My November goals for a more balanced life were:
Spiritual (9)(8): The goal is to live a spiritually meaningful life.
- Continue with daily prayers and gratitude; focus on being positive - On-going; prayers are being said, daily; I've been listing 5 things I am grateful for, daily; and I've focused on the positive aspects of my life. My daughter told me, today, that she has been reading my blog and she has definitely noticed a more positive attitude! Yay!
- Take time for meditation - Resume going to Friday night meditation sessions at the temple, at least twice, this month - I have decided to put this on hold during the winter. I don't like driving at night, any more.
- Attend a special blessing ceremony at the temple, the 2nd weekend in November - Didn't attend; overslept!
- Cultivate non-attachment - focus on letting go of attachment to material possessions - declutter "63 + 1" items this month - Decluttered 64 items; I wrote about it, here:
- Attend the monthly rosary prayer gathering, if possible - Attended
I reduced the satisfaction rating because I didn't attend the meditation sessions or the special blessing ceremony.
House (9)(9): The goal is a clean, tidy, uncluttered house:
- Focus on decluttering, deep cleaning, and maintaining cleaned areas - I didn't deep clean quite as much as I did in October, but I maintained the cleaned areas and decluttered.
- Declutter "63 +1" items - DONE!
- Continue to sort out the 3rd bedroom, a.k.a. The Dump! - On-going
Keeping the rating at 9 since I've managed to keep the house relatively tidy and maintained,
Garden (8)(8):
- Declutter "63 +1" items - DONE!
- Continue to sort out the 3rd bedroom, a.k.a. The Dump! - On-going
Keeping the rating at 9 since I've managed to keep the house relatively tidy and maintained,
Garden (8)(8):
- Maintain (water 2x per week; weed) - DONE
- Prune pine tree - Might have to call the professional tree trimmers to take care of this one!
- Tidy the front flower bed (along the walk way to the front door) - DONE
- Plant more fall flowering plants to fill in empty spots - New seedlings are coming up, so leaving things alone.
- Paint the front security door - buy paint - Not done
Keeping the rating at 8, since a few things didn't get accomplished.
Daughter (10)(10): The goal is to continue to have a close relationship with her
- Daily texts, phone calls, emails, and video chatting - On-going
- Enjoy her planned visit home for Thanksgiving - We had a lovely visit.
This category remains at 10!
Family & Friends (10)(10): The goal is to keep in touch with various family members and friends.
- Regular phone calls and emails - On-going
- Call aunt and cousins in Texas - Called aunt and spoke with her
- Will be seeing several members of the family and friends at this month's prayer gathering - Accomplished; saw a few friends I don't see that often, too (not regular participants of the monthly prayer gathering).
- Weekly calls with neighbor T - Spoke to her several times, in addition to the weekly calls.
- Visit neighbor T - DONE
- Visit neighbor S - Didn't visit
- Visit cousin V - DONE
- Go out to lunch with friend R - Didn't happen as she was not well; planning to do so in December
- Go out to lunch with sister? - Didn't; both had other things on our schedules
- Celebrate Thanksgiving with family and friends - DONE; we went to two different gatherings and both were fun in different ways.
- Attend 90th birthday celebration of one "aunt" (family friend) - DONE
This was a good month for family and friends! The rating remains a 10.
Community (7)(6): The goal is to become more involved in my community.
- Continue to participate in the blogging community - On-going
- Participate in the temple community
- attend the special blessing ceremony scheduled for this month - Didn't
- attend the weekly meditation sessions at least twice - Didn't
- Maybe attend the library knitting group on a monthly basis? - Didn't
- Visit my neighbors - Visited only one
I lowered the satisfaction rating because I didn't accomplish several things. It might be that I am trying to do too much. Need to rethink this category a bit more.
Finances (9)(9): The goal is financial security.
- Continue budgeting and spending mindfully, with purpose - I will be living on savings, this month, as I won't receive my first pension check until the end of the month. I don't anticipate it being a hardship, however, as I have planned for this and there are savings in place. I have received an estimate of what my pension will be, but, that was the gross amount, not the net! The net amount is what I've always based my budget on, previously. So, for me, the big unknown is the exact amount of the check I will be receiving, after deductions such as income taxes, insurance, etc. For now, I am figuring on receiving 75% of what I was quoted as my estimated pension and assuming that 25% will go for taxes and other deductions. Again, I don't anticipate any problems with this, but it will be nice to know the exact amount and see how close (or far) I was in my calculations. The big expense this month will be the 1st installment of my property taxes and I usually budget for that by setting aside a certain amount towards it, in my monthly budget.
