December GoalFest!

Can you believe December is here already?! Why, it seems like just yesterday it was November!

I hate to be that over-50 cliche about not being up with technology, but people like me are why cliches get traction. I’m always a few years behind the latest technological trend. I had to be weaned off my typewriter in law school – until I discovered that nifty cut-and-paste feature on my jumbo 1992 shiny new computer. I was still mailing letters to other attorneys after two years of receiving faxed letters from them. And finally, after 15 years of teaching as an adjunct at a local law school, I have started to allow the law students to email me if they have a question. To be fair to myself here, my reason for disallowing email contact from students was I suspected I would receive emailed questions students would never find compelling enough to walk across the room to actually ask me. My suspicions have since been confirmed.

So I have a running list of technological things I want to learn or accomplish. A few years back I managed to get up a no-frills professional website, got on Facebook (yes, that seemed like a big deal two years ago), figured out how to use my phone calendar, started the blogs, learned to edit pictures on the computer – well, you can see the impressive strides I’m making in the technology world, right?

I have numerous goals left (setting up Evernotes, getting on Twitter, figuring out if there is purpose for me to bother figuring out Instagram . . . ), but I have knocked ONE off the list this week. With a little help (that I’m now embarrassed I needed after seeing how simple it was!) I started (drum roll appropriate here . . . ) our Fat-Bottom-Fifties Get Fierce Facebook page. Will you please help us get established by popping over to give us a hearty “LIKE”? We’d also appreciate you letting anyone you think may be interested know about us. With all the discussion we’ve had here about memory issues, I’m going to put the link right here instead of making you wait until you get to the bottom of the page: click here to “LIKE” FAT-BOTTOM-FIFTIES GET FIERCE link.

So how did you do with your November goals? Here’s our report:

My first November goal was to tackle the other pile of torn out magazine articles and recipes – check. My second goal was to walk 3.5 miles five days a week and my ‘down time’ (aka butt in seat time) was dependent on my doing this. I am so happy to report that I have stuck with this new schedule. I get up at 5 AM, head out to work early and walk on the treadmill at work and then shower and am at my desk by 7 AM! Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would enjoy this but there is something great about just getting out of bed, throwing on work out clothes (i.e. baggy t-shirt and cropped sweatpants) and heading out to work – no fuss, no muss. I am done with my workout early in the day and don’t have to worry about fitting it in. No one in my house needs me at 5 AM so it is the perfect time. I walk the neighborhood on the weekends and got in an extra day each week. LOVE finding this time for myself.  DECEMBER GOAL: I really want to continue my November goal so I can keep feeling this great. My other goal will be to get to bed each night at a decent time. There is lots going on in December and I don’t want to be a crabby patty because of lack of sleep. I will make note of what is left to do and check it off the next day.

My November goal was to make sure I break up my long stretches of sitting by getting up and moving around once or twice each hour. I did well. The suggestion to use my phone timer to beep worked well (thanks, Natine!). I can’t call it a ‘habit’ yet, buy my mindfulness about it bodes well. DECEMBER GOAL: Be on time. Easy one, you say? Well, maybe for you! There was I time when I loathed people who were habitually late and mentally chastised the arrogance of particular students (in my college days) who slid in 10 minutes after every bell, thus interrupting the professor’s flow and causing the whole class to focus on them. How I became that rude person who slides in the door at the last minute or calls their lunch date in route to apologize for “running late,” I don’t know. Something to do with always greedily answering one more phone call and having an aversion (like I’m so novel here) to waiting. If I know it takes exactly 20 minutes to get somewhere, I allow 22 “in case there’s a problem.” I get that’s not rational – I’m just baring my soul here and telling you how it is. So, for this whoooooole month, I will figure out how long it’s going to take me to get somewhere and add 10 minutes on to the time I would normally get started. I understand 10 minutes may sound stingy to those of you who consider being there only 10 minutes early actually being late, but it is an attainable goal for me on my way to creating better habits.

Make sure you tell us about how you did with your November goals in the comment section below. Whether or not you participated in the November GoalFest, please join us for this final December GoalFest and state your goals in the comment section for this last month of 2014 – we’ll be cheering you on!