[January Goals Revisited]
Fix all 500 broken links and reorganize my blog | Done! Some links were broken from moving over, but a lot were old blog posts with links to now-defunct blogs and such. And I’ve added some pages and changed up the navigation in the side and top bar to help direct new readers who want to explore my blog. I’m still working on finishing the frugal living page, but I’m really pleased with the way it all came together by using similar font faces and a color palette, along with some of my own photography. I hope it’s easier to explore and for visitors to find what they’re looking for!
Move all Disqus comments over | IMPOSSIBLE. I have many feelings about this, but I am mostly mad at Disqus for being stupid (how eloquent of me). If you wan to get into the boring details – I could move them all over if I wanted to install the Disqus commenting system on this blog, but I do not, so I will not. Now that Blogger has threaded comments, I urge you not to install Disqus.
Figure out how to pay taxes for my business | Paperwork has been mail to register my business name, get my vendor’s license, and register as a sole proprietorship. Yay?
Buy nothing this month | While we did go out to eat for a few meals this month, we only when it was part of a social outing with friends, not just by ourselves. And our grocery bill was way more than usual ($420!) this month. But the only things we bought were some needs – a modem for our new cable internet and a headlight for our car. No clothing and no trips to Target (AT ALL. This is the first month in ages where I haven’t been to Target!). Some days, I’d feel an itch to just go somewhere, and I’d have a hard time thinking of what to do that didn’t involve Target. Gabe and I went to the library a few times to remedy my ‘must get out of this hoooouuse’ issues without spending money. In sum, it was a good exercise in realizing how retail therapy has snuck back into my life.
[February Intention]
Do one thing at a time | In the spirit of single-tasking, this will be my only goal this month. I am the queen of starting twenty different things and getting distracted constantly. A typical afternoon goes something like this: throw in a load of laundry, start a batch of cookies, check my email, start to respond, open Google Reader, start to read a blog post, check Twitter, click on a link, start to read the article, click back to the email inbox, Gabe demands attention, leave the computer, play with Gabe, go back to the computer and pull up a TV show on Hulu, while I’m waiting for the video to load, click on Google Reader again…and that’s just ten minutes.
It’s better for my productivity and sanity to start something, focus on it, and finish it. To check my email and respond three times a day, instead of constantly monitoring my inbox and getting distracted. To sit down and write an entire blog post without clicking around on the internet and getting discouraged about my own blog.
This doesn’t mean I won’t multitask in harmless ways – I’ll still watch The View while I’m cleaning the kitchen. I’ll still read my book while I’m brushing my teeth. I’ll still listen to podcasts while I go for a run. These types of multitasking are enjoyable, and don’t detract from my ability to focus.
Also, I’ll be deactivating my Facebook account and staying off Twitter for 7.5 weeks starting February 22 (aka: during Lent), which will help with the crazy-distracted-internet-
Here’s to a mindful February.
What are your goals or intentions for the month? Do you find that multitasking is good or bad for you personally?
Looks like you had a fantastic month of January! Way to go girl, can’t wait to see how Feb treats you :)
Hope you have a great month, too!
I think it’s awesome you’re giving up twitter and facebook for Lent! And your “one thing at a time” goal for February sounds wonderful!
I’m REALLY excited about that, actually.
And not doing too well at one thing at a time. Maybe I’ll figure it out by the END of the month? ;)
When I did freelancing, taxes were the worst. All I can say is: make sure you pay quarterly or at least take out money from each paycheck and save it in an account. I actually never registered a business name in New York, though I did in Oregon, but found I could pay taxes just using my social security number which was easier since it was just me, and I didn’t have a huge business that I was keeping separate. Good luck with taxes!
Thanks for the advice – it’s all a bit confusing! I’m planning to just do annual taxes with our normal tax return, too.
how do you deactivate FB without deleting? this would be SO GOOD for my soul slash life, but i didn’t realize you could go halfsies?
Yes! It will save everything. Awesome, right?
I’m so frustrated about the Disqus thing on your behalf – and on mine, if I ever want to get rid of Disqus, which I do! I hate it, I hate that it doesn’t work on mobile phones, & I just want to KEEP all my comments… but I’m scared to try to port them into my blog, if that’s even possible. :/
I know. It’s really frustrating. Grrr. You can Google about it and see if anyone’s had any luck!
In order not to go crazy while multi-tasking, I’ve learned that I have to disconnect my computer from the internet. If I don’t a slip down the rabbit hole and get nothing done.
I’ve totally done that before! And in college, I would go to coffee shops that didn’t have internet just so I wasn’t tempted. Addiction, I tell ya!
You stayed away from Target for a WHOLE month!? You’re so disciplined! :) (Can you tell, I have a Target addiction, too? Who doesn’t?) ;)
I think you did really well in January and I am very much intrigued by your FB and Twitter hiatus for Lent… although, I might miss you on Twitter! I do think it’s a good idea to step away every once in a while…. I have this crazy multi-tasking problem too and I should do something about it.
I did! I know, it’s sort of a miracle, actually. Though I spent enough there in December to balance things out. ;)
I totally feel ya on the multitasking craziness. Facebook and Hulu have been the death of my studying time. Ross noticed, (as he lay his head on my chest while reading over my shoulder) that my heart began racing at the idea of giving up social networking sites for Lent. But I have to say, FB is my biggest addiction, next to my too many t.v. shows, and either would be a good sacrifice to my daily schedule. I need the will power!
P.S. I really want a blog make-over this spring and totally want to talk to you about your services! You were recommended to me by a complete stranger! I said, “Hey, I know her in real life!” ;) You are practically famous in the blogging world. :)
Haha! Just deactivate Facebook for two weeks and see what you think. It certainly won’t kill you, right?
And how crazy that someone recommended me. Awesome!
As a reader, I absolutely HATE Disquis. I hate anything that requires you to register (to that level) to make commenting easy. I hate that so many blogs default to automatically signing you up to follow all comments (I don’t blame the blogger – I assume it’s how Disquis is set up unless the blogger changes it). And there are other reasons not coming to mind now why I hate Disquis. Needless to say, there have been countless times I have chosen not to comment due to the Disquis system. Thank you for removing it from your blog. I love you a little more.