July 2017: Monthly Goals

Every month I plan out my focus for the next month. In the past, I’ve always done these privately on Evernote, but I recently decided to start doing them in public. If you’re curious to read more about the process, here’s what this process looks like.

I try to set goals each month as a way of challenging myself and helping to focus.

In July there’s no travel on the agenda. It’s a relatively normal month work-wise, so I’ll be in Orlando, and flexible to work on new goals.

Goal for the Month

For July 2017, here in Orlando, we’ll likely head to Disney at least once. My yearly pass expires this month, so need to get in one last hurrah. For goals though, here’s what my focus will be on.

By August 1, 2017, I want to develop an understanding of the role writing (in particular this blog) plays in my life and develop a plan for the rest of the year.

This is focused on writing right here! I’m hoping to get back into a writing habit, which used to be a major part of my life. Just the act of working through ideas to completion here is immensely satisfying, but I’m not really sure where things are going. I’d like to keep writing for a while and figure that out.

• Post every other day. I want to grow a writing muscle and get better at it. This involves making it part of my routine and lining up many posts ahead of time. Benchmark: 2 posts a week.
• Comment on at least 3 blog posts a day. Making good comments on posts has a ton of benefits. It encourages and motivates the author, it helps with recall, and it helps build inroads to my own content. Benchmark: 1 comment a week.
• Continue minimizing my Reddit/Facebook time to 3h/wk total. This one goes hand in hand with creating/reading, as this would likely happen during the same time. Benchmark: 6h/wk Reddit, 4h/wk Facebook.
• Build external links to Minafi.com to 10+. Right now I’m not linking in from nearly anywhere. I want to find some places to link in. Benchmark: 2 links in.
• Write 1+ post(s) using Tableau (or something) for data visualization. We use Tableau at Pluralsight, and this would be great practice. Benchmark 0 posts.
• Write a post that uses a drawing. I’ve never considered myself an artist, but I want to get better at communicating in different mediums.

Other Goals for the Month

These include some minor projects and other initiatives that need notable time or attention.

• Put all yard trash out by the curb. Clean out leaves, branches, and other items. Benchmark: 3 piles of wood, backyard full of leaves, 10+ palms.
• Don’t go 2 days in a row without exercising. The plan is to go to the gym during the week and run one day over the weekend. Benchmark: going to the gym MWF.
• Go through remaining areas of the garage and take things to Goodwill. Benchmark: Entrance and back right corner are cleared, need to clear elsewhere.
• Drink less alcohol (3 days/week max). I’ve jumped up a few pounds lately (to 156) and would like to get back to 150. Benchmark: 5 days/week.
• Have a plan for what to do with photos. I have boxes and boxes of old photos I never look at but haven’t been able to throw out. Benchmark: so many photos C????