The Year So Far

Back in January, I laid out my personal goals for 2010. In that article, I promised to chronicle not only my weekly word count, but at the end of each calendar quarter, I’d update my progress for each three-month period. Without further ado, here’s the assessment for January–March.

Personal

Item: Weigh no more than 190 lbs by December 31. (ON GOAL)

January 1: 211.5 pounds; March 31: 204.5 pounds. Net loss: 7 lb. I’ve completed roughly one-third of my goal. Obviously there is some fluctuation day-to-day, but overall, I’m pleased with my progress so far. With the arrival of spring and warmer weather, the exercise opportunities will increase. I’d like to be at 195 by the end of June. So far, this goal appears to be reachable fairly easily.

Item: Get a physical exam in the first half of the year. (OPEN)

Haven’t done this yet. No excuse: I’m a procrastinator.

Item: Read at least one complete book each month. (ON GOAL)

January: 2 books; February: 4 books; March: 1 book. Obviously, being on vacation at the end of January and the first half of February helped. I do need to keep it up; I didn’t read my book in March until last week. However, I’m on goal, and that’s what is important. Still, that goal is a minimum, and I’d like to do better.

Item: Review and report on progress during the first month of each quarter. (ON GOAL)

You’re reading that report right now!

Around the Home

Item: Redo my bathroom by September 1. (FINISHED)

Finished this project last Saturday, and I must say, I’m quite pleased with the results.

Item: Build a new computer desk for my office. (OPEN)

Should be starting this Real Soon Now. In fact, I had a discussion with my wood-working neighbor a couple weekends ago, and he gave me some tips on the wood to get. I’m hoping to get the wood for the top this month.

(Added) Item: Redo the front porch decking by June 30. (OPEN)

This item should have been in the original article, and I simply forgot to include it. I build our front deck 15 years ago (or more) and the redwood and cedar are definitely showing the effects of the extremes of South Dakota’s climate. The plan is to replace the deck boards (as well as the front steps) with composite decking. This is another task that I hope to start this month or next.

Writing and Editing

Item: Continue blogging, with at least two articles every week and five articles every two weeks. (ON GOAL)

Done. At least, I’m doing well on average. Through 12 weeks, I have posted 28 articles, or an average of 2.33 articles per week. So not quite five every two weeks, but more than two per week. I’m happy with this.

Item: Produce at least 1,500 2,000 words per week, measured Friday to Thursday, and reported each Friday. (ON GOAL)

Early on (late January or early February) I changed my goal from 1,500 to 2,000 words per week. With the exception of a week in February when I was on vacation (1,118 words) and a couple weeks last month when I was heavily into bathroom remodeling (1,781 and 1,087 words, respectively), I’ve generally exceeded this goal by a comfortable margin. For the same 12 weeks mentioned in the previous item, I’m averaging 3,052 words per week. I think I’ll call this goal “Met.”

Item: Complete the first draft of “Darklight” (working title of my short story/novella/novel) (Work in progress)

Yeah. So. Umm…I’ve been reporting on this one quite extensively the past couple weeks. I scrapped 10,000+ words, and I’m now almost 3,000 words into the new version. Looking for a new working title, as well as a last name for my protagonist…not to mention struggling still to advance the plot. However, that will come as I just…keep…writing!

Conclusion

Overall, I’m very pleased with my progress on all fronts. Would I be at the same point had I not written out my goals? Perhaps…but knowing my proclivity for procrastination and my propensity for laziness, I’m glad I wrote them out. Now, I just need to arrange with my neighbor to go get that wood for my desk, and probably the decking material as well!