2020 Mid-Year Check-In

Here we are midway into 2020. It is crazy to think back in January we were making resolutions for the new year and being the best goal setters we could be…and then March rolled around. COVID-19 has made the first six months of 2020 feel like an eternity. And, sadly, it has demolished many of our goals for the year.

Instead of beating yourself up over all the things that haven’t gone your way this year because of the pandemic, give yourself some grace. Let’s take some time to reflect on the year so far and consider how we can make the second half of the year better than the first.  

How’s It Looking 6 Months into Your New Year Goals?

Let’s be honest. At the start of 2020, we made some big goals for ourselves. We were motivated and ready to be goal crushers. You might have even stayed on track until March. And, then the coronavirus happened.

Now, some of you took to the first few weeks of the quarantine, making new goals. You were at home, so you were going to work out or cook healthy meals more often. But, then quarantine got old and those goals didn’t seem so important either. Before you knew it, half the year was over.

It’s okay. Do not beat yourself up for not achieving your goals. 2020 is not a normal year. If there is any year you get a pass on goal crushing, it is 2020. With that being said, it is still wise to do a mid-year check-in.

• What have you achieved? Think about what you did achieve pre-quarantine and pat yourself on the back. Consider what you have achieved since the world changed. You might not have achieved what you set out to at the start of 2020, but I’m betting you have done something to be proud of (such as overseeing your kids' virtual schooling while you work from home).

• What challenges have you faced? Obviously, the coronavirus has been a huge challenge for everyone. What coronavirus-specific challenges did you face? For example, did you have a fitness goal that had to be revamped because your gym was closed?

• What goals are now irrelevant? In some cases, the goals you made me now be irrelevant. Unfortunately, the pandemic has put many people in situations they never dreamed they’d be in, such as losing a job or getting a pay cut. Since you could never have predicted this would happen, you might have set goals related to your job that are no longer relevant. If this is the case, let the goals go and don’t be too hard on yourself.

Goals to Prioritize to Finish 2020 Strong

While the year has been a rough one, it isn’t over yet. There is still plenty of time to achieve your goals (or make new ones). Given the circumstances, it is important to make goals that will improve your quality of life and your overall health and wellness. For example, try to think of one goal to make for each of the following: career, mental health, physical health, and family.

How are your goals looking mid-year? What are your plans for the rest of the year?

A Mom’s Hopes for This New Decade

Since New Year’s Day, social media has been inundated with people reflecting on their past year, and more noticeably, their last ten years. I love seeing the side-by-side shots of couples and families showing the difference a decade makes. And it made me start to think about how different my family will look at the end of this new decade – 2029. It’s almost impossible to imagine! But, today, I’m going to try to envision my hopes for this new decade. I have a feeling many moms out there have the same hopes as I do.

Listen More. React Less.

This decade, I’d like to try harder to listen more and react less. There are many times – especially when parenting little ones – where it is easier to do all the talking and the reacting. I catch myself lecturing more often than I’d like to admit. In my heart of hearts, I know it is better to listen before I react or start lecturing, so I am going to make an effort to listen to my kids – especially as they become preteens and teens in this next decade.

Work Less. Make More.

This may seem like an impossible hope, but there are so many people who have found ways to work less (or least, work the same amount instead of working more) and make more. Ideally, this will look like working less but making enough money to maintain my current lifestyle while also having more time at home with my family.

Go All In for My Hobby.

During the hardcore parenting years, it is easy to lose a bit of yourself. You are so caught up in your kid’s hobbies that you lose time for your own. Let’s not let that happen over these ten years. Find the hobby you enjoy and go all in. Think of those people you know who run marathons. They go all in. They don’t just wake up and run a marathon; they spend months training. Treat your own hobby with that much intention and care.

Travel to 10 New Places.

It’s no secret that I love to travel, so this hope for the new decade is no surprise. But I want to be intentional about traveling to at least one new place every year over the next decade. By the end of the decade, I will have added ten more places to my list of places I have visited.

Know My “Whys” and Act Accordingly.

