In review: May

As part of being more accountable to myself and keeping focused on the goals I’ve set for the year I’m aiming to check in monthly. This post is mainly for my own benefit…

REVIEW THE GOALS

My professional goals and progress toward them:

• Letting Go – this is becoming habit now, rather than something I’m battling to achieve. I am feeling clearer about where my focus should be, and better about letting other things pass by. I’m no longer feeling the need to be busy all the time and this has made way for space for deeper thinking and meaningful work. It’s all good with this one. Progress: GREEN
• financial – personally this is all good and I’m doing better with being proactive and knowing the numbers more consistently. There’s been challenge in other areas but overall grateful for the current position, and positive about setting up for a good future. Putting this back slightly from last month while I work through the challenges which have come up. Progress: AMBER
• learning – home-schooling is going ok, although both kids are missing having the structure and attention of the classroom at the moment. We’re going to try some different things for the rest of term and see how we go. Progress: GREEN
• writing – I’ve got some blog posts in drafts here which were started and then fell by the way side as my thoughts were filled with other things. I did write a couple of short stories toward a new collection I’m working on, and have written a list over at Popoptica too . Progress: GREEN
• health – as we’ve got busier with work and home-schooling the daily exercise is being pushed out, but in better news our eating has improved over the last month. Now to get these two things lined up together! Progress: AMBER
• reading – I’ve read very little for myself again. I’ve read each day with my children as part of their home-schooling and really enjoyed the book chosen for them last term. Progress: AMBER
• travel and adventures – I’ve still not left the house other than on foot but have done that less in May due to time pressures from other things. Progress: AMBER (within current possibilities)
• volunteer and pro-bono work – nothing really done toward this in May. The closest I got was sharing a huge thread of help about releasing music and advice on working with record labels on Twitter. Progress: RED

SUMMARY

I’m feeling fairly pragmatic about progress and the things which have slipped back this month. It feels right that these goals are a journey and not a destination, and that work needs to continue or allowances be made even if I ‘achieve’ them one time. It’s not a one-time and done activity but ongoing effort and adjustments.