- Keep track of spending - On-going
- Review budget and adjust as needed - On-going. This month, has been an interesting month! I went over budget in grocery spending, but came well under budget for gas for the car. I had a horrible water bill (more than double my usual), too, because of the leaky sprinkler valve. But, that was a one time thing (hopefully!) and there are savings in place to deal with that.
Keeping the rating at 9.
Health & Well Being (8)(6.5): The goal is good health.
- Attend the appointments with my various medical doctors
11/16 - Do lab tests - Rescheduled
11/19 - Oncologist follow-up appointment - Rescheduled
11/29 - Podiatrist appointment - Rescheduled
My medical appointments got rescheduled until my new health insurance card comes in!
- Continue to work on the following life style changes:
- better diet - eat more vegetables, less carbs, to maintain blood sugar levels, especially now that I've been taken off the medications! - Work in progress!
- better hydration - drink 8 x 8oz glasses of water, daily - Trying!
- better sleep habits - get at least 7 hours of sleep/try to go to sleep before 4:00 a.m.! - Trying!
- more exercise - walk 30 minutes 5 days/week - Work in progress
- Lose some weight - I'll set myself a goal of 5-10 lbs. for this month - Well, at least I didn't gain anything!
I reduced the rating to a 6.5, which is kind of sad, but, it does give me a lot of room for improvement, doesn't it?
Time Management (8)(8): The goal is to find a good balance between what I have to do and what I want to do, so that, at the end of the day, I don't wonder where the time went and why I didn't accomplish as much as I wanted to!
- Be mindful of my time and how I spend it - On-going
- Plan my days/balance the "leisure" with "productivity" - Work in progress!
- Procrastinate less! - Work in progress
I am keeping the rating at 8, if only because I have been able to come up with a workable schedule with my daughter's help. I'm only on Day 3, and there have been some wobbles, but, they do say it takes 21 days for habits to form!
Leisure/Crafts/Hobbies/Me-Time (8)(8): The goal is to relax doing something I enjoy doing for the pleasure of it.
- Continue to work on Works-in-Progress:
- the Mountain Quilt- making snail-paced progress! I bought the quilt batting.
- the Mile-a-Minute Quilt - I bought the quilt batting.
- T-shirts for niece's sons - One done, one more to go
- red hats for heart association - On-going; they need to be mailed by the end of December
- holiday pillowcases - Work in progress
- Fall Joy List (till the end of the month) - Completed (Fall Joy List)
I am keeping the rating at 8.
So, that is my review of my goals for a more balanced life in November. Still a bit wobbly, here and there, with lots of room for improvement!
Did you make any goals for more balance in your life? If so, how did you do on them?
- Prune pine tree - Might have to call the professional tree trimmers to take care of this one!
- Tidy the front flower bed (along the walk way to the front door) - DONE
- Plant more fall flowering plants to fill in empty spots - New seedlings are coming up, so leaving things alone.
Keeping the rating at 8, since a few things didn't get accomplished.
Daughter (10)(10): The goal is to continue to have a close relationship with her
- Daily texts, phone calls, emails, and video chatting - On-going
- Enjoy her planned visit home for Thanksgiving - We had a lovely visit.
This category remains at 10!
Family & Friends (10)(10): The goal is to keep in touch with various family members and friends.
- Regular phone calls and emails - On-going
- Call aunt and cousins in Texas - Called aunt and spoke with her
- Will be seeing several members of the family and friends at this month's prayer gathering - Accomplished; saw a few friends I don't see that often, too (not regular participants of the monthly prayer gathering).
- Weekly calls with neighbor T - Spoke to her several times, in addition to the weekly calls.
- Visit neighbor T - DONE
- Visit neighbor S - Didn't visit
- Visit cousin V - DONE
- Go out to lunch with friend R - Didn't happen as she was not well; planning to do so in December
- Go out to lunch with sister? - Didn't; both had other things on our schedules
- Celebrate Thanksgiving with family and friends - DONE; we went to two different gatherings and both were fun in different ways.
- Attend 90th birthday celebration of one "aunt" (family friend) - DONE
This was a good month for family and friends! The rating remains a 10.
Community (7)(6): The goal is to become more involved in my community.
