I've seen this post floating around the blogging world a lot in the past few days, and figured I'd jump on the band-wagon as a way to keep myself accountable. I've always been a big goal setter as it is, wether it be university related previously, fitness, weight loss, financial. You name it, I'll have made a check-list for it. I love the idea of new beginnings, and a new month signifies just that for me. October is going to be an odd month for me, and without a doubt one that will be hard to set goals for. I'm due with Baby J on the 14th, but it goes without saying he could arrive anytime this month, so I've made sure these goals take into account that.
1. Blogging
September was my first consistent month of blogging and I feel like I got a lot out of it, though it wasn't without hard work. This month my goal is to really try and maintain the momentum and continue to post frequently - albeit I should have a child somewhere in the middle of all of this, so I'm going to have to be really ahead of myself in the first few weeks to get everything scheduled.- Achieve 3000+ page views this month: my blog is only new and still very much growing, so as long as I get more page views than I did last month, then I'll know I done something right. I probably shouldn't bother focusing on the numbers at this stage, but I'm definitely someone who is driven by them and it wouldn't be me if I didn't at least have some goals attached.
- Post 15 times this month: I'm not sure how realistic this will actually be, but I managed 14 in September, and as I say, as long as I'm making small improvements I'll be perfectly content.
- Join a linky: I'm still unsure how to do this - I have tried quite a few times and seem to always manage to do it wrong... surely it's easier than I'm making it appear to be!
- Get Organised: This is such a broad goal - but mainly I just want an editorial calendar set-up so I know what needs to be done when, and what is actually scheduled. Especially for this month where I'm hoping to have so much done in advance, I really could do with getting on top of things a bit more!
2. Social
I really do need to work on making sure I'm getting out of the house and actually making a conscious effort to see everyone. I've always been the same, I like my own company and I like staying in. Living with Jordan has probably made this worse as I have even less of an excuse to leave the house now - but I want to make sure that during October I am making an active effort to see my friends and family and not expecting them just to come to me.
- Visit family weekly: For so many this is probably something that comes easily, but I have always been lack-lustre in visiting my family regularly. Jordan is mega close to his extended family, whereas I'm lucky to see mine more than three times a year - there's no reason for this, we live close enough to them, I just don't make the effort. I don't want Baby J to grow up as distant from my family as I have been though, so I'll definitely use October to make more of an effort as much as my body will allow me to.
- Stop relying on group texts for updates: I have a really close friend group as it is, and know fine well they'll always be there despite my inability to make an effort to go out and see them all, but now that I'm on MAT leave and no longer have an excuse, it's probably time I stop relying on group chats to find out what's going on in my friends lives and actually go see them.
- Maintain friendships with blogging mums-to-be: I cannot get over how much of a blessing it's been to have somehow fallen into a group of mums-to-be who blog. As none of my friends have babies as of yet, having people to turn to who can tell me that it's perfectly normal for me to be crying over ice-lollies or have ankles the size of a small dog at this point in time has been amazing. Everyone says finding your 'tribe' is important during pregnancy and parenthood - and I'm glad to have found one online as well as off. In October I'll probably rely on them even further, and I'm making it a goal to make sure I do, they keep me sane! If your looking for some amazing ladies to follow I'd definitely suggest checking this lot out.
3. Parenting
Fat lot of parenting goals I can really be setting here - most of it really does just come down to making sure everything is ready, or as ready as it can be, for little bubs arrival. When he's here, I just want to make sure I spend the first few weeks really cherishing the time I have with him as a newborn - it's time I'll never get back and I want no regrets in the long run. Blogging/Social/Fitness goals can wait - everything should and will revolve around Baby J in this month especially.
- Pack a bloody hospital bag: don't get me wrong, everything is sat folded neatly ready to go in my bag... There's just something stopping me from doing it, note to self, tick this off the list as soon as I've clicked 'Publish'.
- Take thousands of pictures: I don't want to forget anything from this time - it'll be difficult, exhausting and emotional, but I know fine well that it's a time I'll want to look back on in years to come. I need to remember to take as many pictures as I can, and cherish every moment.
4. Fitness + Health
Again, I'm not going to put anything under this heading in October. I'm such a big goal setter when it comes to my fitness and my body, but setting goals when I've not even gone through labour yet is simply detrimental. I have a tendency to get hung-up on these things and it's not something I should be concentrating on at this moment in time. I'll start to introduce a bit more in the way of healthy habits and balance back into my life, as pregnancy has definitely threw me off the fitness rails in the latter stages, but I'm in no rush right now, and would rather maintain a positive mental outlook, rather than obsess over my body and the number on the scales.
And there we go, that rounds off my goals for the month of October. Let's see how many of them I can actually stick to - place your bets now.
No comments
Post a Comment
Thanks for your comments, I make sure to reply to them all, your words mean a lot!