Sum Sum Summertime Goals!

I think one of the most life-changing habits that I have worked on in 2010 has to do with goal setting . . . naming my goals, writing them down, and then purposely arranging my life so that I have the best possible chance at reaching them, of getting where I want to go.

Sounds so simple.

This morning I was reminded of this again when I stopped by Making Over Me, a blog written by my friend Holly. Holly is an amazing woman, full of positivity, ambition, and with a heart of gold; she's a hard-working, loving mom and wife, and an inspiration to boot! She and I worked together for a brief time in the 9-5 world, plus she was my realtor when I bought my condo, so I’m always eager to keep up with her and see what’s new in her world.

Holly talked last Friday about her summer goals, and what I loved about the post was the specificity of each goal and how she divided her goals up according to the many different hats she wears in a day. It made for a good read, so if you haven’t had the chance to stop over there, I highly recommend taking the time to read it all the way through.

Holly’s post reminded me, ahemmm, that I still hadn’t written down my own summertime goals…I had them in my head and was even thinking about how to incorporate them, but writing them down makes them even more clear in my head, and it creates some kind of shift in my mind that this isn’t just a dream or a wish or something inspiring to think about, it’s something to DO. Something I WANT to do.

So, CHECK, the summertime goals are now written down, thanks Holly. And, following the example that she and so many of you have set, I’m sharing them here…in the hopes that you’ll keep ME accountable and that YOU will find something of value to take with you.

In short, my summertime goal is getting this structure thing nailed down...to find a way of operating my days that fits my life, my personality, my dreams, me. Call it having a plan on how to reach goals if you will, because having goals clearly defined and written down isn't enough. We need a game plan, a way of arranging our lives that works.

Personally I love to fly by the seat of my pants, and I still allow that kind of free flowing on occasion. But, face it, we can't always be seat-flying AND living purposefully at the same time. There are no steering wheels in those aircrafts, exciting as they may be.

So knowing I can’t be the Miss Loose Goose, flying out of the pack that I wanna be and still get stuff done, structure IS necessary and is not a four letter word. But, to keep me happy, structure MUST have some margin built into it. Without kids at home or a 9-5 to go to, I no longer see the need to burn the candle at both ends and in between, and be "productive" all the time.

Productivity is not always the same thing as living intentionally, I have learned. Sometimes it is just wheels spinning wildly out of control. Or wings flapping.

So, in keeping with that spirit, here’s the summertime M-F schedule I came up with. (I admit, I am stealing some of this structure from Anne Morrow Lindbergh, simply because it works for me. But, I don’t think she’ll mind):

Mornings:  With all the clarity and peace they bring, mornings are for intellectual pursuits: reading, writing, blogging, and for all things intellectual yet undiscovered. Ohh, I can hardly wait for that!

Afternoons:  Providing a needed mental break, afternoons are perfect for physical and out-of-house activities: cleaning, shopping, errands, and coffee with friends. Also, once a week an art date with myself is scheduled to replenish the well…to put it poetically, to drink deeply of that sometime elusive creative juice that writers need and crave. ;)

Evenings:  With their natural winding-down-culminating characteristic, evenings are perfect for relationships: sharing, caring, listening, loving~while we walk, sit, exercise, eat, etc., you name it.

And, further personalizing it all, here’s what I think that type of structuring will look like for me:

6am:  Up and at ‘em for rejuvenation through quiet reflection, and planning the day over coffee of course

7am:  Breakfast prep, lunch prep for the hubs, sharing a meal

8am:  Swimming (or other exercise)

9am – 2pm:  Reading, writing (hmmm, maybe that novel in the works?), blogging; with a short break
for lunch

2pm – 5pm:  Cleaning, shopping, errands, coffee and art dates

5pm – 9pm:  Dinner prep, sharing a meal, friends, family.

9pm:  Shower and beauty regimen

10pm:  Bedtime

I think this will work. I don't sense that my wings have been clipped at all nor is my foot trying to dig in to resist. Wish me luck!

So, what are YOUR goals for the summer? Have you written them down? And how are you arranging your life to give yourself the best possible chance at reaching them?

Learning to fly in the pack,
Cheryl

Photo courtesy Creative Commons