It’s September! Only 4 more months left of the year! I can’t believe it, can you?!
This coffee chat is coming to you a little later than usual because of course, I ended up getting sick the last few days of the month. I think it was my body’s way of telling me to take a break, so I did.
I actually spent the entirety of August 31st in my PJs reading, watching Netflix, and drinking tea. Sometimes all our bodies need is some much-needed rest and relaxation.
Anyway, I’m feeling awesome now and I’m ready to tackle September with some renewed motivation and drive. Who’s with me??
August was a crazy month for me and I definitely needed to reflect and learn a thing or two about myself. This monthly self-reflection was actually very much needed for me to get some better perspective and make sure I’m not beating myself up for things out of my control.
So without further ado, let’s go over August together.
Remember if you want to follow along, grab the free monthly reflection questions below.
August Self-Reflection
I knew August was going to be a busy month going into it, but man oh man, was it. I had put too many expectations on myself. August was full of vacations, visiting with family, and house-sitting while another family was on vacay.
I can probably count the days I slept in my own bed this month on just my 2 hands. Crazy!
That being said, I was being hard on myself for not getting as much done each week and falling off my routines. As I said, I knew this month would be busy going in, but I didn’t adjust my expectations for myself accordingly.
During my self-reflection time, I took some time to forgive myself and give myself a clean slate to start the new month feeling fresh.
I think that’s a lesson we can all learn.
Forgive yourself for when things don’t go according to plan. Learn from it and then move on. Start fresh tomorrow and remember to not only be nice to yourself when it comes to expectations but also to take care of your body. Like I always say, you can’t run on empty. (that’s probably why I got sick… whoopsies..)
We gotta make sure to fill up the tank with some self-care (and sleep!!) before we can expect to get anything done.
Anyway, so I didn’t reach any of my goals for August, but I did learn a very valuable lesson. Don’t expect too much when you know you’re already going to be busy.
Now it’s time to move on to September.
September’s Goals
September often feels like a new start to a year, with everyone going back to school. While I’m not in school anymore, I still like to treat it as a new beginning and get back to my routines.
So here are my goals for September:
Goal #1: Re-establish my morning and evening routines
Over the summer, our routines can often fall off the wagon and they can be very hard to get back. I’m taking the month of September to re-establish my morning and evening routines.
I’ve taken some time to really plan out a fun, productive, and self-care-filled morning and evening routine. I’m looking forward to enjoying my quiet mornings again before everyone else gets up.
And I’ve recently gotten into a new book series, so in order to have time to read it I’ve made my evening/bedtime routine focused on reading and relaxation before bed.
I am actually really excited about this goal.
For some help setting up your morning and evening routines, check out these blog posts:
Goal #2: Time-block my days again and make better use of the Pomodoro Method
I used to time-block my days to a “T” and I was so productive all day, every day because of it in college. But like my morning and evening routines, that fell off the wagon this summer, too.
I’ve included time-blocking my week in my Sunday evening routine.
Want to focus on planning your days for productivity? Check out these two posts:
Hey hey, besties! Can you believe July is already over? That means it’s time to do a monthly self-reflection. So grab your notebooks and coffee, and join me as we go over last month and plan our goals for August.
Wrapping Up July 2021
July was a little rough for me, I’ll be honest. I fell into a little bit of a rut during week 3 but week 4 ended up being the most productive week for me after I got out of my rut with some personal motivation.
My July To-Do’s / Goals
1. Take my dog, Roxie, on a walk at least 4 times a week: If you were following my Instagram stories this month, I tried to post every time I was out with Roxie for a walk. The first week I crushed that goal, week 2 was also a success with one of the walks being a 3 mile one with my mom and her German Shepard, Amara. Week 3 was a bit of a dud, as I only brought her out twice as it was super hot later in the week. Week 4 I only brought her out 3 times because I actually left for vacation on Thursday.
2. Get back to a running schedule: This goal fell by the wayside. I ran twice the first week but then lost it again for the rest of the month. I did run once in week 4 but I have a plan for next month to get back at it.
3. Schedule a brain dumping session every morning to clear my head: I was pretty good about this goal actually. I brain-dumped almost every morning and filled my to-do list. I was also able to organize my to-do’s well by doing this every morning, instead of just sporadically throughout the day.
Currenlty Loving
Here’s what I loved doing during the month of July.
Quotes
My favorite quote from the past month:
“Success does not depend on your age, a degree, your wealth, or your IQ; it does depend on your belief in yourself and your goals.”
