Monthly Goals for a Balanced Life - July Review and August Goals

It's time again for a review of my monthly goals for a more balanced life!  

Very briefly, I picture my life as a wheel with ten spokes, each representing a different area of my life.  I have stated goals for each area and below each goal, I list how I plan to attain those goals.

Since the pandemic, I have scaled back on some of my plans to a bare minimum.  But, until I feel comfortable enough to do more and engage in more social activities, those scaled back measures will have to suffice.  I choose to think of it as focusing on what I can do under the circumstances!

The numbers within parentheses show my satisfaction ratings, with the beginning of the month ratings in black and the end of the month ratings being shown in blue.

 

Spiritual (10)(10):   The goal is to live a spiritually meaningful life:

- Continue with daily prayers, meditation, being grateful, positive, resilient, and joyful
- Continue to cultivate non-attachment by being generous and giving to the extent I am able

I continued with my daily prayers, meditation, being grateful, positive, resilient, joyful, generous and giving, etc., in July.  I feel that I do live a spiritually meaningful life.

I will continue to keep the rating at 10.

August's Spiritual goals will be the same as above.  

House & Garage (7)(7):  The goal is a home that is pleasant, comfortable, and welcoming:
- Clean - Clean the house and garage as needed
- Organized - Continue to find a place for everything and keep everything in its place
- Well maintained - Keep "erasing the evidence"; implement daily and weekly cleaning schedules
- Decluttered - Continue with the decluttering process

 

I've kept up with the housework, cleaning, organizing, maintaining, and decluttering.  July decluttering included 8 bowls (although 8 new bowls had come in, earlier!), 8 cushion covers (no new cushion covers came in!), some clothes hangers, and some odds and ends such as dried up glue sticks and pens that wouldn't write.  I didn't do anything in the garage in July.  

I am keeping the rating at 7, because there is always room for improvement where the house is concerned!  

August House & Garage goals will be the same as above.  My Room of the Month will be the family room and my decluttering goal is 31 items.

Garden (8.0)(8.0):  The goal is a garden that is productive, yet drought tolerant:

- Maintaining (water, fertilize, and weed)

- Planting summer vegetables!
- Start improving the parkway in the front

The garden is limping along.  The watering restrictions (I managed to stay under the limit during the last billing period, which was June and July) and the high temperatures are taking a toll. Practically all the summer vegetables we planted have died and those that are surviving, including  three zucchini plants, are struggling.  

However...and this is why I am keeping the rating at 8...there were broccoli florets, serrano chilies, beetroot, passionfruit (7 picked so far; two more left on the vine), lemons, and sunflowers!  The three tomato plants are still alive and the okra plants, although they are barely 1 foot high, are getting flower buds!  But, best of all, the moringa tree has about a dozen or so pods on it!  Plus, I have 5 tiny pomegranates ripening on the tree in front.

M has been clearing the front garden and we have bought the paving stones for the parkway improvement project.  But, it has been too hot for him to do much and I told him to take his time.

I am keeping the rating to 8.0.

August Garden goals will be the same as above.

Daughter (10)(10):  The goal is to continue to have a close relationship with her:

- Keep in daily contact with her

I continue to have a close relationship with my daughter with daily texts, phone calls, and video chats.

A definite 10!

August Daughter goals will be the same as above.

Family & Friends (8)(8):  The goal is to have a close connection with family and friends:

- Regular phone calls and emails to check on them

- Celebrate a friend's birthday with a curb-side visit
- Observe my father's death anniversary

I kept in touch with family and friends through texts, emails, and phone calls in July.  I had to decline an invitation to attend my cousin's daughter's baby shower and I haven't been able to go to the post office to mail the blanket I crocheted for her.  But, I had a curb-side visit with friend R for her birthday and I observed my father's death anniversary.  I am content with what I have been able to do.

I am keeping the rating at 8.0.

August Family and Friends goals will include:

- Regular phone calls and emails to check on them

Community (10)(10):  The goal is to be involved in my community:

- Continue to participate in the various community groups to the extent possible in the following ways:

  - Participate in the blogging community

  - Participate in the online organizing group

  - Weekly phone calls with neighbor T
  - Food exchanges with neighbors from time to time
  - Participate in temple events when safe to do so

I participated in my community in the ways that I felt comfortable participating, online or on the phone, with some limited in person interactions with neighbors.

I'm keeping the rating at 10.

August Community goals will be the same as above.

Finances (10)(10):  The goal is financial security:

- Continue budgeting and spending mindfully, with purpose

I have continued to manage my finances in a more or less responsible manner, budgeting and spending as mindfully as possible.  I have a budget set up with several different categories and although I sometimes go over budget in one category (as I did with my grocery spending in July), I am usually able to shift funds around to cover it. 

I am keeping the rating at 10.

August Financial goals:

- Continue budgeting and spending mindfully, with purpose 

Health & Well Being (8.5)(8.5):  The goal is good health:

- Focus on continuing to improve my health through diet, hydration, adequate sleep, etc.

- Attend my medical appointments
- Continue to take my medications as prescribed
- Continue to take necessary precautions against viral infections

I had a blood test and a follow up appointment with the oncology nurse practitioner.  The blood test results were mostly good, we made a slight adjustment to the frequency of one of my supplements, decreasing it to every other day instead of daily, and I received my Prolia injection.  A request for a bone density scan was put in, approved, and an appointment was set up for me although I am trying to change the test location.  My weight remained the same and my blood pressure reading was good.  I had one day with an upset stomach during the last week of July, but, I have recovered from it.

I am keeping the satisfaction rating at 8.5.

August Health & Well Being goals will be the same as above.  I am also planning to be more diligent about a daily walk in August.  Currently, I get a pain in my left hip (same leg as the one with the sciatica pains, last summer) when I walk for 10 minutes and then, I have to rest.  I am hoping to be able to walk for 30 minutes without stopping by the end of August.

Time Management (7.5)(7.5): The goal is to spend my time in a mindful manner:
- Spend time purposefully, mindfully

- Continue to focus on making my schedule work for me

- Procrastinate less

This is another area of my life that I am trying to improve.  I think I managed my time well enough in July, but, there were a couple of projects I wanted to do that I didn't make time for and I am not happy about that.

I am going to keep the rating at 7.5.

August Time Management goals are the same as above.

Leisure/Crafts/Hobbies/Self-Care (10)(10):  The goal is to relax doing something I enjoy doing for the pleasure of it.
- Engage in daily joyful activities
- Engage in leisure activities
- Do crafts and pursue hobbies

I feel I did  well in this area in July.  I finished crocheting a baby blanket, I made a few cards, I gardened, and participated in photo challenges.  There were a couple of fun crafts projects I wanted to do that I didn't get around to doing (as mentioned above in the Time Management section), but, I'm hopeful that I'll do them in August.

I am keeping the rating at 10.  

August Leisure/Crafts/Hobbies/Self-Care goals will be the same as above.

I feel that July was a fairly well balanced month.  I kept my ratings the same because I am feeling nothing really changed that much. 

Did you make any monthly goals for a more balanced life?  What are your goals for August?