Goals | The Laine List

A Year of Living the Life I have Imagined

January 25, 2012 by Elaine Griffin 12 Comments

Women and Work

Have you tried to come up with 101 things you would want to do in a year? Holy crap, that’s alotta things! I tried it and I couldn’t do it, so this is my version of 101 in 365. As I said earlier in the week, I wanted to tie 101 in 365 in with 12 goals for 12 months. So here we go, general goals and monthly goals.

General Goals:
Exercise/diet/lose at least 25 pounds
Derby of course!
Pay off debt
Buy a new car
Read books
Make more cheese
Eat more locally
More quality time with kids
More quality time with husband
Lose at least 25 pounds
Launch a new online local goods directory (I have a partner in this one, and I’m not sure what month this will happen, but I’m super stoked!)

Monthly Goals:
By the end of January – Really establish the work/life routine. I’m almost there!
February – Marketing and advertising the business. I also want to start my creativity journal. Oh yeah, and ROLLER DERBY!
March – Start building blog templates and photo car templates.
April – Learn a little about photography and how to use my camera. We also need to organize all the toys and crap in the garage.
May – Plant a container garden. Get rid of crap in my house!
June – Have business really be taking off so I have enough money to hire a mother’s helper/cleaning person! I SO NEED THIS TO HAPPEN BEFORE SUMMER BREAK!
July – Finally create a cookbook with Ben.
August – Fix the inside door jams and paint the bathroom, kitchen, and trim (and cupboards if my husband will let me!).
September – Harvest and preserve! Settle into the new school routine – with ease this ear!
October – Settle into the cool weather with my Cricut and start paper crafting. Open an Etsy shop for paper crafts, blog templates and photo card templates.
November – Launch a local community blog.
December – Enjoy the season and prepare to start giving local and online blogging workshops and critiques.

Of course there are many, many fine details to accomplishing all of this. To be worked out later, I guess. Maybe that is where the 101 things comes in?

That’s not too much, right? I’m such a good planner! I hope I don’t EPIC FAIL on the execution! I better get crackin’ – no one is going to do live this life for me!

What’s on your big project list for the year?

Filed Under: Balance, Career, Family, Feminism, Organizing Tagged With: goals, planning, women and work

These are not New Year’s resolutions, they are goals

December 19, 2011 by Elaine Griffin 2 Comments

What will you do when the party is over? Image courtesy of Maria Azzurra Mugnai

I don’t make New Year’s resolutions. For realsies. Because a resolution is so, resolution-y. If you resolve to do something, you HAVE to do it, and you are just setting yourself up for disaster! But, you know me, I like to plan ahead . And while the items on this list are not resolutions, they are my new year goals. Goals are okay because the timeline is fluid, and there is no HAVE TO. Just, “I would like to.”

So, when Santa has come and gone, and we’ve eaten and drank ourselves stupid and bloated, these are my goals for the first quarter 2012. And maybe the second quarter – what can I say, it’s a FLUID list!

I will stick to my previously determined work/family schedule. I will take a work break when the kids get up, and I will stop work when Ben comes home from school. And I will have some sort of togetherness planned. I will!

I will deal with my traveling office. I work from two different floors. My “office” is downstairs, but I have a traveling office. The computer can go up and down, but Some things are easier left upstairs, since this is the main work place.

I will be kinder to my husband. There, I said it. I admit it. He gets the shit end of the stick at least 90% of the time.

I am embarrassed to say it, but we have become super lazy with the dinnertime. We eat in front of the TV. It’s horrible! So, we will not eat dinner in front of the TV. Most nights, anyway.

I will be more diligent about taking vitamins. Both for myself and the kids.

I will drink more water.

I will use my Weight Watchers materials and get at least 20 minutes of movement in on most days. Small steps people!

I will commit to NaBloPoMo at least every other month. November was hard, but it was good for me and I’m ready to do it again!

I will be a little easier on myself. I’m saving this for last, as it will probably be the hardest!

There you have it. A fairly short list, hopefully do-able. So, dear friends and readers, I ask you, do you make New Year’s resolutions or do you prefer the fluidity of goals? Perhaps you don’t care at all! Tell me what you think!

Filed Under: Balance, Coolness, Family, Organizing Tagged With: goals, New Year's resolutions

December is upon us…

November 30, 2011 by Elaine Griffin Leave a Comment

And so is the cray-cray holiday rush to buy everything we can, make ourselves crazy, and totally not enjoy time with our loved ones. In my attempt (let’s hope not totally futile) to relax and enjoy some time off, or, at least a little break, which I SORELY need, I thought I would plan it all out. ‘Cause you know, that’s just what I do.

Get out Skippy-Joan Jones (our Elf on a shelf) tonight. I WILL! I WILL NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE!

Have a merry Christmas with my husband, kiddos, and family.

Clean my house from top to bottom. I only do this annually.

Do as little work and stressing out as possible between December 17^th and January 1^st. I can do this. I KNOW I can do this!

Deal with my dining room/office situation. Right now I’m mostly working at the dining room table, which doesn’t get cleaned off for dinner. So we eat in front of the TV. Which is embarrassing to admit, but there it is. The truth. I think maybe a rolling card would help my situation?

Start blogging on my business blog, and get marketing already! Laying foundation and groundwork only goes so far….

Work on switching gears more easily.

I will exercise.

So that is really it. I am leaving my calendar open and NOT filling it!

What are your goals for December?