This year, I set goals in 4 broad categories. Interestingly, I didn’t set any beauty goals this year! I was successful with my goal of spending less on beauty products in 2014, and I feel like I now have this beat. As a result, I will be continuing with trying to declutter and use up my stash, but without a formal goal specific to beauty products.
Healthy home, healthy life
My goals in this category were inspired by these two books: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up and Lessons from Madame Chic.
Goal #1: Continue with decluttering 101 & cleaning 101
Continue with Decluttering 101 (declutter for at lease 10 minutes per day and let go of at least one item per day) and Cleaning 101 (clean for at least 10 minutes per day in at least one part of the condo). I implemented these initiatives in the latter half of 2014 to help myself develop better habits. I think I am starting to integrate some good habits into my daily life, and I’d like to continue this in 2015.
2015 review
Overall, I did fairly well with Decluttering 101 and Cleaning 101, but I stopped doing this every day and I also no longer set a timer. I’m much better at cleaning as I go, so I’d say the condo is generally tidier than before. Overall, I’d say my progress was in line with the spirit of the goal I set at the beginning of the year, but I was not as disciplined as I was hoping to be.
Goal #2: finish decluttering by Jun 30/15.
After reading The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, I developed a decluttering mindset. While I still find it difficult to let go of stuff, I’m getting much better at it. The book discusses the importance of having an end-date for decluttering, so I’d like to finish my own decluttering journey by Jun 30/15.
2015 review
It’s the end of the year and I’m still not done! If I had to estimate my progress, I’d say I’m about 75% of the way there — so I feel like I made a lot of progress. That being said, my gut feeling is that I’m still hanging onto a lot and some things are still very difficult for me to let go. This will continue to be a major focus in 2016.
Goal #3: Finish organizing by Dec 31/15
Once I’m done decluttering, I’d like to move to the organization stage. In this stage, I plan to organize all the things I’ve decided to keep — so that every item in my condo has its own home. I’d like to finish my organization journey by Dec 31/15. I love the idea of being able to find what I need exactly when I need it, without wasting a lot of time looking around for stuff.
2015 review
If you had asked me a week ago how I was doing with this, I would have told you that I hadn’t even really started yet. However, since I had around a week off from work for the holidays, I had time to “catch up” and ended up getting a lot done. Now, I’d say I’m around halfway or even three-quarters of the way there. This is going to continue to be a major focus in 2016 (alongside decluttering).
Goal #4: Buy flowers for the condo at least once per month.
One thing that I like to do when setting goals is to bundle a goal that I want to achieve with something that I already love. I’ve noticed that when I have flowers in the condo, I tend to care more about having my home environment just so. There’s something about the beauty of flowers that just does not sit right with clutter. I’m hoping that my goal of buying flowers for the condo at least once a month will incentivize me to keep the condo cleaner and tidier.
2015 review
Unfortunately, I somehow didn’t formally track this goal, but I think I purchased flowers for 6 months out of the year.
Goal #5: Focus on food while eating.
This goal is a bit strange because it seems a pretty intuitive and common sense approach. Buuuuut I’ve noticed recently that I tend to snack a lot when I’m in front of the computer or when I’m watching TV. I consume most of my meals and snacks when I’m distracted — I don’t realize how much I’m eating, and I don’t take the time to enjoy my food. The idea of this goal is to shift my habits so I eat more mindfully. Going forward, I’d like to eat my food at a table with no distractions. If I’m eating at my desk at work, I’ll focus on my food and continue working once I’m done my meal.
2015 review
This was a game changer!! I’m so pleased to report that I don’t have any distractions when I eat now. I don’t look at my phone, I don’t watch TV, I don’t watch YouTube, I don’t browse the Internet, and I don’t do work. Eating has truly become its own activity. While my mind still wanders at times, I’m much better at enjoying my meals and I also snack more consciously. No more mindless eating!
The bonus is that I don’t eat as often because I usually have other things I want to be doing besides eating. Now that I’ve split out eating into its own standalone activity, I have to make the decision to eat, which means there are opportunity costs. Using my time to eat means I can’t use that same chunk of time to work on a YouTube video, or read a book, or watch a show with hubby. This goal was surprisingly effective.
