2025 Goals: Other

Okay, phew! This has felt like a long series, with some looooooong posts! Finally the last section: OTHER.

And, this should be relatively quick, because I only have 3 here so far.

These are goals slots #21-25 on my 25 for 2025 list, but I’ve left 2 blank for now to fill in any fun, new ideas that come to me.

Also, this “Other” section is mostly an “overflow” section. Essentially a catch-all and can be from any of the above sections that were full.

1. Strict completion of my “Today’s 3 Things”.

Basically, what this is is a goal to actually always do what I put on my short list of “things to do” for the day. Every morning I sit down and go over my calendar, plan my day, etc. Then I typically identify the top 3-5 things I either need to or want to do that day.

I then move these things to my “Do Today” Google Tasks list, which stares me in the face every time I’m in Gmail or Google Calendar all day:

HOWEVER, I noticed in 2024 that I was getting increasingly lazy about these tasks. Like, I’d put something on my list, and then sort of… ignore it. I mean, obviously sometimes/ many times I would do them, or some of them. And I usually got to them eventually!

But it was just annoying me how I was just not really respecting myself. If I said I wanted or needed to do that thing, why am I not doing it? Of course, things come up sometimes, and that’s fine. But sometimes I could do the thing, I just didn’t do the thing. Which started to feel like, I don’t know, lack of personal integrity or something. And then it can lead to these “straggling tasks” that just carry over…. day after day…. It’s annoying!

So I said that this year I wanted to be a little more discerning about what goes on that list in the first place. I get it- I’m really busy! I’m not trying to set overly unrealistic standards for myself or be un-kind to myself. But that’s precisely it; I want to work on being more REALISTIC about what I can do in a day, instead of adding a bunch of things that I’ll never have time to get to, and then just ignoring it. Does that make sense?

In summary, the goal is: Don’t put it on the “Do Today” list if you aren’t planning to do it today!! And if it is on the list, then DO IT!

I also learned recently that Google Tasks has an iPhone widget. I’ve used the app on my phone for ages (LOVE) but I didn’t know about the widget! I’ve set it to display my “Do Today” list on my phone home page, which I’m also loving.

How I’ll Track:

Well, I look at my Google Tasks lists every morning, and throughout the day, so it’s pretty easy to see if I did them or not! But for good measure, I added a row called Today’s 3 Things on my Habit Tracker.

*Also, I originally got the term “Today’s 3 Things” from Kelsey at risingshining.com. I used to use her Instagram template before I switched to this method. I actually wrote another post about this topic in my very first month of blogging here. I still love the concept of just trying to identify 3 main things to do in a day! I mean, if that’s literally all you do, you’re still doing 21 things a week! Amazing!

2. Go to church at least 15 times.

Eek, okay, this is a low bar, but we’ve really fallen off going to church regularly. It started during the pandemic, and then just sort of…. continued. Our Sundays were insanely busy for many years too, full of soccer games and tournaments and swim meets.

However, now our Sundays are often more open, as high school sports don’t play on Sundays! The boys do often work on Sundays, so there’s that.

But when we were at church on Christmas Eve, I realized- I miss being here regularly!

So I decided then that that would be one of my 2025 goals.

Decided to keep it attainable and realistic and just listed “15 times” for the year, instead of proclaiming I’ll be butt-in-pew every single Sunday or something and then failing miserably. Also, I’ve decided to be okay with going by myself. If no one else can join me that day, fine. But I can still go!

How I’ll Track:

On my Google Tasks 25 for 25 goals list, I listed #1-15 in the comments for this one, so I can list the dates I go.

3. Play through the games in our game closet with the boys.

We have a TON of games. Full disclosure, I’m not really a “game person”.

But, we have a lot of fun ones that are now sitting there collecting dust, mostly. And many of them are still totally fun for teens/ adults.

Asher actually bought Ivan a board game version of Tetris for Christmas, and they’ve played it several times so far and have really enjoyed!

At the boys’ ages, a game feels like one of the fewer things we can do at home together (especially in the winter) that still appeals to everyone, is hands on, and screen free.

How I’ll Track:

Well, not sure. Maybe I’ll stick a notepad in the game closet and jot down which game we’ve played when we play it?

4. TBD

5. TBD

I basically couldn’t think of any others, and decided to just leave a couple blanks!

Clearly, this total list is already really ambitious. My track record on annual goals completion has not been awesome the last few years, but I do think this is the most thoughtful I’ve been about the process in a long time. (Especially regarding recording and tracking them.)

Other years I’ve just made a list in a notebook and then…. that’s it. Ha. Out of sight, out of mind!

I really love having the copy in my Google Tasks list, because it’s just SO EASY for me to see it on a daily basis, even, since I just check Google Tasks so frequently. Also, adding many of the recurring items to my habit tracker (which I also look at daily) feels like it’s helping!

In Summary! The WHOLE list:

Personal

1. Read 25 for 25; read Harry Potter before London and 2 personal finance books.
2. Write 5 past trip recaps for the blog.
3. Read 2 books, watch 2 movies, and listen to 5 podcast eps in Spanish.
4. Order 2 fun piano books and learn pieces.
5. Average at least 3 hours/day in Focus mode in my Forest app.

Fitness/Health

1. Complete 200 strength, 150 cardio and 50 yoga workouts.
2. Go to 25 fitness classes. (*I went to 1 already on Sunday!! yay.)
3. Eat a high protein, big salad 2x/ week for lunch, and track food 1 week/month.
4. Drink 3 water bottles daily.
5. Wash face + floss daily.
6. Bonus #6- STAY OFF SODA again! Day 14 today! 🎉

Kids/Family

1. Minimum 1x/ week quality time with kids.
2. Read w/ boys 100 times in the year. (Not “to them”, just “with them”)
3. Have each boy make 5 meals.
4. Try 5 new restaurants with Ivan.
5. Make breakfast for the boys at least 2x/ week.

Household

1. Implement a standard weekly grocery shopping time and meal plan before it.
2. Get my photo project caught up to real time, and stick to my monthly clean out.
3. Wear all of my clothes and track what I wear!
4. Clean out my storage room
5. Explore new finance tracking options.

Open:

1. Strict completion of my Today’s 3 Things; “don’t add it you’re not planning to do it!”
2. Go to church 15x.
3. Play through the games in our game closet.
4. TBD
5. TBD

And there you have it, my 25 for 2025 List. 🙂

Wins so far:

• crushing my workouts so far! I’m at 8/200 on strength and 5/150 on cardio.
• went to a great Core fitness class on Sunday
• started listening to a Spanish podcast series called “Los ninos del narco” about children caught up in the outcomes of drug lords and violence in Mexico.
• have had several big salads!
• have made breakfast for the boys several times already
• reading (almost) daily! Not always hitting 25 minutes, but more often than not.
• no soda since 12/31/24!
• have washed my face and flossed 11 of 13 nights so far….
• am at 100% completion so far with tracking my daily outfits
• still loving my new water bottle and have been drinking usually at least 3x/ bottles per day
• am 2 for 2 on Saturday grocery shops!

Can we keep the New Year Energy rolling?!?! 😅😅 We shall see….. lol. 🤞

Daily Gratitude:

I am grateful for a good cardio session at the gym last night… with Ivan! Trying to get him there a little more in the new year, too. 😉 And honestly it helps me be motivated to go, too, so if we can keep doing this a couple times a week (for my cardio) it’d be a huge win.