I have to catch up on a lot of my 2021 goals, beyond my resolutions.
Last week, I mentioned that my coding practice resumed with newfound zeal. While I’m eager to see that through, I cannot deny the inconvenient truth that my coding practice comes after a lag in productivity. What’s worse is that this particular goal is not singular. Multiple ambitions I had (and still have) for this year fell to the wayside, and as a result, I’m now far behind on where I wanted to be.
That said, I have six months to make up for lost time. The only true way I can fail is to quit, and I don’t intend on quitting. Instead, I aim to retool and reshift my intentions. Consider this post a benchmark to get myself back on track!
Catch Up with… Coding
While I have resumed my coding practice, I know that I quickly burn out when learning. I also quickly get frustrated! It’s a practice, a regular practice, in both patience and persistence. As such, I have divided my learning into certain days of the week, rather than attempting to do multiple hours a day. I’m toggling the days with regard to working on my personal website, learning programming languages, and UX development. This will keep me intrigued, eager, and less likely to get bogged down with work! I believe this is what they mean by “Work smarter, not harder.”
Catch Up with… Film
I had my heart set on making a strong dent in my desire to watch more “important” films. If I haven’t already mentioned, I have the full anthology of “1001 Movies to See Before You Die,” and I have yet to fully indulge. I even set aside time once a week in my calendar for it, but it usually gets filled with other activities! Movies are a true pleasure for me, so I don’t know why sitting down to watch a bunch of them has been such an issue. If I had to put a name on it, I’d say it’s my ever-growing “Watch Later” playlist on Youtube.
I think that I can turn this around if I have more than two hours before bed. I like to be done by 9:30 PM, 9 if I can help it! So, if I finish my evening tasks (be it writing, cleaning, or studying) by seven, there’s no reason that I can’t pop in a movie once or twice a week!
Catch Up with… My Weight Loss Goals
Into the THICK of it… ugh. Dealing with this problem for years really fills a person with shame. I feel like it’s been a goal for so long, that not making legitimate, continued progress with it feels embarrassing. I think that, similar to coding, when I go too hard too fast, I inevitably fail. Any expert will tell you that progress begins with small changes. I go between concurring with that sentiment and going cold turkey on a regular basis! Weight loss exists on a perpetual basis in my to-do list. I want this box checked!
I wish I had a plan of action here that I could state, but I’m feeling a bit lost. There’s a Youtuber I follow that weighs somewhere between 5-600 pounds. Those that follow her regularly criticize for starting a new weight loss regimen, half-heartedly following the regimen for anywhere between two days to three weeks, and then quitting and gaining weight. Repeat ad nauseum. I look at her and think “Gosh, how am I any better?” With that in mind, I’m going to take that aspect of the shame out of the equation. I don’t know how I’m going to do it, but I’m not going to be the girl who always talks about her weight loss plan. Apparently that’s not very French.
I should just go back to the French diet, right? Right. Right. Blerg. No one can ever say I claimed to be perfect.
I believe I have the ability to catch up with my goals. As a result, I’m going to set myself up with three benchmarks, one for each goal, for the end of the month (a little more than two weeks from now):
- To catch up with my coding practice, I want to have my website layout completed, with one CSS sheet, that displays on mobile and desktop devices. If I get this done sooner than two weeks, I can start on a SECOND CSS sheet.
- To catch up with my film watching goals, I want to watch four movies from “1001 Movies to See Before You Die.” Maybe I can bump it up to six if I make it through the four in less than two weeks!
- To catch up with my weight loss goals, I want to be five pounds lighter (I’m still not going to share my numbers).
I will include these three benchmarks in my July resolutions check-in! Just a simple yes, no, and what comes next.
Alexa, play “Begin Again” by Taylor Swift!