Weekly Goal Tracking: Week 1

I'll use the Goals on Track to manage my weekly and monthly goal planning progress. I will post at the beginning of the week with what my broken down goals are for the week, and at the next session, will report how the previous week went.

Zen to Done suggests using your lists and reviewing them twice a day, once in the morning and once at night. Then at the beginning of each week, evaluate your goal and your "Big Rocks" to see how you can make progress that week toward your yearly goal. You also re-calibrate monthly to make sure that the scope of your goal has not changed and that you are still on track.

2016 goals

1. *Dialing In My Food, Sleep and Exercise - Down to 140lbs or 26" by June 2016
2. Earn $500/month on the side by March 2016
3. Pass the PMP certification test by September 2016
4. *Develop a home management system that is usable in small doses every day
5. *Develop a personal appearance system
6. Continue 2015 goal of Debt Payoff by 2018.

*Goals that focus on long-term sustainability through habit change.

Week 1:

Goal 1 - Dialing In My Food, Sleep and Exercise - Down to 140lbs or 26" by June 2016

    Physical Activity - I've already compiled a list of my normal workout activities I enjoy. I popped open a quick grid to remind myself what they are and what suggested activities I have left for the rest of the day. The substitution item is any other physical activities that might come up - DWYLT style. This past weekend, it was sledding. I've gone snowboarding, surfing, canoeing, kayaking, rafting, floating. (Apparently I enjoy water sports.) I also enjoy racket ball, basketball, soccer, football, tennis (if people are patient with me, haha), and volleyball.

     Food - I have thrown out any of the junk food that we had accumulated during our recent binge period. I have noticed that when I get home from work, I am prone to just sitting on the couch and snacking. I am changing the trigger habit (sitting on the couch) with chores, a video lesson for goal #2, or reading. Not having junk in the house anymore is one of the strongest tactics.
     At the beginning of each week, I will post the menu plan for dinner and report my food budget (because I'm a geek like that).

     A tidbit about how we structure our meals - Breakfast is usually eggs or yogurt in the winter and smoothies in the summer. We like to keep it simple. Lunch is whatever is leftover from dinner. We choose meals that normally feed 4-6 people so that we are guaranteed leftovers for the next day's lunch and hopefully, dinner.
     We like meals that are super simple. There's nothing like being exhausted at the end of the day and trying to make sense of a complex recipe. As long as you have high-quality meats and veggies, and know at least a little about how to cook, you're golden. Aaron and I tagteam in the kitchen and we both play to our strengths. He's great at meat and seasonings, but not great at chopping. I weild a knife pretty well and just learned how to cut onions without crying! Between the two of us, we usually have dinner on the table within 30-45 minutes. Our favorite cookbook is Danielle Walker's Meals Made Simple. Usually by the time we get to the weekend, we have lots of leftovers still to choose from.
     I share my food log in the daily posts as well, so you can see how well I met my goal.

     Sleep - The goal of 8-9 hours of sleep a night does require conditioning. I'll be tracking my sleep on the weekly posts for a higher level view, but also will mention them in the daily posts as I calibrate what causes me to go to bed late and sleep in late.

Goal 2 - Earn $500/month on the side by March 2016

     This goal is dependent on completing coursework, homework, and finding work on the Upwork marketplace.

Goal 3 - Pass the PMP certification test by September 2016

     This week, I will research the next class at PSU that I want to attend, noting the dates and time commitment.

Goal 4 - Develop a home management system that is usable in small doses every day

     This goal will be iterative. For this year, I want to focus on the every day tasks that keep the house clean and moving smoothly. I don't yet know what the larger maintenance tasks are that a homeowner should focus on, but I suspect I will find that out of the next year or so. For now, I will start with the below items and add/subtract as needed.

Goal 5 - Develop a personal appearance system

     This one is tricky to put my finger on because I know what I mean but it is difficult to pin down. More than anything, I want to focus on defining my personal uniform. I love the 30s-60s for their different influences. I love the glam Hollywood era of the 30s (the silk, satin and fur - amazing!), the lipstick, hair, swing skirts, oxfords and military inspiration of the 40s, the ultra-feminine silhouette and ladylike emphasis of the 50s and the simplicity of form from the 60s. I like to cherry pick from those to create my own kind of style.

Goal 6 - Continue 2015 goal of Debt Payoff by 2018

     I got a pleasant surprise from Aaron today. His workman's compensation assistance didn't get cut off like we thought it would, so for the next payment we receive this week, about 85% of it will go toward our highest interest rate credit card (20.99% - my very first card). That will leave us with just under $1k to pay off on that card. The other credit card of mine is only 12%, so it's much easier to tackle. If I can get 3 things paid off this year, it will be:

• $2667 on my 20.99% card (this will be down to about $1k soon)
• $2152 on my 12% card
• $11,400 at 11% interest on our honeymoon/visit for Grandma Smith's funeral loan.