:In Review--2011:

So here’s a recap of my goals for the past year, and a bit of a look at how I did on them.

They are organized by month and goal, with the status (i.e. how I did on that particular goal) and reason (as in “the reason I scored myself this way”, [NOT AN EXCUSE!]) listed underneath them:

January—            To Retake Control of My Goals…

• By completing a plan for what my monthly goals are
• STATUS: Completed
• THE REASON: I had this sheet of goals completed within the first couple days of the new year.
• By sharing my goals with my accountability
• STATUS: Completed
• THE REASON: Once I typed this all up, I had my wife read it.
• By submitting to God’s leading and guidance throughout the process of setting and completing goals
• STATUS: Completed
• THE REASON: I embarked on this journey with much prayer. What was perhaps missing (to some extent) was a continued pressing in for guidance.

February—            To Retake Control of My Devotional Life…

• By spending time in prayer daily (personal & as a couple)
• STATUS: Spotty. Needs work.
• THE REASON: This is an area I’ve always struggled with tackling on a daily basis. I don’t know why—it just is. Definitely a goal for next year.
• By spending time in scripture daily (personal & as a couple)
• STATUS: Spotty. Needs work.
• THE REASON: This is an area I’ve always struggled with tackling on a daily basis. I don’t know why—it just is. Definitely a goal for next year.
• By journaling thoughts and words from God
• STATUS: So-So. Improvement has been seen in this area in recent months, but work still needs to be done here.
• THE REASON: This is an area I’ve always struggled with tackling on a daily basis. I don’t know why—it just is. Definitely a goal for next year. It’s seen improvement through things like the LDN (the course I’m taking)… but it’s not where I’d like it to be yet.

March—            To Retake Control of My Finances…

• By tracking spending more carefully
• STATUS: So-So. Improvement has been seen in this area in recent months, but work still needs to be done here.
• THE REASON: I’ve been busy, disorganized, and lazy with this. I really just need to do it, rather than making excuses. I’m stepping up this goal in the new year.
• By reducing unnecessary costs
• STATUS: Healthily Improved. Much progress has been seen, but more steps could still be taken in this area.
• THE REASON: Mostly necessity. We’ve cut corners as far as cost is concerned in as many places as we can, and are looking for new ways to do it all the time. It’s become a game. There are a few areas we can still cut costs in, so we’ll continue to work on this in the new year.
• By attempting to begin some sort of savings plan for various purposes
• STATUS: As-If. No steps were taken in this area. The desire was there, but the means and follow-through were not present.
• THE REASON: Simply a matter of cash-flow and income-allocation. We’re pushing harder to unload certain debts, which will, in turn free up some money to begin some sort of savings-type plan. We’ll see what happens in the new year.

April—            To Retake Control of My Time…

• By cutting back on time wasted on internet
• STATUS: Healthily Improved. Much progress has been seen, but more steps could still be taken in this area.
• THE REASON: I cut out all games on facebook, except for one, which I rarely, if ever, play any more. This means that the internet is primarily a news source, connection point (email and facebook), and writing outlet (blog) for me now. I find myself bumming around on the net a lot less often now for no reason.
• By cutting back on time spent “moping” around
• STATUS: Completed
• THE REASON: Part of this was the internet games. I’d get bored, and spend time on them. This would only make me more bored. I’ve found myself less bored since working on this, and more engaged in life.
• By creating time for the things I love and to celebrate & enjoy life
• STATUS: So-So. Improvement has been seen in this area in recent months, but work still needs to be done here.
• THE REASON: I’m still not GREAT at managing my time, and need to work on creating time, rather than creating excuses.

May—                        To Retake Control of My Music…

• By spending at least 1 hour per week writing or learning music outside of church responsibilities
• STATUS: As-If. No steps were taken in this area. The desire was there, but the means and follow-through were not present.
• THE REASON: This goes back to the “creating time” issue. Definitely needs work.
• By creating space/time for learning new songs, instruments, and techniques
• STATUS: As-If. No steps were taken in this area. The desire was there, but the means and follow-through were not present.
• THE REASON: See above.
• By creating space/time for recording and editing
• STATUS: So-So. Improvement has been seen in this area in recent months, but work still needs to be done here.
• THE REASON: I’ve been doing more of this since Ben and Mark moved into town, but it’s still been a challenge, due to the “creating time” issue. Needs work still.

June—            To Retake Control of My Photography…

• By spending at least 1 hour per week intentionally out seeking photos
• STATUS: Spotty. Needs Work.
• THE REASON: Again, with the “Creating time” thing. I’ve realized that some of these goals need to be scaled back and maybe “generalized” a little bit, so that they have a little more room for flex, and are a little more attainable in a busy schedule.
• By carrying a camera with me as often as possible (appropriate camera to situation)
• STATUS: So-So. Improvement has been seen in this area in recent months, but work still needs to be done here.
• THE REASON: I’ve just gotten out of the habit. Time to get back into it.
• By organizing and cataloging photos & dreaming up possible commercial applications
• STATUS: Healthily Improved. Much progress has been seen, but more steps could still be taken in this area.
• THE REASON: I’ve organized and cataloged MUCH of my photo collection, and have worked on getting things ready for craft fairs, farmers markets, etc. Now we just need to actually start doing them…

July—                        To Retake Control of My Writing…

• By spending at least 1 hour per week writing lyrics, poetry, novels, or books (separate from music writing time)
• STATUS: Spotty. Needs work.
• THE REASON: “Creating time”. What else can I say?
• By blogging thoughts/whatever at least once a week
• STATUS: Spotty. Needs work.
• THE REASON: See above.
• By spending at least 15 minutes reading a newspaper, book, or magazine daily
• STATUS: Completed.
• THE REASON: I’ve done this most of the year at work now. It’s been great. Very enlightening, inspirational, and thought-provoking, even when it’s just fluff. It’s amazing what’s out there when you choose to engage with it.

