It’s the last day of January! This year, as opposed to prior years, I am actually making the effort to go back and look at the goals I set out at the beginning of the month and seeing what has worked, what hasn’t, and what I want to tweak or change completely heading into February. While I definitely haven’t stuck with everything I set out to do, I did make progress in a lot of areas and some things have become more clear over the course of the month. So, while it might not be picture perfect I’m counting this month as a win.
What Worked in January-
ALL the tracking I am doing! I find that when I have hard data about my life it encourages me to do a few things:
Pay closer attention to changes I want to make, and actually make forward progress on those changes because I see where I’m moving and where I’m not.
Notice areas that need changing that I might not have otherwise been aware of if I hadn’t been tracking.
Empowers me to feel like I am on top of things and not just letting life slip by. When I am tracking well I feel like it allows me to move out of a survival-mode mentality into one that takes charge of my life.
Here are a few of the things I’ve been tracking in January:
I have been meticulous about my budget and tracking where my money is going using this spreadsheet by Abby Organizes. While I know there are a plethora of apps on the market that could automate this task for me, something about inputting everything myself every day or so is forcing me to be more aware of my finances. It is helping me to stay on track to pay down my debt (hi there, unwieldy divorce!) and put away for things that we need over the course of the year. I feel so much more in control and capable when I am taking this part of my life very seriously.
Another thing that I have been semi-obsessively tracking is our health- more specifically, when we are sick or have ailments of some kind. I find that it is so easy to forget the last time each of my family members were sick, or for how long they have actually been sick for, or how many headaches I am actually getting in a month. By making some quick notes in a simple spreadsheet I made (and color coding it- I always color code our family members), I am able to easily see all this data. It helps me to make decisions about going to the doctor, dietary changes, and so forth. It also helps to give me an overall picture of how we are doing health-wise, which I find to be helpful.
If you would like your own free copy of these simple spreadsheets I’ve created for myself, you can snag them here. (Be sure to make a copy for yourself so that you don’t edit the master for everyone!)
Something I have more recently started tracking is my food. I have been reading Good Energy by Casey Means MD (more on this below), and it has really been pushing me to pay more attention to how I am fueling my body. I think that, by and large, I generally eat relatively healthfully, but (much like with my money) when I pay closer attention to the nitty-gritty of what is going in, I am becoming much more aware of what I want and need to change. I am currently using the My Fitness Pal app to do this tracking (which I don’t love but I’m experimenting- I’ll update you as I find my favorite tracking tool), but so far I do like how it will break down the data from what I am eating for the day into macros that I can easily see.
Quoted~
“The best way to predict the future is to create it.” – Abraham Lincoln
What didn’t work in January
Journaling and my planner, specifically, trying to combine both of these things. I love my planner (the Sterling Ink daily planner) but because it is pre-printed with the dates (something I was really looking forward to about it) I have found it a little harder to adjust to it’s inflexibility over my Stalogy B6 notebook from last year. I think part of the problem has been the pressure I put on myself to be journaling daily in my planner. The month has been busy and tiring and there were many nights that I just didn’t have the energy to get into journaling (which takes a tremendous amount of emotional energy for this feelings-repressed Enneagram 3).
Tweaks for February- I am going to move back to my planner just being a planner that I can throw little memory tidbits into if I have the time and energy, and possibly try journaling in a separate notebook, OR just using the How We Feel app again more regularly (which is also a great place to collect data about your life, and it’s free!).
I also had a couple of big projects that I had hoped to make progress on in January but I decidedly did not. I am working on mapping out these projects more clearly and setting aside time for them in February so I can finally start to gain some ground on them. Hmmmmm, perhaps there in an opportunity here somewhere for some tracking? I’ll let you know what I decide!
What worked and what didn’t for you? Be sure to share in the comments!
Your ChatGPT prompt of the week 🤖:
(Just copy and paste this into ChatGPT- you can further customize and keep adding more to your questions to have ChatGPT build the right plan for you)
Can you make a quick plan for this weekend that will help me plan and prep for the week ahead? I need to tidy my house, prep some food for lunches, and get a handle on my week. What is the most efficient way to go about this? (you could also ask for a meal plan and grocery list or give more specifics on what needs to be done around your house)
Currently (reading, watching, listening…) 📚🎧
-The Traitors on Peacock
-The Librarian Spy by Madeline Martin
-Good Energy by Casey Means MD- I have this now in both audiobook and physical format (so that I have it as resource and to mark up and take notes). This book is SOOOOOOOOO good! It’s intense and can be a bit daunting, but the information is solid and straight forward. If wellness, longevity, or good health in general interest you, it’s a MUST listen!
Also, I’m considering bringing my audience along on my journey of trying to implement principles from Good Energy into my life, including the plans and practices I’m using. Is there interest in this? Let me know in the comments!
Want more planning content?
I have been doing LIVE videos over in our Patreon community all about my planning systems and more! I am also hosting monthly Guided Planning Calls for our $8 Well Planned Level members. Come and join the crew!
Well, anyway… that’s all for now! I’ll be back again next week.
Until then- happy tracking!
MacKenzie