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Hi there! It has been a while since I have written anything on this little blog of mine. Work has been extra busy and honestly, winter plus lockdown left me a bit uninspired. Or maybe unmotivated would be a better word? However, today I am here because I wanted to do a bit of reflecting on the goals I had set for 2020.
I did a review like this for my goals in 2018 and a goal check-in in May and found it really helpful to think about both successes and failures and what I can learn from both. It really informed how I planned and set goals for the coming year, so I thought reflecting on this year’s goals could be equally helpful.
Obviously, 2020 has been so so different from how any of us imagined. And so I didn’t manage to tick of all the things I had planned and hoped for this year. BUT it has been so helpful for me to have some things to work towards. Having some routine and consistency in the midst of this chaotic time made me feel a lot calmer and happier.
Reflecting on my goals for 2020
So let’s dive in.
Take one day off every week to recharge and rest.
For a while now I have been very inspired by the concept of the Sabbath. A day where we stop from our work and our only plans are to rest and worship. (I listened to an excellent sermon series on the topic which I would highly recommend!)
It is a work in progress. Edd and I have gotten better at dedicating a day a week to spending time with Jesus, hanging out together and only doing things that help us to recharge. The circumstances of this year have made it both harder and easier to implement this practice into our lives.
On one hand, less social obligations, events, travel plans and other things in our calendar we had lots of freedom and time to really take a day off. On the other hand, the fact that we are both working from home and lots of activities we like doing for fun (trying out new coffee shops, browsing book shops, visiting museums, etc.) weren’t possible made it harder for the day to feel all that special.
A day of rest is something I definitely want to continue to prioritise. Upon reflection, I think I need to figure out a way to make this day stand out more. Maybe I need to get a special outfit and make pancakes for breakfast or something that helps me realise it is the Sabbath.
Dedicate time to the blog
Well this goal was quite vague, so it is hard to say whether I accomplished it or not! So far I have published 25 blog posts in 2020. This is already more than in 2019 when I only wrote 23 blog posts overall. I loved doing the Love Blog challenge during February. There is something about being in the habit of writing regularly and sharing it with the world. Blogging is probably one of my favourite hobbies and brings me so much joy but it also is quite time-intensive and it takes a fair bit of mental energy which is why I fail to be very consistent with it.
Read through the Bible chronologically.
This has been great. I have been using this plan and have loved it. I haven’t completed the plan as I took some breaks in between to read some other things (during September I read through some of the gospels and this Advent I’ve been following an Advent bible plan) but the point of reading the Bible is not to tick a box but to spend time with Jesus and hear from him.
Get back to regularly practicing guitar
Here I also went through phases. At the beginning of the year and especially during the first lockdown I practised guitar a lot and even recorded myself one or two times and put little videos on my Instagram stories. I would love to pick up playing classical guitar more again but I think I need to take some lessons at some point. Currently I often do not know what songs to practice and having regular lessons would be very motivating to practice more.
Go on 120 runs
So far I have done 114, which means I have got six more runs to go. Today is the 21st of December so I have 10 days left. Good job I have not much else to do these days!
This goal has been great. It was challenging but still doable. And whether it is ten kilometres or two – a run is still a run. There is almost no excuse to not do it. Also, the fact that it was super easy to break down – 120 runs a year, so ten runs each month was super helpful. If I only hit nine one month I knew I had to aim for eleven the next month.
I used a goal tracker by Elise Joy to keep count and loved filling it in and seeing the big picture of getting closer to hitting my goal of 120.
Use the 1-second everyday app to record snippets of my life
I didn’t record something every day but fairly often! A lot of my days looked exactly the same (working from home, maybe going for a run, cooking dinner, knitting or reading, the end) so it was hard to find interesting moments to document or to even remember to do so. But I have some snippets and hopefully will collect some more over the next few days and then can share it early next year.
Read (or listen to) 50 books
I have already completed this goal! So far I listened to 14 books and read 37. To break it down even further: I listened to audiobooks for 133 hours and 44 minutes and read 9,430 pages. All those evenings spent at home this year had a positive aspect after all! You can check out my goodreads to see all of the books I read and listened to this year.
Try tap-dancing & get more involved with the local green party.
Due to the lockdown I didn’t do either of these things. I could have attended green party meetings online but I really couldn’t face another zoom meeting or to stay at my computer after having sat in front of it all day for work already. Also, reflecting on this, I don’t actually feel quite as passionate about trying out tap-dancing anymore.
Right, those were all my reflections on my 2020 goals!
I am hoping to do a bit more reflecting about the next year over the coming days and share about my goals for 2021. Maybe I will also do a little reflecting post about my word for the year, which was Rhythm.
How did you fare with your goals for 2020? I think for many people plans had to change and things shifted because, you know, 2020. So rather than to be frustrated let me encourage you to think about rhythms and habits that might help you to stay joyful and positive through these next few weeks and months of lockdown and set your goals accordingly. You can do this. Things will get better!
If you are doing some reflecting on your 2020 goals – I would love to hear about it!
In case I am not checking in again before the end of this week – Merry Christmas. May you find hope in the Saviour who has come and will come again.
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