A couple years back, I began writing monthly to-do lists to help me keep track of what’s on my plate. I share these lists here, and report back each month on what I was able to accomplish.
My January list focused on going back to work after the winter break and easing my way into the New Year with a purposeful and gentle approach to the expectations that I had for myself. Here is what I was able to accomplish in the last month:
- Eased back into work. The remote work start in January was actually a really nice way to start back to work. While I’ve spend a LOT of time on Zoom in the past month, I’ve appreciated being able to pause in the middle of the day to have lunch with my partner. Not having the commute to the office each day also gave me more time for exercise and mindful morning and evening routines.
- Launched a new cohort of my coach training program. This cohort is launched! I accepted 13 new coaches into the program for the January training launch and so far our meetings have been really fun. I’m enjoying getting to know the coaches in this group, and seeing them interact and learn from each other in the community they are building together.
- Savored my evenings. Not having work scheduled in the evenings has been such a luxury. While I sometimes use that time to record a podcast episode, draft a blog post, or do some administrative work for the business, it’s been wonderful to step away from Zoom in the evenings so I can get some solitude time. I’ve also squeezed in a ton of reading time in the evenings as well, which has been so enjoyable.
- Made progress on my 2022 goals. Launching into my 2022 goals has been one of the more fun parts of the past month, since I chose a lot of goals that I genuinely wanted to accomplish. So far, I’ve added some videos to my YouTube channel, read about 20 books toward my annual goal, launched into reading the “Wheel of Time” series (so fun!), and meditated more. I’ll be sharing more formal updates on my annual goals on quarterly basis, so stay tuned for that.
- Was attentive to my mental and emotional health. I am really proud of how I was able to relax expectations for myself throughout the last month if I felt like I needed a break or more rest. I exercised regularly, practiced yoga and meditation, and also read a lot as a downtime activity to make sure that I could refill my cup. I’d love to continue these practices into the next month as well.
January was a very full month, but it felt like it passed so quickly! And now it’s time to plan for a new month of to-do items. I’m ready to launch into February and see what the second month of the year holds.
Here are some of the items on my February to-do list:
- Write a full draft of a report for work. I’m leading a task force at work that has been meeting since October of last year. We are now pulling together our findings and recommendations and I’m responsible for drafting the report so that the task force members can offer feedback and revisions before we submit a final draft later this spring. I’d love to get the full draft completed in February so that we have plenty of time to make changes before the final version is due.
- Ease back into work at the office. January was about easing back into work after the break and February will be about easing back into work at the office after being remote. I need to restock my snacks and tea, get settled back into my commute morning routine, solidify my bulk food prep routines, and adjust my evening schedule to accommodate recovery time after full days in the office.
- Make an extra mortgage payment. Now that our kitchen and bathroom renovation project is completed, we are back to a more normal financial situation for our monthly income and expenses. I’m planning to make an extra mortgage payment this month toward our annual goal of paying off 15% of our mortgage. I’d also like to start adding back into our savings account as well, so I need to decide the ratio of what discretionary income will go to both areas.
- Read The Stand. I’ve got some great books on my to-be-read list for February, but I’m probably most excited to read Stephen King’s The Stand, which clocks in at over 1300 pages. Lately, I have been loving longer books (I read five books over 400 pages in January — two were over 700 pages), so I’m really looking forward to reading this for the first time. I happen to have this book as a physical copy, an ebook copy, and as an audio book from the library so I have plenty of options for how to tackle this reading goal.
Once again, this next month is looking pretty full! What are you looking forward to in the month of February?