Back in February of this year, I set some goals for the first quarter of 2022. More recently, I realized that the way I’ve been setting goals, by splitting the year into quarters and setting deadlines has not been working for me. But how did I do on those goals and what am I working on now? Let’s recap.

My goals for 2022 quarter 1

1. Reduce time spent on social media by putting my phone away on weekends

I didn’t do so well with this one. I’m use to keeping my phone in my pocket because it’s so easily accessible there. Part of the problem is… it’s so easily accessible there. The truth is, my phone is most useful to me only during work (when I use the authenticator to access a lot of my work-related things) or when I’m on the go and need to be able to call for assistance if needed.

Sometimes I see “photo moments” where I may regret not having my phone on me to capture the moment. But…. is the inability to take a photo of that moment really worth the trade-off of my presence both in that moment and throughout the day? When my three year old wakes me up in the morning, he hands me my phone as though it’s as essential a part of me as the glasses I wear to correct my vision. It’s like a punch in my gut when he does this, and it’s not his fault; he’s only acting based on observation of my behavior.

So, reducing my time spent on social media… and my phone in general, is still one of my goals. I think I’m going to try having my phone live in my purse so that I will have it with me on the go, and it will have a resting place that is not on my person while I’m home.

Wait one second….. ok, there. I just walked my phone over to my purse by the door entryway to start this promise to myself right now.

2. Reduce physical clutter by limiting my closet items to 33

I did actually do this one! In fact, my closet items, according to the guidelines of Project 333, are actually less than 33. I did this for my Spring wardrobe and learned a fair bit about my clothes wearing habits for the season, which I could then consider while I made my list for Summer.

For myself and anyone reading this who may need to hear it, I’m writing this ‘aloud’: I was not perfect with my 33 chosen items for Spring. AND IT WAS OK! I learned something, I adjusted my process, and my Summer selections have worked even better.

More on my experience with Project 333 another time.

3. Donate dresser

I didn’t do this one perfectly either…. BUT I DID DO IT! My neighborhood had a large item pickup scheduled and I knew my best bet of getting rid of the dresser was having it ready to be hauled off on that date. I had all my clothing out of it for a long time, but didn’t yet have a new solution for my jewelry. So I tossed all my jewelry in a drawer under my bed with my pjs.

I still cringe a bit when I open that drawer because I still have not addressed a place for my jewelry. But, I’ve also made a decision not to prioritize that right now. My next goal is to get a bookshelf to go where the dresser was. This bookshelf could end up being the stepping stone to fixing my homeless jewelry problem, either because I put my jewelry on a shelf on the bookshelf or I move something else to the bookshelf that frees space for my jewelry.

New project goals without deadlines

As I mentioned before, in place of deadlines, I’m being more clear with my project prioritization and then asking myself regularly what is one thing I can do right now to move that project forward.

My brain can be a very busy, noisy place. Prioritization is a must because I notice a lot of things that could be taken care of right now, and I could easily take care of little one-off tasks all day long without doing a single thing toward the projects that matter most.

There are a lot of projects that are important to me and that I’d like to make high priority. But if everything is high priority, nothing is, so I need to be firm and pick out one, maybe two.

Projects that relate to my kids (i.e. organizing their closets, fixing up the playroom) are always very loud in my brain because my kids are so important to me.

But.

I’m choosing a project that’s all about me this time. I don’t often make myself a priority and I have the most flexibility tackling a project where I can make all the decisions and no one else cares.

So my big priority project right now is to make my half of the room (I’m just going to have to let go of how I’d like my husband’s side to be) a personal haven that fosters calm and joy.