š½šššš, š¹šš¶š
maybe you want to do yearly goals for the first time this year (2020 is in 2 days!!!) or maybe you just need a list of ideas for monthly or weekly goals, this post is for you. I’ve always wanted to have a list to refer to when creating yearly and monthly goals, whether big or small. To make it easier to understand, I split up the goals up into different categories, so if you have a specific type in mind, look for that category. I hope this is helpful!ā¤
Just warning you: my list of goals for this summer is… pretty long. And I doubt I’ll finish half of them. But that’s okay! I’ve never actually done summer goals before *fp* but I wanted to try them out this year.
Those are my summer goals! What are yours?
February is going to be a huge month for C & C (beware I’ll pretty much say this every single month in 2019… #sorrynotsorry 
) and I’m super excited for it. Next week (on Monday, actually), I’ll be posting more about the fun new changes I have in store, but for now, I’ll be sharing my goals for February.
p e r s o n a l
01) Walk every day I’m probably (aka definitely) going to fail this one… but I want to try to take a walk every day.
02)Ā Read through NumbersĀ I decided to read the entire bible in 2019 (halfway through January) and I actually JUST finished Genesis. If I want to stay on track, though, I need to read Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers this month. Ahhhh! I really really need to do this but it’s going to be hard.Ā .
03)Ā Journal every dayĀ I’m going to fail this. lol. I really want to do this, but I’m awful at journaling//keeping up with it. I honestly don’t love writing about my day , but I’ll probably make it a mix of gratitude, prayer, and, of course, writing about my day.
b l o g g i n gĀ
1)Ā Ā Post every Monday and FridayĀ You’ll learn more about this in Monday’s post, but I’m trying to post every week this month (and year)- twice!
2)Ā Send out emails every weekĀ I really need to use my email list… and figure out a way to integrate it with C & C.
Sorry that this post was so short. Ā I’m trying to post more often with less meaty posts (but not super short like this one )
I feel like Iāve been doing this monthly review + goals thing for FOREVER! Iām pretty sure that this is my 6th month doing it, which is pretty awesome. Iāve come to enjoy doing it.
What I read in August
(again, mostly my library books)
Rilla of Ingleside by L. M. Montgomery: Iāve read this before but itās one of my favorites. Itās so sweet. I LOVE Jims, heās so cute. (For those who donāt know, this is the ending book of the Anne of Green Gables series. The main character is Rilla, Anneās youngest child, who is 14 at the start of the book. The time period covered in Rilla of Ingleside is during WW1. I definitely recommend this book to really anyone. Anne of Green Gables is for ages 8 to 88 as they say! š
Spy Camp by Stuart Gibbs: This was my āsilly bookā or āfun bookā for the month. It was humerus and silly, very fun, but certainly not educational. There are some bits of humor that were amusing but hinting at crudeness. I donāt think this book was awful, but itās not my favorite. I didnāt mean it to be, though!
The Hobbit by J. R. Tolkien: Iām actually currently reading this one for school, but I thought Iād include it in there. I read it in the first couple weeks of July, so Iām now rereading. I donāt have very much to say, but I would recommend it, itās pretty awesome. I think the whole poem part with Gollum is quite boring though. Itās probably just me, lol!
Dear America: My Secret War I’ve always enjoyed the Dear America series (since I was 8) since itās light, easy reads but so educational and teaching. Same with the Royal Diaries. This one, My Secret War, was very intriguing. Set in 1941-42 in Long Island, the WW2 Diary of Madeline Beck is quite interesting. My favorite part is how itās so REAL! Thatās what I love about DA. I recommend this book to anyone (the more advanced you are, the lighter the read is, but Itās also more fun because you can Google the person and research about them. I donāt think youād do that at age 8, lol.
Dear America: Look to the Hills This book was not at all like My Secret War. Set in 1763, this is in the New York Colonies. Very different! Itās a diary of Lozette Moreau and very enlightening. I recommend it to the same people as above ^^.
Royal Diaries: Anastasia This is by the same authors as DA, but Royal Diaries are different in the fact that itās royalty from all around. This one is Anastasia in Russia in 1914. Itās very fun and sad and lovely! I do think that the end is SO rushed and thereās not any buildup at all. Itās just- we leave, weāre gone, the end. XD
Royal Diaries: Isabel I had never ever heard this story before. Very interesting! I recommend it to everyone.
Photoshoot of my sister
On my younger sister Eās birthday, I took a photoshoot of her. Some of the photos turned out so cute! Since yāall have commented saying you want more pictures of her I decided to share a couple of them.
Goals for September:
Thatās all for today! Iāll see yāall next week for a fun photoshoot of _____ (you guess)!
Today Iām going to be sharing some tips for being productive when youāre not motivated. This has always been a struggle for me, so when I found some solutions I knew I wanted to share then with yāall so that you would know what to do!
Thereās a wide spectrum of reason on why youāre not motivated. It might be that you simply donāt enjoy doing the task, or it could be possible that you have too much on your plate. Whatever it is, there is a fairly simple solution. If you donāt enjoy the task- make it enjoyable! One idea is to provide yourself with a reward for completing the task- maybe 5 minutes of social media, 10 minutes to read a book, or even simply a break to have a healthy snack. This question is essential because once you know why you donāt feel motivated you can remedy it.
This one is absolutely essential if you just feel unmotivated. Itās easier to scroll through social media that to sit down and complete tasks, even if the task is something you enjoy. Turn the power of all of your devices and turn off all of your notifications. You should probably make some way for emergency phone calls to come through, just in case.
When I donāt feel motivated, Iām ready to munch on things like chips and sweets. Aside from the fact that those foods are unhealthy, theyāre not going to help with the motivation issue, I promise! If youāre feeling unmotivated, try making a smoothie with some nuts and greek yogurt, plus some fresh fruits/veggies to make it even healthier. I find that taking the time to make and drink my smoothie gives me a break (which helps too) and gives me much-needed energy. Fresh fruits and vegetables also help with this.
Sometimes youāve just been sitting too long, or you havenāt stretched all day. That is the time to shut off your screen, close your planner, and take a quick walk. It probably wouldnāt be a great time to do an elaborate workout because that would take more time and you probably wouldn’t enjoy it very much. A walk is relaxing and peaceful.Try taking one next time you feel unmotivated.
During my research for this post, I came across an interesting sentence: āItās hard not to do something when everything you need is staring you in the face.ā The post was talking about grouping the items and placing them in a place where youāre bound to see them- maybe on top of the TV remote or your phone, next to your alarm clock in the morning, or even where you put your purse when you get home. For example, if you want to start making a smoothie every morning, you can gather every single ingredient you need and put it on the kitchen counter. That way, itās so easy, even easier than making a frozen waffle for the umpteenth day in a row.
While this statement is probably true, I wouldnāt recommend eating a live frogā¦ ever! However, doing the hardest/worst/least enjoyable thing on your to do list first I do recommend. The first task you do should be the hardest, and then youāll fly through the rest of them.
If youāre trying to accomplish an especially long task, donāt try to do it in one sitting. One idea is to work on your task for 25 minutes and then take a 5 minute break. You have enough time to check social media as a reward, or even better get a drink of water and make a smoothie. After three repeats of 25 + 5, take a 30 minute break.
Whether this is in a coffee shop, at your own desk, or under a tree outside, this really does help. A change of scenery always gives me motivation, itās really helpful!
Hopefully these tips will help you if youāre struggling with this as well. Goodbye for now!
christina raquel 