August—            To Retake Control of My Routine…

• By implementing the above and following goals into my life
• STATUS: So-So. Improvement has been seen in this area in recent months, but work still needs to be done here.
• THE REASON: Well, you’ve read this all so far—didn’t do as well as I had hoped, but better than I could have done. =P
• By establishing a routine for wake-up and bedtime
• STATUS: So-So. Improvement has been seen in this area in recent months, but work still needs to be done here.
• THE REASON: I’ve been getting up at pretty much the same time, and my morning routine is establishing itself. But I still need to work on it somewhat, and in some areas.
• By establishing a routine in everyday things (i.e. hygiene, dishes, laundry, etc.)
• STATUS: So-So. Improvement has been seen in this area in recent months, but work still needs to be done here.
• THE REASON: it’s just hard to establish routine with a young child and a busy schedule (even though that’s a bigger reason to have routine!). We’ll keep working on this one.

September—            To Retake Control of My Ministry Administration…

• By re-establishing a contact list of emails & phone numbers
• STATUS: Completed
• THE REASON: I’ve got an email list, and the church directory. We’re god to go.
• By ensuring I am on track with ministry goals
• STATUS: Completed
• THE REASON: any ministry goals I had for this past year were completed.
• By making sure all records & binders, folders, etc. are up to date and current
• STATUS: So-So. Improvement has been seen in this area in recent months, but work still needs to be done here.
• THE REASON: We’ve got lots to do on this front (new songs from the past year)… but it can be done in a day or afternoon sometime, and we’ll be up to date. The trick is staying on top of it so it doesn’t become so HUGE.

October—            To Retake Control of My Communication…

• By re-establishing my efforts to romance my wife
• STATUS: So-So. Improvement has been seen in this area in recent months, but work still needs to be done here.
• THE REASON: I’ve definitely improved here—and perhaps I’m my own worst critic in this area as well. But I always see room for improvement—therefore, this one’s carrying over into next year.
• By re-establishing (and maintaining, insofar as it depends on me) contact with key friends
• STATUS: Spotty. Needs work.
• THE REASON: Creating the time, again. It’s been better this year than in years past, but it still needs improvement.
• By making an effort to maintain solid and regular communication with family
• STATUS: So-So. Improvement has been seen in this area in recent months, but work still needs to be done here.
• THE REASON: the business of life gets in the way, along with the distance. Really, we just need to make more of an effort.

November—            To Retake Control of My Organization…

• By implementing the above and following goals into my life
• STATUS: Healthily Improved. Much progress has been seen, but more steps could still be taken in this area.
• THE REASON: Many of these goals were either completed, or worked on quite heavily. It’s the most goal-oriented year I’ve had in a long time. It felt good, but still needs work.
• By establishing an organizational structure & method for all papers, receipts, books, movies, cd’s, etc. by which they can all be found and returned easily and efficiently
• STATUS: Spotty. Needs work.
• THE REASON: Just never worked on this to the extent that I desired to. Will work on this again in the coming year.
• By creating a method/task-list by which organization can be maintained to at least a nominal level
• STATUS: Spotty. Needs work.
• THE REASON: See above.

December—            To Retake Control of My Plans For The Future…

• By submitting the past year to God and praying for guidance for the future
• STATUS: So-So. Improvement has been seen in this area in recent months, but work still needs to be done here.
• THE REASON: Definitely need to spend more time working on this one.
• By laying out new goals for the year of 2012
• STATUS: Completed
• THE REASON: I’ve already completed a new goal list for 2012.
• By looking ahead and laying out more long-term goals
• STATUS: Spotty. Needs work.
• THE REASON: Haven’t really sat down to set out long-term goals. I’ve got some in mind, but we’ve never put them in writing.

Overall—

• To find creative ways to inexpensively celebrate more things in life
• STATUS: Healthily Improved. Much progress has been seen, but more steps could be taken in this area.
• THE REASON: Kudos to my wife on this one. She’s amazing, and has been drastically helping me in this area.
• To learn to balance work and rest more effectively in my life
• STATUS: Healthily Improved. Much progress has been seen, but more steps could be taken in this area.
• THE REASON: I’m learning what it means to balance life with a family. It’s not easy, but I’m working on it, and it’s making a difference.
• To become a better husband and father
• STATUS: Healthily Improved. Much progress has been seen, but more steps could be taken in this area.
• THE REASON: I’ve always got room to grow in this area. I can always be better than I am currently. So this is an ongoing goal.

 Kinda fun to look back and see what was/wasn't accomplished. Here's to a whole NEW YEAR!