In December I made a 2020 To Do List with 7 categories and 21 “To Dos.” I’ll post an update on it every three months. Here’s my progress thus far! Note:
- bolded items have been updated with comments this quarter
- bolded ✔ items have been completed this quarter
- italicized ✔ items were completed in check-in #1 and check-in #2
- items with a strike through are no longer “to dos”
Relationships
- ✔ Go on a trip with Steven to someplace new-to-us – completed! I was intending for this to be a trip for just us two, but I’m not sure that will happen this year, so let’s count Atlanta! Updated: in September we went to Cedar Grove, Wisconsin for a long weekend, and explored the surrounding area. Close to home, but someplace new-to-us and just us two!
- Play with the cats more
- Continue to remember everyone has different communication styles and preferences – and I don’t need to understand or agree with them to accept them. I’m doing well with this and listening to other people’s communication cues for how they want to keep in touch, and how frequently. I’m not pushing it, and I’m not upset when people don’t reach out to me.
Home
- FINISH THE GARAGE! We have brickwork scheduled for October 16, and will install the siding ourselves after that. THEN WE’LL BE DONE FOR 2020! Yay!
- Bring the Datsun home!
- ✔Sort through items that have been in storage boxes in basement since we moved in in February 2016 – completed! I finally did this last weekend! I sorted through 23 boxes, and condensed/donated/passed on enough items to get rid of 8 boxes. I relabeled all the remaining ones so I know exactly what’s in them. We still have MANY boxes of books in a warehouse so now we can start bringing those home (since we have shelf space) and sorting through them… advice on getting rids of loads of books? Maybe for some profit? Do people want to buy used books?
Money
- Continue to put money in to savings – we spent a lot this quarter (Dragonstone and vacation) so I did not add to savings EXCEPT for the money I am putting in there due to the Social Security tax deferral.
- Spend less at Bath & Body Works and Starbucks – I ordered Bath & Body Works soap with a gift card but had to spend $0.97 on what the card didn’t cover, err, and then last week I spent $80 on a gift order, and $36 on soap and hand sanitizer for me. Hee hee. That’s the first time I’ve spent much there this year though so yay! I went to Starbucks MANY times in the past three months (eek, I need to cut back!) but used gift cards for my order. I did spend $45.00 on Starbucks gift cards for other people.
- ✔ Find a new affordable way to get custom 2×3 magnets – I ordered 3x3s (and 3x5s ugh too big) after our River Trip, and a few more 3x3s after our WI trip. I miss the 2x3s but cannot beat the Shitterfly cost and quality, so I rearranged the fridge to fit future 3x3s and will consider this completed.
Fitness
- ✔ Run in a new-to-me state – completed! I ran in Georgia, twice!
- Run a race with a friend
- Get back to making playlists for my classes
Beauty
- Find a lipstick that looks nice on me and wear it – I should have figured this out before my interview! Derp!
- Get regular haircuts – I went back in September, yay!
- Learn to style my hair – I should have figured this out before my interview, but I did ok!
Reading
- ✔ Read a Harry Potter book – completed! I read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in February and enjoyed it! (Enough that I read the second book in March, the third book in April, and plan to continue the series. Although the length of book four has been a turnoff so far. And J.K. Rowling being an ass on social media as of late.)
- ✔ Read a Stephen King book – completed! I finished Sleeping Beauties on Thursday, March 26th.
- ✔ Read 50 books in 2020 – completed! I completed my 50th book on June 24th and upped my goal to 75 for the year! I completed my 75th book on September 18th and upped my goal to 100 for the year.
Work
- ✔ Apply for the supervisor role – completed! I applied July 6 and found out I was selected for an interview on July 17, and had my first level interview on August 5. I was told on August 12 I would not get a second level interview. I had my debrief on September 3.
- Lean on my teams for support
- Quit being so snarky and whiny – I have NOT been doing well with this after the interview letdown. Oops. Back at it!
It’s impressive that you’ve been able to do so many of your 2020 goals, considering you set them before anyone could’ve known quite what 2020 was going to shape up to be. I guess most of your goals didn’t require being around other people (aside from the fitness ones), but still!
This isn’t helpful if you want to make a profit off your books, or particularly convenient for you, but Open Books in Chicago takes donations of old books: https://www.open-books.org/donate-books/
Thanks! I am lucky that they were not too social or required things to be open! And that I got that one race in 😉
Ooo thanks! That looks like a good program, and since I was just going to take them to Goodwill, I do NOT need a profit 🙂
So much to comment on but let me just say how impressed I am that you sorted through 23 boxes!! That is a huge accomplishment. HUGE.
Also, I agree on J.K. Rowling and what a horrible person she turned out to be. But I love the HP books, so I’m working on separating them from her. It’s hard, though.
You style your hair just fine, and you look so pretty – you have a great smile that lights up your entire face. As for lipstick…aren’t we all looking the the perfect color? Although who sees it behind the mask? Sigh.
Thanks! I was tired last Saturday night after I did that!
I actually saw someone post a guide online about how to still enjoy HP with her being such a pos. I thought that was helpful! So disappointed in her though.
You are so sweet! Thank you!!! And you are right about the lipstick – I literally only needed it for the video interview! And that’s over!
You have accomplished so much – I am really impressed with 23 boxes sorted in one day! And from my perspective, you don’t seem snarky and whiny…and your hair looked great for your interview!
Thank you! I felt like I did after I went through all those boxes!
And thanks for the kind words (all of them)! I get a bit snarky and gossipy at work and I want to be seen as positive. 😉
I know my local library always appreciates donations of used books! Sometimes they’ll sell them, and sometimes they‘ll keep them for the library collection. My library has a pretty small budget, so they’re always appreciative of getting new books via donation!
I am going to ask the next time I am in picking up my holds! Maybe I can donate them to Friends of the Library for their sale… if they are taking donations right now!
I had a whole stack of books that I wanted to donate during my move. I was able to sell about half of them to a used bookstore, put a few in a Little Free Library, and then just donated the rest to Goodwill lol.
I love your goal of 100 books! HOW EXCITING!! You are killin’ it with the reading this year.
I wonder if I will do a combo like that or just donate them all! It would be fun to find a Little Free Library.
Thank you!!! I just read a middlegrade level book and that went really fast. If I only read those I could get to 150. Ha ha ha.
Wow, 100 books, that’s amazing! Reading this list of accomplishments, I’m not sure where you find the time to read so much. (Said totally without snark!) You must be very speedy!
For the things like noticing people’s communication styles and playing more with your cats, how will you know when you’ve achieved those goals? They sound ambiguous and like you could always do more or better, so did you set a benchmark for yourself with these? I sound like a manager right now, ha!
Thank you! I don’t have many hobbies, so that helps! I do a lot of reading before bed though. Ideally an hour each night!
The communication styles is about my attitude. So I’ve noticed it getting better over the year and that is great! (Mostly I was butthurt about people not responding to me or reaching out ever, and I tried really hard to stop caring and stopped initiating the conversations). With the cats, I am so lazy about playing with them, this could legit be like “did I play with them for 10 mins today?” and it would be no? (did I pet them and cuddle? yes) I could always be improving on both, though! I am sure at some point I should start reaching out to those people again. Ha.