Monthly Goals | February

I am a bit behind with blogging (and reading) again, can you tell? But, in order to keep my goals list at the forefront of my mind, I’ll belatedly post my monthly check-in on goals and accomplishments for February.

PERSONAL

• Read 2 books a month.
  Yeah, no. I am at 1.3 books. I barely finished „The Age of Innocence“ and then only got started on a new book (Nicole’s debut novel). I swear, it has nothing to do with the book not being engaging enough and everything to do with my time management.

• Use facemasks weekly when I do my Sunday meditation.
  I did it once at the beginning of the month and then promptly forgot about it. 

• Prioritize sleep and rest.
  I did not hit my sleep goal of 7.5 hours, but I am working towards it. I averaged 6:51 hours, and my sleep score was pretty good.

• Regularly walk with a friend (virtually or in person).
  Yes! I continued my biweekly (virtual) walks with friends during my lunchtime.

• Find a running group, book club, or knitting group locally.
  No progress made on that front. 

HEALTH/WELLNESS

• Complete (another) 365 Peloton Streak.
  I am keeping my streak going and have earned a “blue dot” for 1864 consecutive days.

• Half Marathon Training
  I made it through 8 weeks of training without skipping sessions or any injuries. I am calling this a win. I continue to run three times a week at the neighborhood gym on the treadmill before work and a long run outdoors on the weekends.

• Power Zone TrainingI successfully completed the 8-week “Zones – The One with the PZP” Power Zone Challenge with a slight increase in my FTP. I was able to ride with Tanja on the weekends, and I had my Streakers friend Jaime join me on some early morning rides.  

• Hit a weekly (not daily) average step count.
  Yes, I exceeded my (average) daily step goal in February by 3000+ steps; I average 11,098 steps/day in February. You can tell that my run days save me.

• Keep up my yoga streak.
  I missed a couple of days of daily yoga in February, but I just keep going. 

RELATIONSHIPS

• Date nights with Jon once a month.
  Does cooking together count? We did not get out in February.
• Go skiing with my family.
  The flights are booked. I’ll be going at the end of March.
• Reach out to friends more.
  I’ve been trying to respond to all my messages in a timely manner.
• Continue monthly Teams Calls with Ingrid. 
  Yes, we had our monthly call, and it was great to catch up, although Ingrid was a bit stressed out before her upcoming (95th!) birthday, and we cut our talk a little shorter than usual.

HOME

• Estate Planning
  No progress made.
• Declutter/organize garage
  Nope.
  

WORK

• Keep advocating for myself.
  No real “progress” made here, other than continuing to try and show up with a professional attitude and making a good impression on my new supervisor.
• Establish some new work-friend relationships.
  I continue to get to know and socialize more with the people who sit/work in my immediate surroundings. They’re not working on the same projects with me, but it’s nice to have a chat or go for a lunchtime walk together. 

BONUS ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• I got a head start on our tax return. After the year that we had dealing with my mother-in-law’s estate, the tax situation was a bit more complicated this time, but I still refuse to pay someone for something that I am able to figure out. It’s complicated, but not that complicated.
• I booked my flight home for March/April. Hooray! My sister and I also decided that we’ll have a little birthday party while I am there, and I get to invite (and see) some friends.
• I mentioned elsewhere that I received a performance award (time off + a little cash) at work. Despite being told otherwise before, our Science Center was able to recognize the people who have stuck around, and I am so appreciative that our work and dedication were rewarded
• I presented progress updates for one of my projects at work and got some positive feedback.
• We tried a couple of new recipes, both of which were so good that we’ll definitely make them again. One was a zucchini-bake, and the other was a Thai-inspired salad with cabbage and chicken.

How was your February?