This year, I set goals in 4 broad categories. My main themes for 2013 are decluttering (continued from 2012), health & fitness (I took a break from this in 2012, but I think I'm ready to make some changes this year), and YouTube (new in 2013). When I set goals, I always try use the SMART criteria as that typically helps me to stay focussed. I've set 9 goals for 2013 and here they are!

Decluttering

Goal #1: Reduce contents of home by 25%

I read an article that the average person can reduce the contents of their home by 40% and not really feel a significant impact — so I thought that setting a goal for myself of 25% this year would be a good first step. Since I like goals that are measurable, I decided to approach this in the following ways:

  • Donating one big bag of items to Goodwill every month.

  • Reducing the contents of the locker by 25% — it’s currently jam-packed and we can barely get the door closed!

  • Selling big ticket items that I don’t use anymore — I have six items in mind so I’d like to sell one every two months.

2013 review

I made some progress towards this goal, but nowhere near the 25% that I was planning. If I had to guess-timate, I’d say I perhaps reduced the contents of my home by 5%. I also ended up buying a lot this year, so that offset a lot of my donations. I ended up selling a whole bunch of items that I don’t use anymore, including three handbags, a winter coat, some camera gear, and my old iPhone.

Goal #2: Reduce beauty box subscriptions to 3

Right now, I am subscribed to six beauty boxes (Glossybox, Glymm, Topbox, Julep, Starlooks Starbox, Beauty Box 5). The cost and the samples are adding up, so I’d love to reduce my beauty box subscriptions to three by the end of the year.

2013 review

I accomplished this! I am now subscribed to Seasonsbox and Julep, but I’ve been skipping Julep for many months so I don’t really count that one. That being said, I did purchase two new prepaid subscriptions that will start in 2014 — they are both from Dior (the Secret Admirer box and a nail polish subscription).

Goal #3: Implement a beauty ban for 9 months

I did a beauty ban for two months in 2012 and it felt great. I’m going to be more ambitious this year and try to implement a beauty ban for nine months in 2013. Right now, I’m thinking I’ll allow myself to make purchases in May, November, and December.

2013 review

This was a total fail. In the first part of the year, I started wondering if this goal does more harm than good for me, because I’d refrain from buying for some time, but then the floodgates would open, and I would purchase TONS of stuff. By the time I did my third quarterly goals update in 2013, I had scrapped this goal.

Health & Fitness

Goal #4: Fit into my Browns knee-high black boots

I’ve gained some weight ever the years, and I haven’t been able to fit into these boots in a long time. Instead of using the scale to measure my trimming up, I decided to measure in this way instead.

2013 review

This didn’t happen but I could tell that I made some progress as my boots were that much closer to being able to zip up all the way. Small wins, right?

Goal #5: Eat at least 5 servings of fruit and vegetables per day

This used to be really easy for me but I’ve really fallen off track. Lately, I’ve been eating a lot of carbs and processed junk food. I’m going to try to be more consistent in having a supply of fresh fruits and vegetables at home so I can more easily incorporate these healthier items into my diet.

2013 review

I don’t think I consistently eat five servings of fruit and vegetables every day, but I did develop a new routine that helps me to keep the kitchen stocked with healthy options. I subscribed to Mama Earth Organics, which is an organic vegetable delivery service. I also started cooking more again, so I’m very happy with the progress I made on this goal.

Youtube

Goal #6: Plan 6 videos around a holiday or occasion

In an effort to put out more varied content, I’d like to get better at planning my videos around seasons, holidays, and occasions — for example, Valentine’s Day or Halloween. I’d like to start off with six of these types of video in 2013.

2013 review

I didn’t end up doing this. After putting some more thought into this goal, I’ve realized that planning around seasons, holidays, and occasions isn’t really something that suits me or my YouTube channel. I prefer to record what I want to record, when I want to record it. :)

Goal #7: Film 2 reviews and/or tutorials per month

One main goal around my YouTube channel is that I want to put out videos that are helpful to viewers. I’ve fallen behind with filming reviews, tutorials, and DIYs so I thought I would set a goal in this area.

2013 review

Yes! I feel so good about my content in this area, and I’m so happy I set this goal for myself.

OtHER

Goal #8: Savings goal + rewards

This year, I set the same savings goal from 2012. I enjoyed the reward component last year, so I’ll also be mirroring that this year. I’ll allow myself to purchase a big-ticket item when I reach 50% of my savings goal, and another when I reach 100%.

2013 review

I ended the year just shy of my goal at 97%; however, I still indulged in both rewards (plus an additional one). I also “cheated” a bit again this year by purchasing my rewards before reaching the thresholds.

Goal #9: Take a photo a day and post to my Tumblr

I loved my photo-a-day project so much last year that I decided to do another 365 project. Last year, I took photos of hubby and me, but I don’t have a theme for the photos this year.

2013 review

Not setting a theme for the photos was a mistake in goal design. I lost steam relatively quickly (after the first 3 or 4 months) and eventually abandoned this project altogether.