthly income.
Personal: Drink 1 Gallon of Water a Day
Does anyone else go through phases when it comes to how much water they're drinking? Because, I certainly do. I'll have weeks where I drink a ton of water and other weeks I'm dehydrated 24/7 because I live off coffee and skip my water. Hence this month's goal of drinking 1 gallon of water a day.
Naturally I told myself I *needed* this massive water bottle for my office in order to stick to my goal. Sure, you absolutely do not need a giant water bottle. But for me, I'm all about efficiency when it comes to my work day and if I can fill my water bottle once a day and be set that works for me!
When it comes to these types of goals I've found that finding ways to make it easy to complete or work towards always makes achieving the goal so much easier because you aren't constantly having to remind yourself or fight with yourself to stick to it. Not to mention, it's a great way to start building more healthy habits.
Business: Consistently Planning and Creating Content
I told you this would be a repeat goal and you know what? I'm okay with that. I'd rather repeat this goal and really create a consistent planning and creating routine before completely shifting gears and trying something different.
I've broken my planning process down into days that way I can focus on one platform at a time. I've also added creating blocks into my calendar so people don't schedule things over my creative time (especially on my weekends).
The biggest thing this month though is that I'm really focusing on sticking to my calendar. I'm going to make sure I'm not constantly rearranging what's in my planner to work around other people's schedules and we'll see how this month goes!
I hope your February is off to a fantastic start! Let me know what your monthly goals are in the comments or on my latest Instagram!