January has simultaneously felt extremely long and extremely short. Has anyone else felt this way? I feel like I accomplished a lot, but a lot of those accomplishments are small in the grand scheme of things. January is serving its purpose in getting the ball rolling, but like I have said before, I have high hopes for 2019.

I need you guys to help me stay accountable for my 2019 goals! At the beginning of the month I posted some of my goals for the year. Now that we are 1/12 the way through that year, I want to update you on how I am doing and how PowerSheets have helped me [start to] stay consistent.

It seems my monthly goals are much easier to accomplish than my daily goals. Sometimes I will go through an entire day and realize…I have not had a single drop of water…much less 60 ounces. 

Some observations about myself based off of the boxes I have checked (and those that aren’t checked as well!):

1.     Cleaning is not a priority for me. I cleaned the bathrooms once this month…didn’t Swiffer or vacuum at all (Caleb tends to do that more than I do)…and although we do have clean laundry, we do not have folded laundry. I know I can’t be the only one that lets clean laundry pile up in the corner of her room?

2.     I am a hobbit. I wanted to get out and walk with Hux 2-3 times each week and I walked ONCE ALL MONTH. Granted, it has been freezing and we’re enduring a polar vortex with a high of 28 today…but still.

3.     I call myself a runner…but only ran three times this month. Hmm…again, maybe attribute that to the weather, but I don’t think that’s entirely it. Even though it’s the “off season” for photography, I don’t feel like things with my business have slowed down (and I’m so thankful for that). I would rather get a few more minutes work done than a few more miles in. And it’s cold.

4.     Reading really makes me happy. Because I was an English teacher, I used to be reading alllllll the time. But it was student work reading, which is different than reading for yourself. If it weren’t for the PowerSheets though, I probably would have never finished “Girl, Wash Your Face”. I was bound and determined to finish it before February 1st, and that I did, with 28 minutes left in January to spare!

5.     Sometimes motivation can be elongated. For example, my goal was to de-clutter the kitchen this month. Then Marie Kondo and Netflix also happened, and we went for it and cleaned out our closets as well. While we threw out everything that did not give us a joy, we (read: I) still have clothes all over the house from my strategic sorting process. Ha!

I am sharing my successes and failures with you all because I am determined to keep myself accountable. Please berate me for not running and then tell me you’re willing to be my running partner! Help a girl out.

Looking forward to February, I am adjusting some of my goals while keeping others the same. I am keeping many of my daily goals the same because I want to make them habits (taking my vitamin, drinking water, making Caleb’s lunch each morning, washing the dishes from dinner each night, and reading to Huxley). I added one to my daily goal section…wake up before 8am every morning. I know…rough life, getting to sleep till 9am with a four-month old in the house. She really does spoil me.

As far as photography goes, I want to continue with my soft rebrand to pivot my business into wedding photography as opposed to solely portrait photography. A “rebrand” sounds like a vague thing for a business, but it certainly does entail a lot of work, which is why I am doing it in steps.

Lastly, my two “fails” of the month—cleaning and running—are still on my tending list, just in a different way. I made it a monthly goal to sign up for a 5k. Maybe the motivation of having a race to train for will be enough for me to brave the cold and get out there and run! 

Y’all, keep me honest!