Goal #6: Shop for fresh food and cook at least twice a week.
There was a time in my life when I loooooooooved to cook. I’d cook often, and I found so much joy in discovering new recipes, experimenting with ingredients, and making delicious home-cooked meals. I’m not sure what happened but I somehow became very lazy and unmotivated in recent years when it came to cooking. With this goal, I’m hoping that I’ll be able to rediscover a passion for cooking.
2015 review
This goal was also very successful! Hubby and I have integrated a grocery shopping trip into our weekly routine. While this sounds like something very ordinary, I’m embarrassed to admit that we weren’t doing this before. Instead, we’d fallen into the habit of going to restaurants or ordering takeaway so we had very little need for groceries.
I’m so so so happy to have interrupted this pattern by preparing some home-cooked meals each week. We still go to restaurants most weekends but I now cook around 2-3 times per week. We also started packing our lunches! We each bring a nice hearty salad to work, which has been so lovely and nutritious.
Goal #7: Go for a massage at least once every two months.
This is another goal that I’m setting to bundle with other healthy habits. I find that when I go for massages, I tend to drink more water and eat more fruits and vegetables. Since massages are supposed to help your body release toxins (or tension at the very least!), I feel like I should support my body with more healthful food. I’d also like to integrate more activity into my daily routine — for example, taking the stairs instead of the escalator or elevator, continuing to walk a lot, and perhaps doing yoga or weight training every once in a while.
2015 review
I met this goal! I tried acupuncture this year as well, but I prefer massages overall.
Work
Goal #8: wake up at least an hour before leaving for work.
Over the years, I’ve developed a habit of waking up around 20 minutes before leaving for work. I’d have to rush through my morning routine and run out the door, which made me feel disheveled and a little anxious. I’ve read a lot of articles about “successful” individuals waking up early and taking some time for themselves, so I thought I’d do a little experiment to see if this could work for me.
This year, I’d like to try to take wake up a bit earlier so I can take an hour before work as some additional “me time.” During this hour, I’d like to slowly get ready, enjoy a tea or coffee and perhaps some breakfast, spend some time caring for Truffle and Lulu.
2015 review
This goal has also truly been life changing. I can’t overstate the positive impact this goal has had on my mood — I don’t have to rush in the morning so I feel more relaxed, I have time to make a healthy lunch, I play with Truffle and Lulu, and I can take my time getting ready. It’s wonderful to have a bit of “me time” in the morning. After experimenting with this all year, I’ve found that my sweet spot is waking up 1.5 hours before leaving for work.
Finances
Goal #9: Meet my annual savings goal.
This is a repeating goal for me. I always set an annual savings goal and this year is no exception.
2015 review
I met 100% of my savings goal this year — woohoo! Interestingly, I didn’t spend much money in 2015. I sold a few handbags and “reinvested” the money in other pieces. Most of my big expenses happened towards the end of the year — hubby and I bought a couch and also paid for some flights/hotels for some travel that we’re planning next year. Overall, at the end of the year, I was a little bit above budget, but I also had some unexpected income from some project work, so I was able to meet my savings goal.
Photography
Goal #10: complete 365 project of hubby and me.
This goal is so dear to me and I’m going to try it again this year. In 2014, I missed 28 days of photos, and I’d like to improve on that this year.
2015 review
I improved compared to last year! In 2015, I only missed 18 days of photos.
Goal #11: Take annual family portraits.
I set the same goal last year, but I didn’t do very well so I’m trying again! At some point during the year, I’d like to take annual family portraits of (1) Hubs and me with our pets, (2) my side of the family, and (3) Hubs' side of the family. I’m going to try to keep these low key and casual, but I’ll still use my DSLR (on a tripod).
2015 review
This year saw a bit of an improvement compared to last year! I took sweet family portraits of my household (hubs, Truffle, Lulu, and me) and also my in-laws. I’m a bit disappointed that I didn’t take a family portrait for my own immediate family, but we did take some informal snapshots so I’m thankful for that.