Affirmations
Here’s my favorite affirmation from the past month:
Activities
This month I really got outside more and enjoyed the summer weather. I went tubing and water skiing with my dad and brother. My dad even got up on water skis for the first time in 25 years.
Then my best friend’s 21st birthday was this month. We went mini-golfing during the day and then met up for drinks and pizza later. It was a fun day to celebrate and hang out with friends.
And despite the hot weather this month, I’ve still made time to get outside with my dog and have gone hiking with my mom.
Remember to plan a few fun activities next month. Summer doesn’t last very long, so take advantage of the nice weather and get outside.
What do you love doing in the summer?
Planning August 2021
The first week of August I will be on vacation visiting my sister in New York. It’ll be a fun getaway and break from my busy life. But being gone the first week of the month doesn’t mean I’m not planning any goals for August. I’ll be ready to hit the ground running as soon as I come back. So here’s what I have planned for August.
My August 2021 To-Do’s / Goals
1. Continue with exercise goalsfrom last month: I plan to keep working on my exercise goals from last month. Walking Roxie 4 times a week and running twice a week.
2. Posting More IG Reels: I haven’t quite decided if I want to try the popular 30 Instagram Reels Challenge yet, but I am going to try posting more reels next month.
3. Soak in as much sun as I can before summer’s over: this is really a measurable goal but I wanted to make note of it to remind myself to get outside and take advantage of the warm weather before it’s gone.
4. Make a reading goal/plan for the rest of the year: I just started reading a new personal growth book called “The 5am Club”, but once I’m done with that one I don’t know what I’m gonna read next so I need to take a trip over to Amazon and order some new books. Also, I’m a little off track for my fiction reading goal for the year, so I need to get back on track with that.
What books have you been reading?
Final Thoughts
Alright, that’s another Monthly Reflection Coffee Chat all wrapped up. What are your guys’ goals for next month? Let me know in the comments and we can cheer each other on.
Btw there won’t be a regular Thursday blog post this week since I’ll be on vacation, but don’t worry, I’ll be back with an awesome blog post the following week.
Hey besties! Today I’m kicking off a new series here on my blog I’m calling Monthly Reflection Coffee Chats. If you’ve been here before, you know I’m big on self-reflection, planning, and crushing goals. Well, I think it’s time I give you guys a peek behind the curtain of what my monthly self-reflection and planning sessions look like.
So at the end of every month, I’ll give you guys a quick rundown of my month, goals I set and achieve, habits I’m working on building, my favorite quotes and affirmations, and much more. I’m gonna get vulnerable with you guys cause a personal growth journey isn’t always sunshine and roses.
Sometimes you don’t always reach the goals you set 30 days ago. Sometimes you feel off all month. But that’s ok, as long as you’re always reflecting on your past, realizing what went wrong, and deciding to pick yourself up and moving forward for next month.
I hope you guys get inspired by these monthly chats. Be sure to let me know.
Alright, let’s get started.
Wrapping Up Quarter 2 of 2021
The end of June is a little crazy in my brain because I treat it like the end of the year. Why? Because you see not only is it the end of a month, but it’s the end of quarter 2 which also means we are halfway through 2021. Crazy right?!
Over the past year, I have discovered that the best way to stay on top of my New Year’s Resolutions is to break them down into smaller goals that can be completed in 12 week increments. That is also why I organize my life into quarters or really 12 Week Years.
If you haven’t checked out the bookThe 12 Week Year by Brian P. Moran yet I highly recommend it. You’ll understand more where I’m coming from with this idea.
Anyway, so here’s what I’m doing to wrap up my month/quarter/mid-year.
Quarter 2 Goals
At the end of each quarter, I review where I’m at with my goals and see which ones I completed and which ones I didn’t. For the ones that I didn’t complete, I ask myself if I still want to work on that goal and if it’s still important to me. If it is then I make an action plan to work on it next quarter.
So what were my goals coming into Q2?
1. Create my first big digital workbook to sell on my blog: I ended up blowing this goal out of the water! I actually created 3 big digital products for my blog. (If you want to check them out, click here!)
2. Run a 10k: I hate to say it but my running schedule came to a halt after I moved back to Minnesota from Michigan in May. With the hot weather this summer, I’ve lost the motivation, unfortunately. So I’m adjusting this goal to run a 10k by the end of 2021.
3. Get better at work/life balance: this isn’t so much a measurable goal but rather something I just wanted to keep an eye on. Ever since I started this blog I’ve had a hard time shutting it off and spending time with my boyfriend, family, and friends. Well, I’m happy to say, I no longer work on my blog on the weekends so I make sure to spend time with those I love. This is something that I really struggled with at the beginning of the year. But progress has been made.
