Revisiting my 2020 goals

It's 2021 now! Let's see what I set out to accomplish in 2020 and how that worked out:

1. Declutter and organize my house. This was something I actually definitely accomplished. I was able to really organize my home... Until I bought my house in June and moved again! 😂 The new house was actually a downsize from the townhouse I was renting, so I found (and still find) myself back in the same predicament. I've made some strides toward organizing and purging since we moved here, but to be honest I think this one goes back on the list in 2021.

2. Exercise. Specifically, my goals were to walk 10,000 steps and do at least 20 minutes of yoga, 5 days a week. I also plan to do at least 2 strength sessions a week. Obviously, that's a pretty high goal. I did alright at exercising this year, particularly in the winter and spring. I was walking almost every day. Yoga and strength were less regular, for sure. By late spring and summertime I was spending naive amounts of time packing, moving, cleaning my old place, and then trying to set up my new place, so exercise went on the back burner. Then school started and I was very busy with work. So, yeah... Still need to work on this. This year I am also going to prioritize strength and yoga as well as fun, new activities that I love (waking included.)

3. Self-care. This was kind of a vague goal, with the exerçons of massages every 6 months. I did go in and get one on Valentine's day, but with the pandemic and social distancing, I haven't been back yet, though I can't wait. I feel like I do pretty well about self-care considering all my other responsibilities. I never have time to take a spa day every night, but that's completely unrealistic. Some nights I don't even have time or energy to wash my face thoroughly, but that's rare. Still something I want to prioritize, but I'll have to think of I want to keep this on my list, or what I want to focus on more specifically. 

4. My blog! Yikes... I did ok, until the pandemic struck. Even at the beginning I was able to do some, but very quickly life devolved into madness and I stopped blogging. This year I want to definitely work more on the blog, and even try my hand at vlogging! 

5. Minimize waste. Okay, this one was an idea I stole from my sister. I liked how it sounded because it's a goal that's more worldly-oriented that doesn't seem as selfish as all the weight-oriented goals on the list. I recycle and I don't create a ridiculous amount of trash, but I do create some. I've noticed once again recently as I take my cans to the recycling center that, yes I could be consuming less, but I don't feel as super bad about it because I do recycle. While it's a very worthy goal, I don't be putting this one back on the list this year.

6. Get more social. Bahahahahaha! I tried this one, I really did. I was visiting churches where I didn't feel overwhelming welcomed. I really wanted to make friends, but it just didn't happen. Clearly some of it was the pandemic, but I also understand now that I am just not the best at making friends. Perhaps I need to learn more about how to do that. Right now, I am thinking about more about trying to further and strengthen friendships I already have than going out and looking for new friends. 

7. Eat healthier. I can't say I did very well with this one, like, at all. I don't eat the most unhealthy diet in the world. I eat a good amount of veggies, but I really went off the rail in lock-down. I bought food in a state of panick and made some really bad mistakes, falling back into eating gluten and dairy, eating lots of processed meats, drinking a lot of alcohol, and buying and eating lots of sugary foods like cookies and candy. It's been up and down, for sure, but this coming year I'm definitely going to still be focused on eating healthfully-- less sugary foods and processed carbs, more protein and healthy fats. 

8. Get into grad school. I still haven't done this. With feeling really overwhelmed with lock-down, moving, and school, this took a back burner. Gf like to get into it this summer. We'll see. 

9. Achieve more at work. Hmm... Pandemic. Lock-down. Nope, didn't achieve this. This past semester, I did notice how much better I am doing this year though. So, I get a half point. 

10. Go low-maintenance with my hair. This was one of those be careful what you wish for things for me. I did have to let my hair go darker this year, first during lock-down and more recently because of a bad low-light experience. I have to say, having darker hair doesn't make me happy. Also, yes split ends make me crazy, but that means I need more time, not less styling! If anything, I want to be more high maintenance with my hair this year. 😂 

11. Find ways to give back every day. I love this one. I did not practice it like I wanted to, and I would like to try again. This year, it's like to have a more specific list to go on. 

12. Being a wonderful mother! I love this one and I always want to achieve it. A good portion of this year I felt like I was doing everything badly, teaching, mommying, etc, but that wasn't true. Jane and I went on lots of adventures this year. She's a happy, healthy, sweet wonderful child, so I've got to give myself some credit and have. 

What are your New Years Resolutions for 2021?

I have some new ones... I'll let you know some soon!