If you catch yourself doing things just because that’s what you’ve always done, it’s time to think about your “whys.” Why do you do it? By understanding your “whys,” you will be more motivated to continue doing them or you will know it is time to stop. For example, your why for working at that job is to pay for your child to attend that particular school.

Get These Kids Through Their School Years.

Maybe one of the craziest (and scariest) things about the next decade for many of us is knowing this is the decade our kids will go through their formative school years. In ten years, we will have seniors in high school or first-year students in college! How is that even possible?!? So, I hope to get my girls through these years with as much grace as possible. I want to be their loudest cheerleader and biggest encourager.

Create 10 Memorable Holidays & Summers.

I remember hearing older moms whose kids have grown up and moved out talk about only having “18 years” and thinking that was crazy talk. But, here I am looking at the end of the decade, and understanding the following decade (the 2030s) will be very different. That’s why I hope to be intentional about the next ten holidays and summers. I want to create memorable holidays and summer vacations for my girls that we will look back fondly on in the future decades. This is the decade my girls will most remember.

Resolutions All Moms Can Actually Achieve

And just like that, we have reached the end of the year (and the end of the decade!). This means it is that time of year when moms make all sorts of crazy resolutions they are bound to fail at come February. We’ve all been there. But, the process of trying to improve ourselves is a good thing! That’s why I am offering a list of resolutions all moms can actually achieve. The point is to modify each resolution for what is appropriate and achievable for yourself at this particular season in your life.

Find Some Peace & Quiet

We all need a little time to ourselves each day, but sometimes that feels impossible. In 2020, look for opportunities to enjoy peace and quiet. I have one mom friend who achieves this by getting up before the rest of her family to enjoy her coffee in silence. Now, I can’t do that, but I can turn off the noise for a few minutes each night. For some of you, it may be simply locking the door when you go to the restroom.

Go on Dates

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – date nights are important! Do your best to carve out time with your partner this new year. If you are like me, it helps to go ahead and put a date on the calendar instead of waiting for it to happen.

Put Down the Phone

Our phones are our lifelines! I totally get it! But, there does come a time when we are using our phones a little too much. So rather than telling yourself you will never use your phone around your kids (so unrealistic), set some phone boundaries for yourself, such as no phones at dinner or no phones once your usage app tells you that you’ve hit your daily max.

Embrace Imperfection

Imagine how less stressed you’d be if you didn’t expect things to be perfect all the time. Now that you’ve imagined it, do it! Laugh when things don’t go according to plan or forgive yourself when you can’t meet the perfect standard you (or society) has set.

Take Care of Your Needs

I’m all about self-care, but I’m not talking about spa days here. In 2020 and throughout this new decade, take care of your needs. When you schedule your children’s annual physical, go ahead and schedule yours. The same goes for dentist’s appointments and taking your vitamins.

Plan One Healthy Meal a Week

I’m leaving this one wide open because every woman has a different situation. Instead of telling yourself you are going to cook healthy meals every night of the week that your kids will actually eat and enjoy, set the bar (way) lower and aim for one healthy meal a week. And guess what? I don’t even think you have to be the one to cook it! Order it, pick it up, whatever works for your family’s situation.

Love Your People Well

Finally, the best resolution you can make for the new year is to love your people well. Even if you fail at every other thing you resolve to do, this is the one you should focus on the most. If your people feel loved, you are doing what you are meant to do.

My Totally Attainable November Goals

And just like that, we are in November. The temperatures have dropped, and the leaves are gorgeous. School is in full swing. But it can be easy in this month in-between Halloween and Christmas to get too busy and feel overwhelmed. If your Novembers are anything like mine, they just fly by! That’s why I am trying to be more intentional about setting goals for myself in November. These are goals to keep my heart, mind, and body on track before the crazy holiday season begins. I hope you’ll join me!

Enjoy Some Quality Time with My Family.

We all know Christmas is going to be a giant whirlwind of activities that pull us in every direction. That’s why I love fall break. (If you don’t have an official fall break, I suggest you make one yourself.) In November, my little family is going on our first-ever Disney Cruise, and we could not be more excited! It’s an escape from the cold and work and school on an incredible ship where we are guaranteed to have a blast together.