Those were my 3 big goals for quarter 2, now here are my goals for quarter 3:
Quarter 3 Goals
This next quarter I plan to focus on 3 categories in my personal growth: health and fitness, learning, and friendships.
For a more in depth talk about the different categories of personal growth goals check out this blog post.
1. Run at least twice a week: this next quarter I just want to focus on getting back into the habit of running again. There will be no distance goal just working on consistency.
2. Dedicate a day of just learning each week: one thing I have noticed while working on my blog is that I’m always working to create content which is great and all, but I need to make sure I’m also working on learning about other aspects of running a blog. I have tons of courses about blogging that I need to take, so I would like to dedicate a day each week to just learning about a new topic in the blogging world. Or if I feel inspired, I’ll research something completed not related to blogging, like astronomy or psychology. I always love learning, so now I’m just making it a priority.
3. Hang out with a friend at least twice a month: Before all my friends go back to college this fall, I want to make sure we are hanging out and keeping are friendships strong. Relationships are a very important part of personal growth because you can learn so much from other people.
Wrapping Up June 2021
After I wrap up the end of the quarter and make my goals for quarter 3, it’s time to move on to wrapping up June and planning for July.
June To Dos / Goals
Each month I make a list of things I want to accomplish by the end of the month. Here is that list:
1. Create a Digital Product: OOOOO guys I’m so excited to announce this new product of mine. It is beautifully made and I will be announcing it to you guys soon.
2. Show up on Instagram Stories More: If you guys follow me on Instagram at all, you’ll know that I’ve been showing up a lot more than the past month. I even made my first 3 Reels. So if you aren’t following me over there then you really should. Click here to go follow me on Instagram!
3. Start brain dumping every day: So I kinda pushed this goal off until the end of the month. I’ve never been consistent with brain dumping even though I always feel so great after a brain dump for a good half hour. So this is something I’m going to continue to focus on next month.
Now here are my to dos / goals for July:
July To Dos / Goals
1. Take my dog, Roxie, on a walk at least 4 times a week: I really need to get better about bringing her out for a walk. She’s always so much happier when I do.
2. Get back to a running schedule: As I explained above, I have this goal to run a 10k by the end of the year. So this month’s goal is to just develop a good running schedule and sticking to it.
3. Schedule a brain dumping session every morning to clear my head: I don’t think this needs much more explaining.
Alright, so those are the goals I set for the next month and quarter after my self-reflection time.
Let me know in the comments what your goals are for the next month / quarter!
Currenlty Loving!
Next up I want to share with you guys my favorite quotes, affirmations, and books to read to inspire you guys for the next month. I hope you enjoy!
Quotes
Success does not depend on your age, a degree, your wealth, or your IQ; it does depend on your belief in yourself and consistent action toward your goals.
Don’t you just love that quote?!
I found it a few weeks ago and it made me so happy. I don’t talk about it much, but I am actually a college drop out. For the first few weeks after I made this choice, I felt ashamed. But over time I have grown to understand that you don’t need a college education to be successful.
That is why I am always making goals to better myself in my own ways. I get to decide what I want to learn every day and it’s so much fun.
P.S. If you are looking for some inspirational quotes every morning, be sure to follow me on Instagram where I post a new awesome quote every morning to my stories. Yep, there’s another plug to go follow me ?
Affirmations
I recite this affirmation every morning. It’s a good reminder to myself that I do indeed control how I feel every day. I can choose if I want to dwell in sadness or smile at myself in the mirror and choose to be happy.
As I mentioned before, this book is the reason I base my goals off of 12 weeks rather than a whole year. If you’re looking for a good book to help you plan your goals for the next quarter, you should check this one out.
This book is a classic, my mom has been recommending I read it for awhile. I finally read it this month and while it was a bit of a slower read, I quite enjoyed it. So much quality information you can use in every aspect of your life.
And for my fiction book of the month, I’ve been reading Matched and I can’t put it down. I’m almost done with it and can’t wait to grab the second book in the serious. If you really enjoyed The Hunger Games you’ll like this one too. A dystopian sci-fy with some cutesy romance.
What books did you read this past month?
Final Thoughts
And that just about wraps it up for my first every Monthly Reflection Coffee Chat. What did you guys think? Did you like hearing me talk about my own goals, accomplishments, and things I like rather than what I normally write about? Be sure to let me know in the comments. I really enjoyed it and I would love to have a conversation about any of the above things I talked about in the comments below.
Next week, we’ll be back to the normal awesome blog posts full of information to help you along your path to creating the life of your dreams.
