An Update on My Goals

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you may have observed that I have not been keeping up with my goal of posting here at least once every week. And that’s primarily because I have not been keeping up with another goal of mine - that of writing 1000 words every day. And from what I have learnt in the last 4 months, if I don’t do a public review and commit to keep up with my goals, I will soon give them up - something I definitely want to avoid. So, here is a quick update on my goals, and the action plan for the ones I am missing.

1. Write 1000 Words Everyday: Well, as of today, when twenty eight days of January have passed, I have written ~11000 words, which is 17000 words short of my target. Now, this is not an utter failure, as 11000 words are still a lot more than what I would have written without having this target, however, it is not stellar success as well. The only way I think I can deal with this problem is by ensuring that I sit at my desk with the intent of writing 1000 words every single day, irrespective of what else I need to accomplish each day. Discipline is the key, and I have to find a dedicated slot for writing and just do it.

2. Lose 6 kgs (13 Pounds) of Weight: I intended to achieve this target by regular exercise and eating more fruits and vegetables, and I have made some progress in this regard. The weight seems to keep fluctuating, but I have definitely lost a couple of pounds, and that’s encouraging. I am also experimenting with including more vegetables in everyday meals, and running as a form of exercise - and have made progress in both these areas.

3. Start Living Off My Passion: Yet to get to the first dollar, and it may take some time before I get there - I am learning about a few ways in which I can do this, and will definitely share any success in this regard.

4. Launch a New Blog, and Post at least 2-3 Times a Week: Still work in progress - should be launching this in February. The target of 2-3 posts in a week can only be met if I meet the goal of writing 1000 words every day.

5. Post at Least Once a Week on this Blog: Sigh. I will improve, I promise!

6. Better Planning and Time Management: This has been going okay, though there is scope for improvement. As of now, I feel that I have become extremely greedy, and have filled my days with a hundred things that I want to do. There are four courses I have enrolled myself into, a Toastmaster meeting once a week, hiking once a week, an insatiable desire to read as much as I can, writing, and editing my book - to just name a few. And plus there are daily activities like exercising and cooking and so on. I am not sure for how long I can continue things at this rate, but as long as I am enjoying every bit of it, I don’t intend to give anything up.

7. Edit My Book: Work in progress. The initial feedback I have received from a few people I have shared a few chapters with is encouraging, and I would like to finish the editing by February end.

8. Learn About Publishing: Have started this as well, and am writing a proposal for my book as well. And honestly, I now feel that writing the book was the easy part. Attended a session on self-publishing at the local library, and that seems like an interesting option too. But for now - lots to learn and work on.

9. Learn at least One New Word Everyday: I can proudly report that if there is one goal where I have been hitting the ball out of the park, it is this one. With an increase in reading and the conscious effort to learn new words, I frequently refer to online dictionaries when I encounter a new word, and have learnt more than forty words in Jan so far.

So, this is what has been happening with regards to the goals I have set for myself for 2015 in the one month that has passed. Hopefully I will make better progress in the coming months.

Story of the Blue Folder

“I pulled out box after box, setting them haphazardly around the room. My organization lacked something -- like, say, organization ...” - Richelle Mead

It was July 2014, and my husband and I were supposed to apply for our visas to move to the US from India. There was a form to be filled online, and my husband had been reminding me to complete it, for over a week. I, of course, had been postponing it for the last minute, as is my nature. The problem was that the last minute came all of a sudden.

“Have you filled the form? We need to submit it!” My husband asked me.

“Err...no, not yet. We still have some time, right?”

“Let’s see, today is Thursday, we are traveling tomorrow, and we need to submit it by Monday.”

“Great, so we have the weekend? I will finish it then!”

“We will be traveling...are you sure?” He looked at me with narrowed eyes.

“Oh, sure! I will carry my laptop, and we will have internet. No problem.”

“Okay. At least go through the form today, and see if you have all the information available with you.”

“Will do.” I assured him.

