In an attempt to make it easier/more manageable to reach my annual goals by the end of 2021, I decided that I was going to set little benchmark goals each month this year. Well, to formally set benchmark goals because, really, I think I’ve done something like this in the past, but I’ve just never written them down before. I think in some ways that left me feeling like I was always trying to remember what needed to be done, and I feel like I’m doing that enough anyway, so I didn’t need the extra help feeling like my brain was slowly turning into a pile of dead leaves.

So, in the spirit of retaining my mental energy, I wrote myself some January goals.

January Goals

• finish going through the end chapters of the travel novel (….. again)
• create video filming list and film said videos
• finish those fics I’ve been trying to finish forever
• get ten more crowns in French on Duolingo (starting: 243)
• choose an old novel to edit
• complete 30 day yoga journey

And, here, on the last day in January, I can say that I managed to do… most of these.

I really feel like I’ve been buckling down with my French this month — I’ve been showing up in my little app every day for almost a year, but I’ve been spending more and more time there than usual. I especially liked the audio lessons that Duolingo incorporated for French. It’s been nice practising hearing French and working on my pronunciation.

I also really, really loved my 30-day yoga journey, though, really, that’s not a surprise to me at this point. I’ve done Yoga with Adriene’s January journey every year for the past few years, but I feel like I was much more in touch with the ways I was changing throughout the practice this year. Like i could feel the difference in my body when I was trying to sit up tall, I could feel the difference in my breath. I practise every other day outside of January, but I think that I want to try and show up every day (or even nearly every day) because this month has really reminded me of how much more… grounded and in touch with myself I feel when I carve out that time every day.

In terms of my writing, it was actually a very good month. I finished the fanfictions I’ve been working on for literal months, decided which novel project I wanted to edit, and then jumped in and started editing and, okay, the novel was not even remotely good when I read it back, but now that I’m re-drafting it, I think that it’s already off to a better foot.

Do I probably have some kind of bias because I’m currently working on it and maybe I’m more inclined to feel positively towards it? Possibly. But I stand by it.

I’m pretty glad with how this month went, all in all. There was definitely some out-in-the-world things that stressed me out and were very much out of my control (looking at you, DC), but in terms of the things I can actually manage, I got through most everything I was hoping to get through. Besides, you know, the travel novel pages, which I actually printed out for myself and hope to get to read at some point in February.

As of now, this is something I have plans to do through the rest of the year, so if you’re like me and you love ~goals content~, I’ll be here with goals and a wrap up every month until it doesn’t serve me anymore. Let me know how your January went — I hope it was a good one. Either way, I’m sending you lots of positive vibes

x Elle