How the 24 for 2024 list is going
We are just over halfway through the year--here's a progress report
You may remember that I take a list-making approach to goal setting, and July 2 is the midpoint of the year, which provides a natural catalyst for reflection. I tend to review my goals at least weekly, if not daily, but I already know before writing this that I have not checked many items off my list. This year I went heavy on the habit goals, so those elusive checkmarks will not come until the very end of the year.
I always enjoy taking inspiration from others’ goal ideas and hearing about goal progress, so I decided to give a status update on my “24 for 2024 list” today:
Begin the D.Min. program at Duke. The hotel is booked, the classes are in my shopping cart, and I will have registered by the time this post goes live. I have the hybrid classes plugged into my fall calendar, and orientation and the first residential week begins in August. There was a fair amount of paperwork to complete to get to this point, but I am as ready as I can be.
Update our wills. In progress. This has turned out to be much more complicated than we anticipated. We already have wills but need to make a few updates, which has necessitated conversations with a lawyer, our financial planner, and our accountant. We started in February, so I thought we would be done by now. Surely by the end of the year, we can hope!
Read 100 books. (I read 86 last year.) I am about on track to read the same number I read last year. I knew 100 was a stretch goal. I can probably get there. Currently I have read 44 books (crazy how close that is to the halfway number of last year’s book tally). I will not make myself so crazy about reaching this goal that I will pick up super short titles that I would not otherwise read just for the sake of a checkmark, but I do like that this item reminds me to prioritize reading over other mindless leisure activities (ahem…scrolling).
Learn Spanish and practice with Dan. This was going great through the end of May, and then I just abruptly stopped. Since January, I had logged onto the app Duolingo daily for at least 10 minutes until our family’s beach vacation, and then I broke the habit and realized I did not much miss it. This coincided with a conversation with a friend about how slow-moving and repetitive Duolingo is, so I think my motivation tanked. Of course this is the type of habit that is effortful, so I cannot rely on enthusiasm to generate my motivation. I began questioning if Duolingo was really the approach I wanted to take, though. I downloaded Paul Noble’s Spanish classes on Audible and started them. They feel more efficient and purposeful than Duolingo, but they are dry. I am reevaluating this goal. I need a reason for learning it to make myself more interested in practicing. Maybe that reason would be to conduct a liturgy in Spanish; I’m not sure. The jury is still out on this one.
Plant seasonal plants. I give myself a B-minus so far. I started an indoor herb garden in the winter which flourished, but I forgot to clip the herbs regularly to eat! This summer we planted lettuce, carrots, and herbs, but again, I seem to forget to harvest them until they are a sad, limp, shriveled pile. I have plans for our front door planters in the fall and next spring, and the kids want to plant daffodil bulbs for next year. My next door neighbor does an amazing job with her seasonal flowers and she inspires me.
Take singing lessons. Check, done. I took singing lessons this spring. I realized how much piano helps with singing practice (I suppose that is obvious), and I am somewhat inspired to pick up piano again, but not at this time. I remembered more music theory than I would have thought from my childhood piano lessons.
Spend 1:1 time with each child. Initially I had conceived this as large chunks of time—a Saturday morning or school-free day. What has worked better, however, is 15 minutes on weeknights. We began this system a month or two ago and it has gone swimmingly. It is a reward that the kids must earn based upon their behavior that day, and if they do, they receive an extra 15 minutes of one-on-one time with a parent. Our oldest is 12 and she has the choice of watching a show, which she often picks, but our 6-year-old can play a game or work on a puzzle or draw with us, which he has loved. Our oldest played chess (she recently learned how) few nights with her dad, and she loved it. It reinforces that small daily habits are easier for me to implement than occasional grand habits. That’s just how I’m wired. I am a turtle, slow and steady, through and through.
Plan an in-person gathering with long distance friends. In process. I am extended my time at Duke by a day to go to a spa with a friend from Virginia, and we have several 2025 meetups on the books: a college girls weekend, a family friends spring break trip, and a summer family reunion.
Post weekly to Substack. I am not working ahead as much as I’d prefer, but I’m posting consistently. I added the weekly prayer post recently too.
Figure out a great Christmas gift to ship. I have experimented with a few things. On the list: seasoned salt, granola, and spiced nuts. I am not bowled over by any of these options, so we will see if another idea comes before holiday season.
Attend Cursillo staff training. Not yet. I suppose this should happen soon because I will serve on a staff in 2025.
Participate in a book club. This has been a great success! I have attended the neighborhood book club regularly, and it has been such fun.
Create a D. Min. concept that is publishable. I have an idea, and I spoke with a friend who is a book agent. I would like to go into the program with this idea in mind because it will help me as I conduct research for other classes.
Race a 5K. Dan and I have identified the race in October. We will race at least one 5K, maybe two this year.
Plan a fun monthly adventure during lunch hour. This gets a C. I have had a few creative ideas—a massage at lunchtime, for one—but I need more inspiration.
Read through the Bible again. I have a Bible in a Year program that is in hardcopy format and is also loaded on my Kindle. I like having the ability to use both. I am on track. I will switch it up next year. Getting through some of the books like Numbers and Kings is a slog!
Take the kids gift shopping. We started this for birthday presents. It takes a good amount of time, and my efficiency-minded brain struggles with the process. I know it is important and worth doing, so I will make intentional effort to do the same for Christmas presents this year.
Recognize birthdays again. I tried out Ink Cards at the beginning of the year, but I really do prefer a handwritten card, maybe with a few stickers for some extra happy.
Send one card each week, or 50 this year. This has been relatively simple to put into practice. Most weeks I have a reason to write a card anyway, and on the weeks that I don’t, I think of what might be a nice “just because” card.
Schedule a getaway with Dan—an overnight or hopefully longer. We are eyeing an anniversary trip for 2025 (for lucky number 13?). We never took a tenth anniversary trip, so we might try for something special.
Give myself one night away in a hotel. This will happen when I go to Durham this fall. I should have one class-free day that I can use as retreat time.
Incorporate more barre and yoga into my workout routine. Eek, this has not happened. Indeed, I still prefer strength training and running. I have gotten better about stretching and doing mobility work this year, which comes more naturally to me than yoga or barre.
“Write 24 for 2024.” This is Gretchen Rubin’s challenge this year: write for 24 minutes or 2-4 minutes each day, however you choose to define it. For my writing practice, I will either reach out to friends or write part of a Substack post every single day. Most days I write for 2-4 minutes, but I prefer to work for longer chunks of time. I doubt that I will continue this practice after 2024. I like the nudge to reach out to friends and family via text, though.
Find something to do with my hands as a creative outlet. Major fail, and I am considering scratching this one off the list entirely. Ideas I have considered and tried: decoupage, coloring, hand lettering, gardening, to name a few. What I have realized is that I am devoting the free time I have to writing. Writing is not embodied—I suppose it uses my hands, but typing on a keyboard was not what I had in mind when crafting that goal—and keeps me very much in my head. I enjoy reading and cooking too, but the hobby I am growing this year is writing, and that’s okay. This just is not the year for to take up a craft or hobby, and there will be more years in the future when the time may be right. Not everything can happen at the same time.
Whew! Are you still with me? Tell me: Did you make a goal or intentions list for 2024? How are they going?