March's Eight Great Goals

Ah, March - what do you plan to bring?

More responsibility, more puppy fun, more photos, more love, more smiles, more silliness, more laughter, more improvement, more sleep? I honestly hope all of the above!

Daylight Saving time will have an amazing impact on my outlook. Look at the Sunrise/Sunset times for Portland! With the sun out later in the evening it means that I won't be as grumpy leaving work late, won't have the urge to hibernate, will want to run longer and will be able to take more photos with the beloved natural light! If this isn't reason to celebrate then I have my priorities all wrong.

What are my priorities you ask? That's a great segue into March's Eight Great Goals - see, easy month already!

Eight Great Goals

1. When laundry is done, fold it immediately. When dishes are dirty, scrub them and put them in the dishwasher. When mail is in the mailbox, bring it in, sort it and find a home for it. When something is deemed 'recyclable' - put it in the recycling area out of sight. You get the picture. The goal is to not allow things to pile up around the house. It only causes me undue stress and won't be good for the added stress I'll see at work over the next three months.

2. Create a blogging calendar and follow it. Keep drafts of posts, start collecting pictures, all of the things that I scramble to do the night before I publish a post can be taken care of days in advance and I should really force myself to get on that schedule. I know that I had a similar goal last month and failed miserably at it, but if I set my mind to it I will find myself enjoying the evening and getting to bed on time rather than always telling Dan, "sorry, I still have to write, edit photos, schedule, draft, etc". I feel like a broken record.

3. Eat at restaurants only five times. The entire month! Dan and I are going to Mo's for Chowder tonight in Newport to kick off the beach weekend with my family, so after that we had better plan wisely. We made it to Subway several times for Februany and we should really focus on eating the food we've bought from the grocery store and that we've prepped.

4. Can you believe that I still haven't met little miss Olive who is now four months old? Her mama and I have been in touch but haven't been able to make it happen yet. This month there is no excuse that can stop me from seeing Tanna & Olive (hopefully Greg too!)

5. Do. Not. Drop. My. iPhone. I have a terrible reputation for dropping my phone often and unfortunately Dan is the main witness of this awful mistake. Butterfingers? Unaware? Careless? Hands full of groceries and bags? I'm not sure what the reason is but this month and forever forward I will pay special attention to the way I'm carrying my phone.

6. Make my desk area at work a happy place. I've brought in my coffee maker and have a cute tray that holds all coffee supplies...  but what I really need are some photos, fresh flowers, personal touches and a space that brings me light in the darkest of times.

7. Allow myself to say 'no'. I have always been one to say 'yes' to show my commitment, my great attitude, my enthusiasm and my desire to make an impact. There will be times in my personal life and my career where I need to be comfortable with saying 'no'.

8. Drink 48 ounces of water every day before noon. This is a no brainer - if you drink water, your skin will look better, you won't overeat out of a disconnect between your stomach and your brain, and you'll flush out the bad toxins that plague your body without warning. If I get 48 ounces in before noon, it will set me up for success for the rest of the day.

I know that setting eight goals may seem like a lot, but each of these in their own way will bring me happiness, organization, preparation, and escape that I otherwise wouldn't be able to pinpoint and hone in on. It's a learning experience!

What are your goals? Do you set goals for yourself daily, weekly, monthly? How do you keep track of your accomplishments?

<3 JE