- Continue to participate in the blogging community - On-going
- Participate in the temple community
- attend the special blessing ceremony scheduled for this month - Didn't
- attend the weekly meditation sessions at least twice - Didn't
- Maybe attend the library knitting group on a monthly basis? - Didn't
- Visit my neighbors - Visited only one
I lowered the satisfaction rating because I didn't accomplish several things. It might be that I am trying to do too much. Need to rethink this category a bit more.
Finances (9)(9): The goal is financial security.
- Continue budgeting and spending mindfully, with purpose - I will be living on savings, this month, as I won't receive my first pension check until the end of the month. I don't anticipate it being a hardship, however, as I have planned for this and there are savings in place. I have received an estimate of what my pension will be, but, that was the gross amount, not the net! The net amount is what I've always based my budget on, previously. So, for me, the big unknown is the exact amount of the check I will be receiving, after deductions such as income taxes, insurance, etc. For now, I am figuring on receiving 75% of what I was quoted as my estimated pension and assuming that 25% will go for taxes and other deductions. Again, I don't anticipate any problems with this, but it will be nice to know the exact amount and see how close (or far) I was in my calculations. The big expense this month will be the 1st installment of my property taxes and I usually budget for that by setting aside a certain amount towards it, in my monthly budget.
- Keep track of spending - On-going
- Review budget and adjust as needed - On-going. This month, has been an interesting month! I went over budget in grocery spending, but came well under budget for gas for the car. I had a horrible water bill (more than double my usual), too, because of the leaky sprinkler valve. But, that was a one time thing (hopefully!) and there are savings in place to deal with that.
Keeping the rating at 9.
Health & Well Being (8)(6.5): The goal is good health.
- Attend the appointments with my various medical doctors
11/16 - Do lab tests - Rescheduled
11/19 - Oncologist follow-up appointment - Rescheduled
11/29 - Podiatrist appointment - Rescheduled
My medical appointments got rescheduled until my new health insurance card comes in!
- Continue to work on the following life style changes:
- better diet - eat more vegetables, less carbs, to maintain blood sugar levels, especially now that I've been taken off the medications! - Work in progress!
- better hydration - drink 8 x 8oz glasses of water, daily - Trying!
- better sleep habits - get at least 7 hours of sleep/try to go to sleep before 4:00 a.m.! - Trying!
- more exercise - walk 30 minutes 5 days/week - Work in progress
- Lose some weight - I'll set myself a goal of 5-10 lbs. for this month - Well, at least I didn't gain anything!
I reduced the rating to a 6.5, which is kind of sad, but, it does give me a lot of room for improvement, doesn't it?
Time Management (8)(8): The goal is to find a good balance between what I have to do and what I want to do, so that, at the end of the day, I don't wonder where the time went and why I didn't accomplish as much as I wanted to!
- Be mindful of my time and how I spend it - On-going
- Plan my days/balance the "leisure" with "productivity" - Work in progress!
- Procrastinate less! - Work in progress
I am keeping the rating at 8, if only because I have been able to come up with a workable schedule with my daughter's help. I'm only on Day 3, and there have been some wobbles, but, they do say it takes 21 days for habits to form!
Leisure/Crafts/Hobbies/Me-Time (8)(8): The goal is to relax doing something I enjoy doing for the pleasure of it.
- Continue to work on Works-in-Progress:
- the Mountain Quilt- making snail-paced progress! I bought the quilt batting.
- the Mile-a-Minute Quilt - I bought the quilt batting.
- T-shirts for niece's sons - One done, one more to go
- red hats for heart association - On-going; they need to be mailed by the end of December
- holiday pillowcases - Work in progress
- Fall Joy List (till the end of the month) - Completed (Fall Joy List)
I am keeping the rating at 8.
So, that is my review of my goals for a more balanced life in November. Still a bit wobbly, here and there, with lots of room for improvement!
Did you make any goals for more balance in your life? If so, how did you do on them?
I wouldn't have rated you as harshly as you did in the health and well-being aspect as the only real upset was having to reschedule your appointments for reasons beyond your control. However, this is your list of goals and it is based on how you felt you did. And you are correct. Next month will see a huge improvement as a result of all the work you are doing now. I definitely have noticed the improvement in time management and maintaining a cleaning schedule. You should be very proud.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Susan. I debated between rating it a 6 and a 7, and settled on 6.5, which was midway! A good compromise, I thought. :D I'm not too upset about the doctors' appointments, but I felt I should have done better in the life style improvements. And thank you for saying that you've noticed an improvement in time management and cleaning schedules. That means a lot to me. :)
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