Now is the Time to Get it Done!

If I am honest, March was a cluster! I went in with good intentions and a plan. Ha! That blew up in my face when the schools shut down, my company mandated we work from home, and the only time we could go out was to the grocery store, pharmacy, and to exercise. Then after a mild winter, spring arrived, but Mother Nature thought it would be funny not to play along. The weather has been cold and rainy. April has to be better, right?

Well, not so fast. If you look at the world around us, April is going to be pretty much the same. The schools shut down, and working from home continues through May 3rd. We can still only go to the grocery store and pharmacy. We are doing our part to flatten the curve, and I am okay with that. What I am not okay with is my lack of motivation, and using this as an excuse not to accomplish many of the goals I set out for myself last month and for the remainder of 2020. Today that has all changed. I drew a line in the sand and developed a plan.

Never in my adult life have I spent so much time at home. I think I was in denial at the beginning and kept thinking it would end soon. Instead of wallowing in my sadness over missed trips and races, I am going to concentrate on my 2020 goals. I am going to use this time to do things I keep putting off or never seem to have the time to do.

This morning I grabbed my coffee, my planner, my work calendar, the school work schedule, and my to-do list and spent over an hour planning my month. However, before I could move forward with new goals, I needed to look back and revisit the ones I set for myself in March.

March Goals

• Blog
  • 30 mins, three times a week on SEO.- NOPE
  • Write and post eight new blog posts.- I wrote 6, so calling it a win!
  • Grow social media platforms by 10%.- NOPE
  • Finish blog course work.- NOPE
• Personal
  • Lose 10lbs.- NOPE, but at least I did not gain.
  • Strength train four times a week.- Nope
  • Continue with weeks 11-15 of my training plan for running.-I ran, but not per any plan as my races were canceled.
  • Call a dermatologist!- Not taking appointments due to COVID-19
  • Sit Robbie down to discuss a savings plan for college.- Yes
• Household
  • Organize kitchen cabinets.- 1/2 way done
  • Try two new recipes.- Yes

Ahhh, I had such high hopes for the month, especially when it came to my blog. Instead of beating myself up, I am looking at this new month as a time to get it done. Besides work, all other activities for me are on hold. Time is there for the taking. I need to make the most of it and not waste a moment.

April’s Goals

Blog

• 30 mins, three times a week on SEO.
• Write and post 4 new blog posts.
• Grow social media platforms by 5%.
• Finish blog course work.

Work

• Find work-life balance- It can be hard to shut it down when working from home. I am setting my hours, and rarely will I make exceptions. I need to treat it as if I am going to the office every day.

Personal

• Move my body 30 minutes every day. When I am in the office, I reach my 10,000 step count most days, without counting my exercise. Since working from home five days a week, that has not been the case. The result is tight hip flexors, a sore back, and feeling like a slug. Again, I need to treat my day as if I am in the office.
• Get up, shower, and put something on besides running clothes or yoga pants.
• Though I maintained my weight, my goal was to lose weight. I am going to give myself grace and aim for 5lbs, rather than 10lbs.
• My goal race, the one I was training so hard for was canceled. Yes, I had a pity party, but again, this morning, I said no more. I picked a fall race, and that will be my new goal race. My new training plan for that will start late May, but in the meantime, I have a short term training plan I am following for all my runs leading up to then. Plus, I still have summer races that have not been canceled yet.
• Save all money not being spent on gas and entertainment and put toward our next vacation.

Household

• Finish organizing the cabinets in the kitchen.
• Clean the fridge.
• Start cleaning and purging my scrapbook room, so we can renovate by the end of the year.

Miscellaneous

🌟 More doggie 🐶 walks.
🌟Scrapbook.
🌟Try new recipes.
🌟Read more books.
🌟Cherish the additional time I have with my boys being home.

That is it, folks. This is my plan. The time is now. So if you have some things you want to accomplish, take advantage of being “stuck” at home. Now I know some of you may not have that luxury, as you are working on the front lines. I thank you for that and our nation thanks you for that. However, if you do have the time, make the most of it and report back. I would love to hear what it is you have accomplished.

Be well my friends.

Heather