October + November Monthly Goals 2017

October + November Monthly Goals for Fall 2017:

I always love reading posts where other bloggers share their monthly goals so I thought I would give it a try myself. I’ve been doing pretty well with most of these so far, but hopefully I can keep it up through the rest of October and on into November.

Healthy Living:

1. Practice yoga 3 days a week:

Yoga has been one of the best changes that I’ve made in my life over the past few years. I’m still not very flexible but I love doing it and I try to keep it pretty simple. I keep a list of my favorite Yoga with Adriene videos on Youtube and they range from 5 minutes to an hour depending on what you’re looking for.

2. Meditation for 10 minutes daily:

For this, I use the Ritual app on my IPhone. It’s free and is a simple guided meditation. If I’m feeling rushed or short on time, I do 5 minutes, but most days I do the 10 minute option. If you’re more ambitious I believe there are also 15 and 20 minute options as well.

3. Walking break at least 1 time a day:

Most of us spend the majority of the day in a chair or staring at a computer screen, at least I do. Walking breaks are a great option even if you only have a few minutes. As little as a 5 minute walk around the block often does wonders in giving your body and mind a break and a little fresh air.

4. Drink 8 glasses of water daily:

This is by far the most difficult one. I’m usually a sipper so drinking a full glass of water takes so much longer than it probably should. I’m also trying to become better at keeping track of how much I drink so that I can gauge where I am by the end of the day.

Personal Growth:

1. Read a book a week (4 books a month):

Right now, I’m pretty stocked up with library books so I’m hoping that I can keep up with this goal and finish my books before they’re all due back at the library. If you’re looking to make reading a regular practice, try doing it in the evening for 10-15 minutes before watching a show and then 10-15 minutes after watching a show. This works great for me and often I’m so into the book that I’ll just keep reading and won’t even watch a show.

2. Journal at least 1 time per week:

Journaling is a great practice to keep track of your thoughts and to get everything that you’re feeling and experiencing down on paper. The weeks and days that I’m intentional about journaling are also unsurprisingly those where I feel the best mentally. If you’re reluctant to try, start with simply listing a few of the key highlights of your day or maybe something that you’re looking forward to in the coming week.

3. Gratitude at least 2 times per week:

I’ve been trying to find the right balance with this. I was doing a gratitude practice daily but I’ve found that doing it less and just shooting for 2-3 times a week makes more of an impact and keeps me from repeating the same few things over and over.

4. Mandarin lesson 1 time per week (at least):

Just like in previous months, my Mandarin practice has been slower than I would like. I had been trying to practice for 30 minutes on Tuesday’s and Thurday’s but until I can hold myself to a consistent practice, I’m just going to try for 1 time a week, at least for October and after that I can always re-evaluate.

In case you’re curious…here’s what I’m planning to read this month: