This post contains affiliate links. When I set my 2023 goals, they were ambitious. Exercise 300 hours; spend 1,000 hours outdoors, read 30 books; get rid of 40 bags of clutter. . . These goals were ambitious for my life at the time, but, just five weeks after I set these goals, I got a new work-at-home job. That new job combined with my old job meant I was working 25 hours a week from home, plus homeschooling two teens and trying to keep up this blog. My 2023 goals quickly became too ambitious to accomplish, and each week, when I updated my goals, I felt like a failure.
A few months ago, I decided in 2024 that I would not set yearly goals, but rather quarterly goals. Then, if life changes unexpectedly, as it’s apt to do, I wouldn’t have goals that didn’t match my current life circumstances.
So, last week, when I went to update my goals, and once again felt like a failure, I thought, why not start the quarterly goals now? Why not shed those 2023 goals like an old skin because they don’t reflect my current life situation?
So, that’s what I’m doing.
Instead, for the remainder of 2023, I’m going to focus on these goals that are most important to me at this stage of my life. My main goal is focusing on improving my health.
My Goals for the Remainder of 2023:
Health Goals
Take 750,000 Steps
I bought a treadmill desk, so my plan is to get many of my steps in while working.
Have 22 Weight Lifting Sessions
Have 22 Yoga Sessions
Follow a Low Fodmap Diet to Treat SIBO for the next 4 to 6 weeks
(I tried to follow low fodmap and low lectin, but that was way too restrictive for me.)
Make an Appointment with a Heart Doctor
I had my last heart doctor appointment in Arizona 18 months ago. I’m supposed to go in for yearly monitoring, so I need to find a heart doctor here in New York, especially since most specialists here have long wait times.
Work Goals
Create a Work Routine
Working from home is a blessing that I’m thankful for. However, my current way of working is to do maybe 30 minutes of work, then do something else, work 15 minutes, then do something else, which leads me to feel like I’m working all day long without accomplishing much. My goal is to set defined work times so I know exactly when work time is and when off time is.
Get Two Weeks Ahead in My Posts for Work
I want to create a buffer in case I get sick or am unable to work for whatever reason.
Get 4 posts Ahead in My Blog
I tend to write posts on the fly and post them, which is fine for short or repetive posts (like my meal planning posts), but not so much for more in-depth posts I’d like to write.
Personal
Read 2 Books
Study Japanese for 1,500 Minutes
I repeatedly push studying Japanese to the back burner, but I want to be able to speak to my husband’s family the next time we go to Japan, so studying the language must be a priority.
Final Thoughts
These goals do feel ambitious considering my current schedule, but they’re also necessary to put routines in place that will help me lead a healthier life. I’ll update my goals weekly, just like I did for the yearly goals.
Have you ever set goals and then found life circumstances changed so much that you were unable to keep those goals?
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