Saturday, January 2, 2016

Final Results: New Year's Resolutions 2015

Last night I finally got my blogging shit together enough to share my New Year's resolutions for 2016. However, I neglected to share my final results for my 2015 resolutions. I had some time to work on my post today, though, and, since this is probably a boring post for most people, I decided it was totally fine to post it on a Saturday.

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Health/Fitness Goals Final Results:


1. Continue going to yoga classes at least 2-3 times per week. 

PASS. While my attendance was spotty at times, I at least tried to supplement with videos at home if I couldn't make it to the gym. I also skipped a few weeks due to travel, sickness, and/or just being too busy. But, for the most part, I stuck with it.

2. Work out at least 3-4 times per week.

FAIL. By the end of the year, it was more like twice a week (if that), so I can't really give myself a pass. I spent several months working out 3-4 times each week, though, and I felt so good. I'm hoping I can be more consistent with this goal in 2016.

3. Lose weight.

PASS/FAIL. I spent the year going up and down in weight. (Probably because I wasn't incredibly diligent with my workouts.) I ended 2015 a little heavier than I would like to be, so I'm hoping that (along with my more specific weight loss goal for 2016) will inspire me to make healthier choices.

4. Continue utilizing MyFitnessPal to track my exercise and caloric intake each day.

FAIL. I think MyFitnessPal is a great tool, but I find it really hard to commit to updating it every day. I don't know why, but sometimes it feels like it just takes too damn long to enter everything. (I'm clearly not the most patient person.) I almost made this a goal again this year, but I knew I'd never stick with it.

Reading/Creative Writing Goals Final Results:


1. Read 50 books.

PASS. I actually exceeded this goal with a total of 59 books for the year! I'm still in shock that I managed to read so much in 2015.

2. Write creatively at least once a week.

FAIL. This is one goal that I really regret failing. I've always loved writing, but I just don't make time for creative writing anymore. While I'm often writing posts for this blog, it's not the same as true creative writing. I considered making this one of my New Year's resolutions for this year as well, but I was worried I wouldn't be able to find enough time for it. I also didn't want to force myself to write ... I really just want to write because I want to, not because I feel like I should.

Financial Goals Final Results:


1. Continue putting money in savings every month.

PASS. I didn't save as aggressively as I initially wanted due to some unexpected expenses throughout the year, but I put back as much as I could each month.

2. Become (mostly) debt free.

PASS. I'm giving myself a pass just because I got most of my cards paid off. Those damn unexpected expenses set me back a bit, but I'm confident I'll get the last card paid off early this year. (I really don't owe much more.) I'm also pretty sure I'll be able to pay off my car this year as well, and that would be awesome!

3. Use Swagbucks more often.

PASS. I've been able to pretty consistently earn Swagbucks, and I was even able to use some of my earnings toward a plane ticket to spend Christmas with my family! I'm planning to continue using it as much as possible in 2016.

Food Goals Final Results:


1. Create at least 3 original recipes.

PASS. I'm really proud of myself for sticking with (and exceeding) this goal! Creating my own recipes still doesn't come easily, but it's starting to get a little easier. I'm planning to post my favorite recipes of 2015 next week and I'm sure some of these will make it onto the list, but in the meantime, here are the recipes I came up with this year:

Chorizo Potato Enchiladas with Green Chile Sour Cream Sauce
Herb Butter Rice
Sweet and Spicy Salmon
Chicken Veggie Avocado Rice Bowl
Chorizo Breakfast Enchilada Stack
Simple Vegetarian Pasta with Garlic Butter Sauce
Turkey BBQ Ranch Rice Bowls

These recipes aren't fancy or difficult, but they were all delicious.

2. Bake a little more often.

FAIL. I didn't have high hopes for this one, and I was right to feel that way. I didn't make this one of my 2016 New Year's resolutions, but I do eventually want to start baking a little more since I'd actually like to get better at it.

3. Try at least 12 new (to us) restaurants.

PASS. I haven't finished writing all of my reviews (like I said yesterday, I've been really behind on all things blog), but Eric and I definitely hit this goal.

Blogging Goals Final Results:


1. Work on a blog schedule and really try to stick with it.

FAIL. I really wanted to stick with this goal, but I didn't. I think it's important to have a blog schedule, though, so this made it onto my list of resolutions for 2016.

2. Participate in more link-ups.

PASS. I really love interacting with other bloggers, and link-ups are perfect for that. They're also a great way to find new and interesting blogs (and, of course, attract new readers to my blog!). I plan to continue participating in link-ups, but I didn't make it one of my "official" 2016 goals.

3. Comment more often.

PASS. I'll admit that I've been terrible lately and haven't been reading/commenting on blogs, but, for the most part, I've been commenting more frequently. I'm going to try to work the reading/commenting part into my blogging schedule for 2016 because it's something I really enjoy but often find myself neglecting due to lack of time (or perhaps just my poor blogging time management skills).

4. Invest in Divulge and Indulge.

PASS. I didn't do a lot, but I purchased a premade template and took the time to move my blog from Wordpress.com to Blogger. I would like to continue working on making this blog better, but, since one of my goals this year is to be a little more frugal, I'm not planning to spend a lot of money on it any time soon. I may use my Swagbucks earnings toward a new design at some point later this year, but I need to think about what I'd like to do a little more before making any major changes.

5. Make a new "About Me" page.

PASS. I should probably update it again this year, but I do like the way my current "About Me" page looks. (Not to mention the fact that it took me a while to come up with what I wanted to say!)

6. Work on my social media presence.

PASS/FAIL. I've been using Instagram and Goodreads a lot more recently (if you're not already following me and would like to, you can find the links under my picture at the top right). I may never use Twitter (though I guess I should never say never!), and I highly doubt I'll join any additional social media sites because I know I won't be able to keep up with them. I would like to work on my Pinterest account, though. I didn't make this one of my New Year's resolutions this year, but I think I've been neglecting it long enough.

Overall, I think I did a pretty decent job with my 2015 resolutions. I didn't stick with all of them (though I knew I probably wouldn't), but I exceeded a few of them ... So it probably evens out.

1 comment:

  1. i think you did a great job! i don't think it's realistic to stick with ALL the goals we might make at the start of the year because you don't know what the year has in store for you. i totally agree about myfitnesspal, it is very tedious in my opinion. i know some people love it, but i don't.

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