Start Eating Healthy Now to Prepare for the Holiday Season.

I don’t want to miss out on a delicious Thanksgiving feast. And I certainly don’t want to miss out on all the holiday goodies that start to appear the day after Thanksgiving. That’s why I am going to do my best to eat healthy and drink tons of water in the days leading up to Thanksgiving. I need to have room to grow – ha!

Express My Thankfulness.

With Thanksgiving, November always calls for us to be thankful. I try to do this every year, but this year I want to express it clearly. For example, I want to write notes with the reasons why I am thankful for my daughters and put them in their lunchboxes each day. I want to write thank you notes to my husband on post-its and put them on our bathroom mirror.

Make Something Beautiful.

Something about the fall makes women everywhere feel the urge to craft and create. I’ve learned that this looks different for everyone. Some women love to craft their own wreaths; others like to knit. My creativity is more in line with digital media and photography. And fall calls to my camera!

Leave Work on Time.

With the time change, it gets dark so early. If I want to see my family while there is any remaining daylight, I have to leave work on time (and even then, that is often not soon enough!). It’s not just for that reason. I also think it is important to set clear work and home boundaries, and one way I believe I can do so is to have a clear time when I clock out of work.

Start Christmas Shopping.

As if I need an excuse to shop, right? But, seriously, I do want to be intentional with my shopping. With Black Friday occurring only two days before December (yikes!), I want to have most of my Christmas shopping done by the end of the month.

What do you think of my November goals? Do you have any of your own? Share them with me!

Make the Last 3 Months Better Than the First

Last year, I heard a lot of women talking about the #Last90Days Challenge that popular self-help author and speaker Rachel Hollis, who wrote the bestseller Girl, Wash Your Face, was promoting. On her website, she writes, “What if you committed to living your last 90 days of this year as hard as you are committing to living the first 30 days of the new year? What if instead of a downhill slide into 2019, you are ramping up!”

As intriguing as I found the idea, I was already behind having heard about well after the 90 days had begun. But this year, I am prepared and ready to prepare you, too! That’s because the last 90 days of the year is here – it runs from October 2nd – December 31st meaning you have time to figure out your #last90days goals and put a plan into action.

If you aren’t ready to commit to the challenge, here are a few of the reasons I think you should.

Because You’ve Already Dropped Your New Year’s Resolutions

I am not shaming you – I dropped some of my new year’s resolutions before January was over! The truth is keeping New Year’s resolutions is hard work, and we can beat ourselves up when we believe we have failed. This is the perfect time to pick it back up or reevaluate and go about achieving your goals in a more effective way. The last 90 days is the perfect time to start back!

Because 3 Month Goals are Better

While I am all about New Year’s resolutions, they are hard to keep, and many people have found that setting shorter goals is more achievable. For one thing, it feels like much less pressure to commit to something for 3 months instead of 12. Plus, setting 3-month goals is way more productive than setting 6 months goals or yearly goals.

Because You Want the Holiday Season to Be Less Stressful

The last 90 days of the year include the crazy holiday season, which we all know is one of the most stressful times of the year. It is the time of year when we tend to overindulge and feel overwhelmed. Imagine how different the season would be if we were more mindful about our goals and behaviors! As Rachel Hollis says, “The last three months of the year are typically when we make the worst decisions regarding our health. We eat more, drink more and move less. If you don't have a plan, you'll reach for bad coping mechanisms.”

Because You Want to End 2019 and Start 2020 on a High Note

Finally, you want to join the #Last90Days challenge because you want to end the year on a high note rather than dragging yourself over the finish line. Instead of waiting for January 1st to start making self-improvements, go ahead and start now! If you stick to your self-improvement goals the last 90 days of the year, then you will end the year and start the new one feeling positive.

Tips for Choosing Your Goals for The Last 90 Days Challenge

If you are up for the challenge, here are a few simple tips for choosing your goals for the last three months of the year:

• Only choose a few goals. If you choose several, you will fail.

• Choose goals that are realistic and attainable. For instance, if weight loss is a goal, don’t strive for a weight loss that is impossible for that short amount of time.

• Invest in a goal planner or journal to help keep yourself motivated.