Saturday 11 February 2012

Life challenge - week 6 - goal setting

Week 6 - goal setting and goal setting and priorities.  All the tasks to date made this task much easier than it sounds. 


When I looked at my wheel of life the areas with the lowesst ratings were friendships, health, family and finances. So these are the ones that I'm going to set goals for to start with.  


Friendships


Goal: Reconnect with my current friends


Plan:
Make time for personal contact (e.g not FB or SMS) every week. This can involve a telephone call or a face-to-face catch up.


Health


Goal: Go to bed by 10.30pm at least 4 nights per week (Sun-Wed, the nights I have to work the next day). 


Plan
It's when I go on the computer that time gets away from me, and before I know it, its 11.30pm. I plan to spend less time on the computer at night. 
I also lose track of time when reading (and this is often in bed). I enjoy reading so don't want to stop - I just need to be more mindful of the time.


Goal: Walk up the stairs at work once, everyday I'm there (I counted them today as I walked up - 232 steps - 14 flights!)


Plan
Make an effort to go down at lunch time every day, and climb up the stairs.


Goal: Undertake 3-4 excercise sessions per week (mix of gym and treadmill)


Plan
I have a regular walking date on Tuesdays with a friend at work.  We only walk for 1/2 hour - but it gets us out the office and active!


I plan to go to the gym once over the weekend. If I miss the Saturday class (if I miss the 8am class I can't fit another one in due to Savannah's sport or hubby could be working) -I will go to either pump or step on Sunday.


I plan to walk briskly or run on the treadmill at least once per week - I aim to get up early on one of the days I drop Hunter to school to make time for the treadmill.  .


Goal: To brush my teeth twice a day and floss each night.


Plan
This one shoud be easy - but as I've been going to bed later, I've been tired and have been skipping some steps at night.  My plan is to go to bed earlier and just do the teeth - it's important!


Finances


Goal: To not spend more than we earn so we don't feel stressed about money


Plan
To make a budget which gives both Nigel and myself spending money so we don't put extra expenses on the credit card.

Stick to the budget.

Limit impulse purchases - before a purchase think about if we really need it and how useful it will be.


Home environement
Goal: For our house to be free of CHAOS (as fly lady would say - Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome)

Plan

I need to tackle this slowly and one piece at a time and I've started.

I started the
52 week organised home challenge, which tackles one area of the house at a time. So far I'm keeping up with it and I aim to keep up with the challenge for the entire 52 weeks. This will slowly get my house into order and free of CHAOS.

I've hired a cleaner once a fortnight (she starts on Monday 13th February - yay!!!) to keep on top of the cleaning tasks. This will give us incentive to keep the place tidy, as she cant clean if the place is untidy.

The kids are lazy and get all their toys out and don't pack them away. We let them get away with it. We need to be more strict on them putting toys away as they go, and no stories until their toys are packed up each night.


Family


Goal: Spend quality time together doing things we enjoy (this is from our mission statement)


Plan
I want to plan a "family day" once per month,where we spend the day together doing something fun! I haven't quite worked out this will work- I will discuss it with my family, but I was thinking along the lines of each month someone will get a turn of choosing what we do. Or we put fun activities in a jar and pull a mystery activity out. Or decide as a family what we will do.


Goal: Focussed time spend with the kids
Plan
Each child to have one-on-one time with one parent each night. This is usually at our nightly reading time.

Limited computer time whilst the kids are awake.

Say yes to the kids more- yes to that one game they want to play, yes to that story they want me to read them, yes to jumping on the trampoline with them.

Try and fit in sometime for playing with the kids before we start our nightly bedtime routine. 



Goal: Nigel and I to spend time together one night a week
Plan
Be in the same room! Turn off the computer. Only have the TV on if it's a show we both want to watch (we have 2 TVs - and currently 1 of us will be watching one whilst the other is watching the other). Talk.



18 comments:

  1. We have a couple of similar goals. A night with hubby and no computer! as simple as that sounds, it hasn't happened here for a while. I'm sure it will be great for both of us though!

    Good luck with all those stairs. What a wonderful goal. I'm also going to check out 52 weeks to an organised home. A whole lot of CHAOS here as well!

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    1. Thanks Casojaha! he 52 weeks to an organised home is great too - one step at a time. I love the CHAOS acronym!

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  2. Love it. I totally agree on the brushing teeth thing. My dentist always tells me he can tell I only floss adhoc, bugger it! But I don't get home from work till midnight 3 times a week, so I definitely relate.
    All in all those goals sound great and achievable.

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    1. Thanks Miss Mandy! Yep my dentist keeps asking how are you going with the flossing...the hyginist gave me a demonstration on how to do it properly last time..I still struggle. I'm glad I'm not the only one!

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  3. Hi Bec, these goals are fantastic & you've really thought about how you will break them down to achieve them, well done. Ditto on the flossing, what a great goal to set, I don't even think of things like that as they seem too simple, yet I feel guilty about it & don't change my behaviour. Add to that mascara removal & face wash at night for me - oh dear!!!

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    1. Thanks Shellebelle - I'm lucky I don't bother with make up so that's one less job to do at night! There just seems to be too much to fit in.

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  4. Wow, a very comprehensive set of goals. Its going to be an exciting year for you. I have implemented one 'digital free' night a week and it works a treat! The flossing idea is also great. I love the mix of micro and macro goals. Good luck!

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    1. Thanks kreategirl. I'm glad to hear the digital free night works well for you! I'm excited to give it a try.

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  5. haha - i always say i will floss but never do (average 4 times a year!) i don't know why i cannot get myself to do that one!

    my sleep goals are similar - i am on the computer too late and then want to read in bed and time goes. I have started reading in bed with my coffee as my intentional start to the day and have been loving it more than reading at 11 pm!

    Deb @ home life simplified

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    1. Oh I would love to read in the morning...but you know what would happen then...I would lose track of time and be late for work!
      I read until 11pm last night (hubby said about 10.45pm I should really think about putting my book down). But I was so close to finishing my book - finished it! So onto a new one this morning (I read to and from work on the train)

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  6. I'm so glad there are others admitting to not flossing. I felt a bit guilty about posting that one - like it's a basic I should be doing and therefore not need a goal for it!

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  7. Bec your goals for this year sound very achieveable and great!! I wish you luck on making the small changes to obtain the 'bigger goal' x

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    1. Thanks Paula, hopefully I can stick at the little things.

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  8. flossing is so annoying... I get in so much trouble off my dentist for not doing it, and then i manage it for a month after before it dies in the ass again. I like that you set such achievable and realistic goals - I am sure we will read all about you winning and achieving all of these!

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  9. What such good goals! Can't wait to see how you go through the year :)

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  10. I like that your goals cover so many areas and are all broken down into a plan, they all seem really achievable. I am in the process of doing my goals for the SYL12 challenge (yes, I know - way behind but I am determined to do each and every step).

    Less computer time, more family time, more relationship time, more yes to the kids, flossing ... all good goals and am sure they will all appear somewhere on my list in one form or another. Thankyou for the inspiration :-)

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  11. Great list of goals and plans you have there! Good luck achieving everything your desire...you can do it!

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  12. Great goals. They all seem achievable. Totally agree about the flossing. I manage to do it most days.

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