I did go through the form the same day. It was a looong form, with ten or so sections, but it seemed fairly simple to me. After looking at three-four sections which asked about my personal details, I was confident I had all the information available with me. I saved whatever details I had filled, and closed the website.

Cut to Sunday morning, which was the last day I had to fill the form. We were at my in-laws place, and I decided to finish the task after breakfast.

I sat down in a corner of the living room, switched on my laptop, opened the website, and jumped to the section I was to fill next. It was related to my work experience. That should be easy - I thought.

It was, except that I needed the exact dates when I started and ended employment with various organizations. Now, I kind of remembered the months and years, but exact dates? I needed my relieving letters for that. And of course, I was not carrying them. What was worse, was that my husband had been telling me for the previous one year that I should scan all my certificates and important documents and keep them online for reference. And what do you think I had done with this advice?

Exactly. Nothing.

So, once I realized I could not fill the form without getting back home, I started to freak out. I was extremely scared of breaking the news to my husband, because I knew that if I was in his position, I would have been ready to kill. But I had to tell him. And with great difficulty, I did.

“Hmmm.” He looked at me, calmly. Thankfully, he had been reading some books on spirituality lately, and seemed to have taken the lessons seriously. So he didn’t get angry, much to my relief - and guilt. With me, it is tougher when people don’t get angry - I feel worse about my mistakes then. 

“Okay, that’s fine. We will submit the form on Tuesday instead of Monday.” He paused. “But, do you have the certificates back at home? Or are they with your parents in Gorakhpur?”

I thought carefully. I distinctly remembered that while moving to Hyderabad from Delhi after my wedding one year ago, I had packed my certificates in a blue folder, kept that folder in a carton full of books and stationery, and sent it off to Hyderabad. Owing to my laziness, once again, I had never really gotten around to unpacking that carton completely in Hyderabad in the last one year, but I was fairly sure that the blue folder was sitting in that unpacked carton at home.

“Yes, I am sure. I have it in Hyderabad.” I told him.

I promised myself that the moment I got back on Monday night, I would take that blue folder out of that carton, and only then go to sleep. After all, what if...

Monday arrived, and we flew back to Hyderabad. We got home after 10:30 at night, and though I was too tired, I wanted to just take that folder out so as to sleep peacefully. I walked to that unpacked carton, and started looking for the blue folder. I fumbled through the pile of books, notebooks, files, etc. - and I could find everything else, except for that ONE. BLUE. FOLDER.

I vividly remember that moment, and am unlikely to forget it, ever. For the first time in the last few months, I really started to panic. The blue folder with all my original certificates (for which I had not even made copies) - was missing! I didn’t know what to do, I didn’t have the courage to face my husband, and it was not even about just the visa application anymore. ALL my certificates were in there, and I could not even begin to imagine the consequences of what would happen if I didn’t find that folder. I was nearly in tears, when my husband came to see what was going on.

“It was here! I am telling you, I packed it in this box!” I was ready to howl.

“Okay, okay, calm down! Look again. Take everything out one by one, and keep all of it outside the box.” He said.

“Okay, yeah.” I said, took a few deep breaths, and started the search again. I took everything out - kept the books in one pile, notebooks in another, pens in a different place, and so on. The box was getting empty, with no sign of the blue folder. And then, I found a plastic bag. I opened it, and there it was - my blue folder!

I almost collapsed with relief, hugged the folder, and muttered urgent prayers thanking God. My husband looked at me, smiled, shook his head, and walked away. He didn’t say a word.

But that was the moment, when I decided that enough was enough. I was done with being so disorganized and cluttered in my life. I was done with losing track of things. I was done with putting important stuff off till the last minute. For my own peace of mind, I had to get organized.

Since then, I have scanned all important documents for backup and online availability. I have decluttered my life quite a bit - got rid of things I was not using, stopped buying things till I actually needed them (the fact that we were moving to another country did help a lot), and as the latest development, have even started planning my weeks and days meticulously. I will write more on this topic in future posts, but for now, I would just like to say that this has definitely helped me be more at peace, and now I know exactly where that blue folder is.

