As we somehow find ourselves a quarter of the way through 2022, I thought it would be a good idea to check in with the goals I set myself at the beginning of the year.

As in previous years, I find that blogging about my goals helps me to:

• Keep accountable;
• Check on my progress;
• Make it easier to adjust my goals if needed. I think better when I write, so it helps me find a way forward without too much procrastination.

As I have some new readers (welcome ☺️), here’s a little re-cap of the goals I set myself earlier this year:

Let’s dive straight in!

Walk 10,000 steps per day

By the end of March, I had walked 889,577 steps since the start of the year. For the eagle-eyed mathematicians out there, you will have spotted that I’m falling fractionally short of my 10,000 steps per day target. I’m painfully close, with an average of 9884 steps per day. 

I’m finding it almost impossible to walk 10,000 steps every single day. On days when I’m travelling or not feeling well, I don’t get anywhere near that. However, I more than make up for it by walking longer distances at the weekends or when I have a bit more free time. 

Overall, I’m pleased with where I am so far. It’s a massive improvement on the number of steps I was walking on average last year.

Action Required

Tweak the goal from a daily target to a monthly average. Adjusting this goal isn’t about moving the goalposts. It’s about being realistic about what is and isn’t achievable. Sometimes life happens (illness, days on the road etc.), which means a daily target isn’t always doable. 

Track my refills

In December 2021, I discovered a beautiful little shop in my local town that sells refills. You can refill everything from pasta and grains to laundry liquid, handwash, and herbs and spices. It’s an eco-warriors paradise! 

Although I’m not quite at the eco-warrior stage, I wanted to set a target this year around becoming more environmentally friendly. 

My focus is to cut back on the amount of plastic I buy from the supermarket. 

Other than the fact I’m addicted to the refill shop (click here to find out more about my new obsession) it’s making me stop and think. Whenever I go to pick something up in plastic packaging, I check myself and ask if I can get that item as a refill in my little shop.

Changing your shopping habits can be tricky, but I love the challenge. 

Here’s a little look at my most frequent refills over the last few months:

Action Required

Start to track the plastic I’m still buying so I can get a sense of whether I can swap the product for an alternative or not. 

Increase My Income 

Having started my freelance content writing business in January 2021, my aim for 2022 is to earn more than I did last year. So far, so good! I’m currently fully booked, with most clients paying a monthly retainer. 

My income in January, February and March was higher than in the same period the previous year. It’s not too surprising, as I was in the early stages of setting up my business in the same period last year. 

The data will start to get more interesting as the year progresses. 

All in all, I feel like my business is in a good place whilst maintaining some degree of work-life balance. 

These are some of the things I’m working on at the moment to continue to increase my income:

Action Required

Think about the types of tasks I could outsource or automate to free up some time so I can take on some more clients. 

Read at least 12 books.

Life is all about balance, and reading is one of the ways I make sure I maintain that balance. Reading is a fantastic source of self-care. It allows me to switch off from the daily grind, and more often than not, transports me to another time and place.

I read 11 books last year and would love to reach 12 in 2022. 

I’ve read a variety of genres so far this year, and I’m well on track to achieving my goal.

Michelle Obama’s book Becoming had been on my to-read list for a long time. In fact, I’m on my second copy as my original got damaged in my last flat move! Michelle writes beautifully, and this has been my read of the year so far.

In addition to the four books I’ve ploughed through this year, I’m also reading The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday. It’s the first time that I can say I’ve managed to read two books at once! If you read it as intended, there is a page for each day of the calendar year, making it an easy read (although some of the content is quite tricky to digest!).

Here’s a little look at the books I’ve read so far this year:

Take a minimum of 20 days annual leave.

In 2021, I reached September before taking any annual leave! My focus had been on building my business, but I was exhausted and needed a break. 

This year, I knew I needed to make some changes. Overall I’m aiming to take at least 20 days annual leave.

I’ve brought back one of the rules I had whilst working for my old company. I’m aiming to take a break once every three months. 

Three months was the maximum time I could go before feeling burnt out in my old job. As a freelancer, whilst I’m thankfully yet to reach burnout, I want to take regular breaks to ensure I give myself some reflection time (in addition to going on new adventures). 

In March, I took my first week off work. And to make sure I switched off, I took myself away to the Dorset coast for five beautiful days by the seaside.

It was lovely to get away from the daily grind. I had more energy, and I slept like a baby. After an anxious start to the year, getting away was the perfect medicine. 

Five days down, 15 to go! Where to next, I wonder?

Action Required

Get a date scheduled in my diary asap for my next week off.

Conclusion

I’m incredibly pleased with the progress I’m making so far. I had a tricky start to the year with my anxiety bubbling over, but this hasn’t stopped me from having a clear focus on the things I’d like to achieve.

As I would expect at this time of year, there are some tweaks to make and some next steps to put into action. But overall, I would say that’s a bloody good start to the year!

Did you set yourself any goals this year?

How are things progressing for you?

What challenges do you need to overcome?

Have a great week, and I’ll be back next Sunday with some more mindful musings.