June Wrap-Up and July Goals

Ah, another month gone, another goals wrap-up post – and June did NOT go as smoothly in terms of goals as I hoped it would. That said, it wasn’t quite the total failure that it could have been.

So how’d I do?

Well, June was a strange one this year. I spent the first two and a half weeks rush rush rushing to clean, and prep classes, and run errands, and catch up on everything I always let go during the semester when I’m working 14-18 hour days all week. And then the last week and a half I did, well, nothing. Positively nothing but read, and eat, and travel.

And it was pretty glorious.

We spent a week+ driving up and down the east coast with a bunch of friends. Our main stops were at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and Cape Coral, Florida, and it was just so nice. I rarely have the opportunity to vacation due to my less-than-stellar income (Disney this year was a trip three years in the making), and so I’m incredibly grateful that our friend invited Jim and I along, because it was just what I needed to decompress after a crazy start to the year. And by golly did we eat well. Our friend who hosted the trip is also a trained chef, and he cooked for us all week.

So I return to July with a still-full belly, refreshed, motivated, and excited about what’s to come, even if I didn’t meet every goal I set for June. Which I didn’t.

Because I was constantly running until vacation started, and because it got SO hot SO suddenly, I was pretty hit-and-miss on the meal planning and take-out ban. Likewise with the workout or walk every day. My body very much does not adjust to heat well, and certainly not when the change is so sudden, and between feeling like crap and the temperature of our 3rd floor, no AC apartment I just DID NOT want to cook.

I did start a Couch to 5k program, but progress ended up stagnating as the heat kept me stuck in the week one program. My personal rule for myself is that I don’t move on to the next week’s program until I can finish the program I’m on with relative ease. And with the heat the way it has been, I am STILL struggling with week one.

My blog and reading goals, on the other hand, were a decent success. I stayed much more active on both Twitter and Instagram, posting most days this month. That said, I definitely don’t have the hang of using twitter in a way that increases engagement yet. I also managed to write a whole bunch of book reviews to have waiting in the wings here. Reading-wise I participated in StasiaLikesCakes’ #ReadWomenMonth (see my posts about it here and here), which when combined with my rediscovery of fiction made reading for pleasure a huge part of my life again for June (and hopefully for the foreseeable future).

So overall I’d say things went pretty well. Which means… new(ish) goals for July.

1) First of all, I want to continue writing surplus posts for here, while actually posting regularly. I also want to make sure I get a good mix of stuff in my backlog, so that every single post isn’t a book review. I want to get back into crafting and making, and maybe even some beauty posts. Basically I want to make sure what I’m writing keeps me in the realm of “Lifestyle Blog.” Why does it matter? Well, because I know myself. I know that if I let myself get too focused on one niche, and build the blog around solely that – ultimately it’s not going to last, because I’m going to get bored. That’s how I work. So I want to make sure I’m keeping a good mix of stuff, even if I’m not currently doing anything but reading, or knitting, or whatever the hobby of the week happens to be.

2) Start not just watching what I spend on food, but also watching what I eat. Having a full week where all we ate were expertly prepared home-cooked meals has spoiled me in a very good way. I find myself craving super processed stuff like fast-food and boxed mac and cheese far less now that I’m back, and I’m just going to go with it. More fresh food and ingredients. Less stuff from a box.

3) Keep moving more, and keep up with the Couch to 5k, even if it’s sloooowwwww going.

4) Keep reading regularly. I managed to read nine (!!!) books in June. I know I probably won’t hit that this month, since I’m teaching a summer class now and also wading knee-deep into prep for the fall, but I still want to keep reading for fun as a regular part of my down time.

And lastly, shifting gears just a bit:

5) Start trying to catch up on my photo albums. I’m seriously like two years behind. Whoops.

So stay tuned, and let’s see how I do.

How did your June go? What are your goals for July?