My Goals for 2015

No, these are not my new year resolutions. We all know how pointless they turn out to be, and I have given up on far too many new year resolutions to still hang my hopes on them. Therefore, perhaps for the first time in my personal life, I am setting goals that are specific and within my control. I intend to review these on an ongoing basis throughout the year, and revise them as needed. I had shared in an earlier post that I have never been very disciplined when it comes to my personal life, but since the boundaries of my personal and professional life are likely to merge in the coming months, I needed a framework to manage everything well. There are so many great things going on in my life right now, that just going with the flow contradicts the need of the hour.

So, here are my goals for 2015:

1. Write 1000 Words Every Day - It does not matter what I write, but it would be terrific if I can write so many words every day. My mantra here is that “a lot can be achieved by doing a little every day.” Annual target is over 300000 words, because there will be days when I won’t be able to write at all. (It’s 5th of Jan today, and I have only written 865 words so far.)

2. Lose 6 kgs (13 Pounds) of Weight - It may seem like a small target, but this is what I need to lose to reach an ideal weight, and I have been unable to shed any weight in the last one year despite regular exercise. Of course I am doing something wrong, and I will need to fix that. I need to learn more about the subject, work on my diet, as well as continue to exercise. Exercising five days a week has been working fine, and I plan to continue that. I need to include more fruits and vegetables in my diet - that is an important aspect I have been ignoring so far.

3. Start Living Off My Passion - I received my work permit on 1st Jan 2015 - what a wonderful way to begin the new year! So now I can legally earn money in the US. But instead of taking up just about any job, I want to start earning while doing things I love. That’s what my quest has been about in the last three months, and it will be interesting so see how things turn out. I am very excited about the prospect of earning my first dollar, outside of the corporate world.

4. Launch a New Blog, and Post at least 2-3 Times a Week - I have been working on something in the last month or so, and I am very excited about launching it. A bigger challenge would be posting on a regular basis, because that is one area I have been faltering in in the past. But with 1000 words everyday, that should be easy, right?

5. Post at least Once a Week on this Blog - Mostly updates, details about books, ideas, and people that inspire me, and various other thoughts - which is the idea behind Moments of Solitude. Because my other blog will be focused on a specific theme, I will do all the other writing here.

6. Better Planning & Time Management - As shared in my previous post - I really want to get more out of my days, because I am loving all that I am doing these days, and there seems to be not enough time. As a part of this goal, I want to rise early, keep lists, do daily and weekly reviews of my goals, keep a progress tracker, and things like that. Now, to be honest, I am a little wary of this organization zeal that seems to have overpowered me, because I have never been like this. And therefore, if I feel that this stuff is causing me stress, I might tone it down a bit. But for now, I am going all in. More details on the steps I am taking in a separate post.

7. Edit My Book - It has been a month since I finished the first draft, and I have not looked at it even once for two reasons. First, I was exhausted after finishing the novel, and did not feel like going back to it immediately. Second, it always helps me to look at my work after a bit of a gap - it helps me edit better, and I feel less upset as I criticize what I have done. A month was good enough. It is time to get back.

8. Learn About Publishing - Once I finish revising the book, I will need to understand an entirely different subject - the publishing industry. I know very little about it, and though I am not sure if or when there will be any takers for my book, my goal is to learn about the industry, and approach at least ten publishers with a few chapters. That is what I can control. The rest is uncertain.

9. Learn at least One New Word Everyday - A better vocabulary will help me in many ways, and I want to make a conscious effort to learn new words on an ongoing basis.

So this is broadly what I want to achieve in 2015. Like I said, I am a little apprehensive about how this kind of goal setting and discipline will turn out for me, but I will never know without experimenting. And I can always modify these goals as the need be; they will continue to evolve.

That’s it for now. I have just come back from a vacation and am still recovering from the vacation mode; will start work on these with full speed by 6 Jan 2014. Wish me luck...I will need it.