In January we shared with you some of our 2018 goals, and now that we’re creeping up on the mid-year mark (eek!) we figured the time was right to update you on how they’ve been going. We like to write about goals here (even those that aren’t DIY-related) because it’s both a great accountability mechanism for us, and it’s a way for us to share some more about our lives outside of decorating our houses.

Sage

This year, I set the following goals:

• Take care of my mental and physical health
  • Rehab right leg — Physical Therapy, stretching
  • Exercise 4+ days per week, with at least as much strength-training as cardio
  • Weekly therapy
  • Meditate once per week
  • No more than 40 hours of work per week, no email on nights and weekends
• Make a difference in the world
  • Remember that helping kids go to college is meaningful
  • Pick my cause to engage in deeply
  • Show up for other causes once per month
• Waste less time doing mindless things
  • No facebook for 1 month +
  • Play more games
  • Read 10 books
• Improve the house
  • Figure out longer term layout/room use plan
  • Year #2 of outside projects

So how has it been going so far?

Here are the things I’ve been making progress on:

• I completed another round of physical therapy in January for my leg, though it still bothers me from time to time so I’m not convinced it’s really healed (I’m not running at all, so if I did I think it would flare up again)
• I’ve continued to go to therapy.
• I’ve gotten a better handle on my work hours, though a stressful spring at work has meant some evening and weekend work.
• I quit facebook in January and haven’t been back since. It’s awesome and I don’t miss it at all, though sometimes I’m a little late seeing photos or learning updates from friends and family since it’s still a main communication channel for so many folks.
• I’ve read 4 books so far this year: The Trespasser (a crime thriller from Tana French, who I really enjoy), Before We Were Yours (a story based on a terrible real-life adoption scandal perpetrated across the country from the 1920s through 50s), The Flight Attendant (another crime thriller, this one by Chris Bohjalian who is a Vermont writer I love), and I’ll Be Gone in the Dark (a true crime story about the Golden State Killer, a serial rapist and killer based in California in the 1970s and 80s). Yes, I have strange taste in books….
• I’ve figured out how we’re going to shift around rooms in our house to make it more family-friendly, and started some of the work involved like rearranging our bedroom, designing a new closet for it, and buying the bi-fold doors we’ll use for it.
• Doing some outdoor projects, like filling our large deck planter and starting to grow some groundcover.

That said, I’ve had some health/medical things come up since January that have taken most of my energy and attention, and I haven’t done a lot of what I’d planned this year as a result. I haven’t been exercising regularly (sometimes due to doctor’s orders, sometimes due to exhaustion), and you may have also noticed that the pace of my home improvement projects has slowed too for the same reasons. I’ve also been so consumed by my own stuff that I have been terrible with staying engaged in the horrendous things going on in the world. I work hard and believe that my job makes a difference, but it feels like a drop in the bucket when children are being taken from their parents at the border, unarmed black men and boys are killed by police, and mass shootings continue unabated…to name just a few disturbing things in the news at the current moment.

I haven’t felt ready to share about the health stuff on the internet yet, but I promise I will at some point this summer. I’m totally fine, but I just haven’t had the physical or emotional energy to do a lot of the things I set out to do this year. As a person who is always busy and active, it’s been hard to accept that I just don’t have it in me to maintain that same level of activity right now — but one of my big goals this year has been physical and mental health, and it’s been important for me to accept that I’m doing the best thing for myself by not pushing as hard as I usually do. I know that sounds dramatic, and I don’t mean to be — there are just some things I’m not yet ready to talk about in detail online yet, but I did want to share a bit about why this year is looking different than expected.

Naomi

My mid-year goal progress is a mixed bag.  While it hasn’t been a particularly dramatic year for me, a really intense workload and period of time at work has taken a lot out of me.  I’ve gotten a lot done but I definitely have some catching up to do. Here’s how I’m doing:

My top goal was to finish my novel draft and revise it. I said I would:

• Finish the first draft in April
• Do major revisions by the summer
• Share with a few trusted readers
• Make more revisions based on reader feedback by December

Let me just say…. HAHAHA. I did not finish the first draft in April, not even close:

I’ve had a really bad stretch of writing, essentially since late February, and haven’t gotten much done. I blame a busy work schedule and also hitting a tough spot that I am stuck on. However, I am looking at a summer with more down time and will be able to devote time an energy to it again. I’ve also been maintaining my writing group, which keeps me thinking about writing and my story and revising, even if those efforts aren’t reflected in the numbers.

I think a realistic revised goal is to finish the draft this year and start revisions before 2019. I can do it!

My goal to be engaged has been more successful, however. By this I meant engaged in a lot of ways, like paying attention in the world and spending more time with friends and family. I’ve been able to say “yes” to incrementally more things lately, specifically with Brad, my parents, and friends… sometimes at the expense of writing time. I do still feel guilty that I’m not doing enough with folks but given how many other goals I have I think this might be a good balance.

My goal to keep a journal has been a complete bust. Why do I need a journal if I have a blog?!

Finally, I feel great about where I am on my house progress goals. I finished the closet makeover quicker than I expected and am really proud of it, and also finally put in a hallway rug (with your help).

I’ve also been making slow but steady progress on the kitchen, and remember the goal was to at least start the project this year, not necessarily finish it!

No year ever goes as planned, but this pattern of goal setting and checking in is really helpful to focus and also to adjust as things change.  Here’s to a great end of 2018!

How’s your year going?  What goals have you set/made/missed?