The start of each month is the time I take a look at how I am progressing with my goals for this year. Posting a regular monthly review actually really helps me stick to the discipline of reflecting on how I have used my time, assess decisions I have made and work on ways to improve how I am going.
I didn’t specifically state any key tasks I was doing last month, so will just review in general how I am tracking so far:
| Goals for 2012 | February Review | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. - Blog | - Complete make over of blog, to be completed by March. - Grow the blog to a business. | Was the core focus for me blog wise in February. All going well, March should see the new design launched - cannot wait! The redesign is part of my plan to grow the blog into a business. |
| 2. - Family | Reintroduce a regular games night. | Regular probably wasn't the best choice of words. We are playing games frequently, but not on the same night / time type of thing. I have just made a greater effort to find moments across the week when we can play more together as a family. |
| 3. - Partner | Weekend away on our own (carry over from 2011!) | No progress on this to date. |
| 4. - Me | Change the way I eat - more balanced (less carbs). | I have made great in roads to changing the way I eat. I have an extraordinary love of carbs but have been finding ways to reduce my intake. Still need to find more lunch ideas to keep me away from eating sandwiches all the time! |
Personal Goals – February Review
My biggest learning in February was the power of setting boundaries. I had a great response to my post last month on The Dilemma of Balance. In this post I spoke about not aiming for balance as a goal, but tilting my time and energy to key needs and interests.
I had a couple of emails from readers asking how did I make sure that I didn’t “tilt” too far and neglect particular areas of my life. This is indeed a valid question.
February saw the kids return to school and the family back to school time routines. Working online and from home, it can be so easy to fall into the trap of sneaking time online and I have been guilty of doing this at times when things have been hectic.
For the school terms to ensure I don’t “tilt” too far with my blogging, I have set myself boundaries. I am a creature of habit and these boundaries help shape my daily routines. They are:
- No online activity until after school drop offs. On mornings when the preschooler is home, no online activity until nap time.
- Before starting work in the evening all lunch boxes need to be packed, washing up to date and bench tops cleared.
Four weeks into the term and I am really liking the discipline of these boundaries. I feel more organised on the home front, but it has meant I often don’t start on my work until much later. A bonus of this has been that I have had to make some changes to my work flow and get much better at declining opportunities that are offered to me.
Sometimes I have to be forced into a corner before I embrace change!
Personal Goals – Key Tasks For March
| Goals for 2012 | Key Tasks For March | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. - Blog | - Complete make over of blog, to be completed by March. - Grow the blog to a business. | Implement new design. Firm up business plan for 2012. |
| 2. - Family | Reintroduce a regular games night. | The older boys have not been joining in as much as I would like. I need to be more creative with the games, so they will want to play. |
| 3. - Partner | Weekend away on our own (carry over from 2011!) | Lock down a date for when we will do this and explore options for the kids. |
| 4. - Me | Change the way I eat - more balanced (less carbs). | Find new lunch ideas that do not involve bread! |
Do you set yourself boundaries on what you can and can’t do to help manage your time?