August 2020 Goals

August 2020 Goals

• Aug 5, 2020

Many of the things that I wrote about in June remained true in July. There has been a more consistent rhythm to our days, and I love having a flexible schedule to plan around. Even though we aren't going anywhere, it's nice to feel like I have a better idea of what to expect from each day. I can't believe we're more than halfway through the year – and that it's been almost six months since our baby was born. With all the coronavirus stuff, I've had to stop myself from wishing the time away. I want to go back to "normal," but I know that I won't get this time back in my baby's life. It's been such a weird season, but I'm doing my best to give myself grace for all the feelings.

I remember debating whether or not it made sense to focus on goal planning this year, but I kept coming back to the idea that I wanted to spend my days on the things that mattered. My Powersheets haven't given me more time, but they have helped hold me accountable and motivated me to do the little things that add up to the life I want. From meal planning to meaningful moments with my sweet boys, I love looking back at these past seven months and seeing tangible progress. I'm so proud of all I've accomplished!

On My Calendar:
– Celebrating six months of our sweet baby
– A well check doctor's appointment

– Starting private swim lessons for my big boy
– Hopefully a long overdue haircut for me

Currently Obsessing Over:

– I already mentioned this in my most recent So Obsessed With post, but it's worth repeating: the Lindsay Letters Vertical Monthly Creatives Calendar is perfection! I love using a paper planner with a some digital reminders set up on my phone for myself. However, I wanted something to act as a home base for the whole family: things like my husband's ever-changing travel schedule, the boys' appointments, a spot to jot down a quick note or reminder.

– Although it wasn't the prettiest meal, this ground turkey sweet potato skillet was delicious. I'll be making it again!

– I finally watched the new movie adaptation of Emma... three times. I'm not shocked that it got mixed reviews, but I just loved everything about it. Gorgeous costumes and interiors, hilarious moments, and major swoon. 

– The new Taylor Swift album, folklore, of course! I never imagined we'd get two albums from Swift in less than a year. I love moody music, so it feels like it was made for me. I'm in awe of how Swift's sound can change so (seemingly) effortlessly. I think my favorite song is "Invisible String," but there aren't any I want to skip.

– This diamond chain from Helen Ficalora has been on my radar, but lately I can't stop thinking about it...

Yearly Goals:
(These should stay the same all year, so I'll just do month-to-month progress reports!)
– Read through the Bible in one year.
– Read a devotional every morning.
– Track my spending in the Goodbudget app.
– Blog 2x per week.

July progress: 
– Although I caught up by the end of the month, I got THREE WEEKS behind on my daily reading. Oof.
– I managed to stay on track with my daily devotional, only missing a day or two throughout the month.
– This has been easy to stay caught up on, and I'm sure it's because we've barely gone anywhere this year.
– There was one week where I only posted once, but it was balanced out by a week with three posts. Yay!

Revisiting My July Goals:
– Schedule a monthly planning session. / Complete! I did most of it one Sunday and wrapped up the rest this past weekend. I know I'm repeating myself, but this is one of my favorite habits I've developed in 2020. 
– Complete Five Months in the baby's journal + take monthly photo. / All done. I was a few days late on the photo but got it done in time. I had so much to write about this month as our sweet baby grows so quickly.
– Complete Five Months in my big boy's journal. /  Yep, complete. I wish I'd known about this journal sooner, but I'm thankful that I've been able to use old photos and planner notes to fill in these memories.
– Choose and print photos for both Promptly Journals. / I decided to wait until we're done with monthly photos before printing, but I did choose photos for the boys' journals and for the calendar I'll print for 2021. 
– Cull, download, rename, and backup June 2020 photos. / I'm always shocked by how quickly I can complete this task since it's something I used to procrastinate for so long. It feels great to be caught up on photos.
– Go through last few months of photos saved on iPhone. / All done, minus July. I'm waiting until they're backed up on my hard drive and the cloud before deleting them off my phone. But I should be done this week!

– Celebrate nine years of marriage. / Yep, even though it looked different this year. We spent the day with our sweet boys, and then we had a date at home: eating sushi and watching Hamilton on Disney+.
– Prep new 2020-2021 Dapperdesk planner. / OMG, IT'S SO PRETTY. I made a plan for all my notes pages, marked birthdays, wrote down appointments, and did everything to get my planner ready to go for its August start date.
– Catch up on all reviews. / By the end of July, I caught up on reviewing everything I read the month before, a few books that had lingered on my to-do list, and everything I read that month. It felt amazing to get them all done! 
– Review my 20 in 2020 list. / Although many of my goals didn't change much with COVID-19, I wanted to look at our family bucket list for the year to see if anything needed to change. Most of them still work, but I noted the ones that may not and wrote down alternate ideas to consider. I'll reassess each month as needed. 
– Meet with Nick to discuss finance book once he's finished. / My finance goal is that I've made the least amount of progress on. Nick finished the book, but I didn't prioritize chatting about it (though I know he has notes!). Whoops!

My August Goals:
– Schedule a monthly planning session.
– Complete Six Months in the baby's journal + take monthly photo.
– Complete Six Months in my big boy's journal.
– Cull, download, rename, and backup July 2020 photos.
– Celebrate our baby's half-birthday!
– Have a one-on-one date with my big boy.
– Brainstorm family traditions to implement.
– Complete three 20 in 2020 items.
– Read one 10 in 20 book.
– Make a screen time plan for myself and my big boy.
– Start a new evening routine.

Do you have any goals for August?