5 Goals for 2011

I decided putting my goals out here for everyone to see might make me feel a little more committed to achieving them. I plan to write monthly updates on my progress to motivate me to actually make progress.

1. Exercise on a regular basis

I want to work my way up to exercising 6 days a week. Nathan set up a great fitness program for me while I was in college, but I haven't exercised much at all these last few months. The problem is that before we were married, I worked out as soon as I got home from work and then made myself a quick dinner. But now that my commute is 25 minutes longer and I'm making meals that require more preparation, that doesn't work anymore. Thus goal #2.

2. Wake up earlier.

Ideally, I would like to wake up at 5:30. Right now, I'm lucky if I'm out of bed by 6:40, and I have to leave the house no later than 7:30 to make it to work on time. I eat breakfast while I'm driving! I want to be able to exercise, shower, eat breakfast with Nathan, and pack my lunch without feeling rushed. The most difficult part will be going to bed earlier no matter how late Nathan stays up.
 

3. Keep our apartment clean.

This is one Nathan and I will be working on together. We never let things get too bad, but sometimes we end up with dishes left in the sink or miscellaneous papers all over our desks. I want to be able to have people come over with little or no notice without worrying about our place being a mess.

4. Continue to find ways to decrease our expenses and increase income.

I don't want to put any numbers on this one. I want to increase my couponing skills and look for other areas where we could cut back. I manage to make a little money by taking surveys and using Swagbucks, and I'd like to find other similar ways to make money with little time involved. I would also like to do some freelance graphic design if I can get the rest of my life organized enough to have time for it.

5. Write at least 2 blog posts a week.

I'm hoping it will be at least 3, but since I only managed to write 60 posts in 2010, I don't want to set too high of a goal. The majority of my most popular posts so far have been about my wedding, so I now have the challenge of making my daily life and thoughts interesting enough for others to read.


And a couple footnotes I need to remember to help me with the above:

I am imperfect and I will make mistakes.
This is something Nathan really needs me to do. I need to realize that it's not the end of the world when I forget to use a coupon or cook a meal that isn't that great, or even when I lose the key fob we need to get into the laundry room and we have to pay $50 to replace it. 

Time is money.

I enjoy couponing and finding good deals, but sometimes I go a little overboard. Spending an hour trying to decide which items on our grocery list to buy from which stores in order to save $2 is a little ridiculous. I need to remember what's truly important.


What are your goals for this year?