Life moves at the speed of light rather we like it or not.  I can’t believe it’s May 5th already.

April wasn’t as successful in the goal department as I would like, but I did make progress.  When I used to set goals at the beginning of the year I would only check in every few months and never gave myself a chance to reset/rethink my goals.  This new method of setting goals monthly affords me the opportunity to make sure my goals are constantly in alignment with my life.  So, here goes…

Goal:  Restart Matador U Travel Writing Course

Result:  Ugh.  I restarted it, but I didn’t make it through chapter 3 like I hoped I would.  I’ve submitted and received feedback on my chapter 1 assignment.  I’m stuck on resubmitting chapter 1 with the suggested improvements.  I MUST get that done no later than this weekend.  I’m piddling this opportunity away…I CAN’T do that.

Goal:  Plant garden.

Result:  A much better result here.  The garden is planted.  I went away for 10 days right after getting it planted, so some plants (that weren’t doing so well already) didn’t make it because my house sitter couldn’t figure out how to use the hose.  I think maybe she just didn’t want to do it because when I got home I turned the hose on and it worked right away.  Some of the plants I planted from seed didn’t quite make it either (some did).  Next year I want to start the seeds inside earlier.

Goal:  Paint my house interior.

Result:  Change of plans.  Last month I was determined not to spend the outrageous prices to get the inside of my house painted and was going to do it myself…one room at a time.  I had hoped to get at least one room painted in April.  However, I’ve decided to bit the bullet and hire someone…and, pay the outrageous prices.  It came down to the value of time.  If I did it, I wouldn’t be done until much later this year.  If they do it, I’ll have a completely painted house in three days (except for the trim which I’ll do myself as needed).  I’m so excited…they start today!!!

As I write this I feel as if I didn’t accomplish much in April, but really I did.  First, planting the garden was A LOT of work.  Thankfully I have the best mom in the world and she helped while her and my dad passed through on their way back to Alaska for the summer.  My dad also helped me get a couple of smaller home maintenance items done…fixing the door between the house and garage and recaulking the kitchen countertops.  Plus, I completely underestimated how much effort it would be to prepare for the painters…emptying out closets, the pantry, removing drapes, and removing artwork (and anything else attached to the walls).

All that and a trip to Alaska!

May

I need to kick it in gear a bit, so here are my goals for May.

• Get some home maintenance done.  This includes the painting (done by professionals), carpeting (done by professionals), and getting all my belongings back in their place (done by me).
• Prepare for and participate in our community garage sale.  Anyone that thinks this isn’t hard is CRAY CRAY.  I’ve been sorting through things for weeks/months.  I’m hoping to purge a lot of stuff.  Anything not sold is leaving my house one way or another.  I’m tired of “things” weighing me down.
• Get through chapter 2 of Matador U Travel Writing course.  I really want to make it through chapter 3, but I need to be reasonable.
• Catch up on my weekly decluttering goal set in January.  I’m actually way far ahead in some areas and falling behind in others.  I just need to assess where I’m at and make a plan for moving forward.

That’s a lot to do in May, but I’m pretty determined.  Making a decision about hiring a professional for the painting has taken a lot of weight off my shoulders.