21 for 2021 - how it went!

Maybe you'll remember the post (link here) I wrote in January about planning and making goals for a new year. I've been thinking about reporting how it went, and wanted to write about it before life got any busier with the upcoming holidays.

Of course, things did not go as planned - when do they ever?? - but I still made progress and have positive things to report. I don't think I ever put my full "21 for 2021" list on this blog because some things are a little personal, but here's an overview. 

First, the good things! I included some items on my list that I knew with 99% certainty I'd do, so I wouldn't completely fail the project. Here are the ones I can check off as fully completed. 

✅ Read through the Bible 

Started Nov '20, finished Nov '21

✅ Start a book club 

This has been a special highlight of my year!

✅ Walk 500 miles minimum 

Technically, I'm at 497.9 as of today, but the year isn't over and I know I'll reach 500!

✅ Save $, pay off debt, and keep up with budget

Early in the year, we did a budgeting program and I've been amazed at how well it's worked! Even though we didn't follow it 100% of the time, here's our success story. To date, we've paid an extra $15,600 on outstanding debt! We've also greatly curbed our spending on groceries, household items, & Amazon purchases.

✅ Keep clutter out

This is kind of routine for me. But I think I did a pretty good job this year with eliminating unnecessary furniture/larger items. 

✅ Floss at least 5x/week

Well, I didn't document it, but fairly certain this happened!

✅ Bike the Walkway Over the Hudson

 

Walkway Over the Hudson - Poughkeepsie, NY

The next few items I was maybe 50% successful at accomplishing.

- Send a letter/card to 1 grandparent per month - schedule it.

- Use planner consistently. Meal plan and grocery shop at least 1 week in advance.

- Make a practice of fully prepping for work the night before.

It started out well! I made a schedule for sending letters and put it in my planner. Meal planning and grocery shopping in advance was marvelous. But gradually I stopped using my planner regularly and all the things I so diligently scheduled were pushed to the back burner. It takes effort and time to sit down and plan things out, and I guess it wasn't high priority. Prepping for work the night before happened most of the year until I started a new job and didn't have to leave at zero dark thirty every morning. Now I'm much more relaxed about getting ready since I don't have to punch in at a certain time. Still, it would help me get out the door sooner if I took this up again.

Now, a few things that didn't work out so well. 

- Make devotional/meditation time a priority. Schedule it.

- Drink more water.

- Learn how to limit phone time.

What can I say? I don't feel the need to make explanations or excuses because I know it simply wasn't important enough to me. 

Overall, I'm happy with what I've accomplished this year. What I'm most grateful for is that I finally caught on to how important exercise is and that it must become a habit. It's become highly important and necessary for my well-being, and honestly, it's become a hobby! I've considered writing about how this happened, but it seems I write so much about myself and it feels kind of boastful. 

Our successful budgeting program is another highlight and I might share more on that someday!