Productive decluttering. Declutter productively. Less waste. Waste less. I had all sorts of flowery ideals and aspirations written out in a notebook. My plan was to simply transfer it into a blog post, slap a title on it, and call it my goals for 2020. The problem is that none of those visions were concrete … [Read more…]
In less than three months, it’s going to be 2020. I don’t actually care about the year, but based on Internet memes, I needed to point that out, right? Whether it’s 2020, 2021, 2022, or any other flip of the calendar year, I think there’s something really inspiring about the time of year leading up … [Read more…]
We’re halfway through the year! I’m not sure if I should be looking for congratulations or condolences. There’s nothing quite like the calendar flip to July to make me think long and hard about what I’ve done with my year…and what I have left to do. First up is an exploration of my goals for … [Read more…]
Happy April! The birds are chirping. The sun is staying out later. And it’s snowed, it’s rained, and it’s been 50 and sunny…all in the past week. Welcome to springtime in Chicago! With the arrival of spring (and the other three seasons that also sporadically burst onto the scene), I thought it was finally fitting … [Read more…]
There’s an incredible amount of pressure to transform yourself at the start of a new year. Or at least develop a plan to launch the transformation process. You know what, friends? I don’t have that kind of plan. In fact, I find the whole idea of having to create a new me overwhelming and, quite … [Read more…]
OK, OK. It’s not technically the end of the quarter. But I’m on winter break, so I don’t really know what day, what week, or what year it is. Plus, everyone and their uncle blogger buddy is posting 2018 recaps. Since I don’t set yearly goals (mostly because I’m probably the world’s worst goal setter … [Read more…]
There’s so much talk about results. But the way we talk about them kind of baffles me. They are a BIG deal. All caps, let’s not mess around. FINANCIAL FREEDOM. GOAL WEIGHT. HEALTHY LIFESTYLE. FITNESS ROUTINE. MORTGAGE FREEDOM (You knew I would.) Why, then, are we so willing to classify these major milestones as easy? … [Read more…]
There’s perennial talk about the importance of goal setting in personal finance. SMART goals, checklists, apps abound. All of these posts and tools are designed to set people up for success. Looking ahead, though, I am not just interested in success. I’m looking to fail. Here’s why: Looking to Fail There’s real bravery and power … [Read more…]
“It looks like an advertisement, but don’t recycle this one.” That was all the email said. After checking my work mailbox, I realized exactly what the sender meant: the piece of paper looked like any other flyer from the wellness screening our work partners with forces us to utilize. But instead of some hoaky seasonal … [Read more…]
Happy 2013, everybody! OK, fine. I know what year it really is, but it turns out that for me, it’s also the year of the Fitbit. That’s right. My plan to pay for my health paid off. For 28 days in a row, I met my step goal. Put it another way, I recorded over … [Read more…]