My April Recap + The Freebie You Need to Accomplish Your May Goals

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I have a confession to make.

I, author of all sorts of goal-setting posts and challenges, didn’t set any goals for myself for the month of April. Honestly, I think I kinda missed the new month happening with the ‘Groundhog Day’ nature of our current existence.

So, was the month a total bust?

No. Why? I was able to run on a reasonably-productive automatic pilot because I spent time every day on the habits I put in place way back in January. (Of course I also spent a lot of time sitting in the hammock, playing board games, and watching bad TV).

So what did the April look like? More importantly, how can you and I both make sure that this time at home doesn’t continue to get away from us?

April Recap

Although I didn’t plan for it in advance, my focus for the month, both personally and with Mama Goes Beyond was definitely Gratitude. 

Maintaining a daily gratitude practice has helped me so much to keep my wits about me while the world is collectively going nuts. This month, I amplified my habitual practice of writing in my journal twice a day with posting an Alphabet of Gratitude challenge on Instagram and creating a Gratitude Notebook to help myself (and others) make our gratitude practices a little easier. And, as expected, I spent most of the month feeling…grateful.

Would you benefit from looking for more things in your life to be grateful for? You can download 101 free Gratitude Prompts for Moms here.

Progress on my goals for this year

Despite spending much of April in pajamas, I stayed on track with the personal goals I set out for this year. The key to this has been sticking with the daily habits I set for myself back in January (and before!)

For instance, I decided in January that I wanted to be “healthier’ this year. I made this vague goal more actionable by specifying that I wanted to:

• lose 20 pounds to get back to my pre-kid weight
• reduce the swelling lymphedema has caused in my left arm
• gain visible muscles in my arms, hamstrings, and abs.

In order to accomplish this, I adopted the daily habits of drinking at least 75 ounces of water, exercising at least 5 days a week, recording my weight at the same time each morning, taking my vitamin twice daily, and doing my lymphatic drainage massage.

Although it sounds like a lot to do, all this can be accomplished quickly and with little brainpower. I’m down five pounds since the beginning of April thanks to these easy-to-monitor habits. (Despite the fact that my husband is doing the grocery shopping and making sure we’re always stocked up on chocolate, wine, and Doritos.)

What daily or weekly habits can you use to put the things you want to do on automatic pilot?

Books I Read This Month

One of my goals for the year is to read at least one fiction and one non-fiction book each month. To make sure this actually happens, I’ve added to my habit tracker that I need to read at least one chapter in a book every day. Every month so far in 2020, I’ve read more than I planned.

This month’s books: 

• • Secrets of the Millionaire Mind by T. Harv Eker: I’m a big believer that your mindset has the power to totally change your experience in life, so I found myself nodding a lot at Eker’s suggestions that your ‘inner money blueprint’ determines your financial success. 
  • In the Forest by Edna O’Brien: This was a beautifully written portrait (based on a true crime) of a troubled boy who becomes a murderer. I loved the beautiful language and character development. However, as you might imagine, it was kind of dark, so I moved onto…
  • I’ve Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella: This was a cute bit of chick lit fluff that I enjoyed a lot.

• How to Improve Your Marriage Without Talking About It by Patricia Love: I’m adding this book to the list I’m compiling of ‘Must Reads for Moms’. My marriage is in great shape, but I still found so much good, actionable advice in here. I love that the authors consistently call for us to practice empathy, make our marriage more important than being right, and live our vows. 

Are you making time in your schedule to do fun things that are just for you? Add fun goals like reading chick-lit to your to-do list to ensure the fun stuff gets done, too. You can read about 100 more hobbies for moms here.

Three things I loved this month

The Science of Well-Being Course

This class, taught by Yale Professor Laurie Santos, goes in-depth into all the things that do or don’t make us happier. It gave me loads to think about, and supported me in my gratitude practice. (Students in the class are asked to keep a gratitude journal, and the lectures explain that gratitude is a practice shown by research to make us happier and healthier.) If you’d like to try the class, you can sign up for free here.

The Handmaid’s Tale

My husband and I watched the whole series this month. Because nothing cheers you up during a global pandemic like watching a show about a dystopian future.

Driving Down the Empty Las Vegas Strip

We moved to Las Vegas in March. It’s eerie to be here and to have none of the party atmosphere. Driving down the Strip felt like being in a zombie movie.

What memorable stuff happened last month that you want to remember? Be sure to write it down so that you don’t forget.

Looking ahead to May

This month, I’m making my focus Mental Health.

May is a tough time of year for me. May 12th is the 6th anniversary of my cancer diagnosis, and the whole month is filled with unpleasant memories. Focusing on my Mental Health will help me keep my own head above water and keep me on track providing resources for all of us as we continue to navigate “these uncertain times”.

Anybody else sick to death of that phrase? 

Do you have a keyword or focus for the next month? Sometimes it can help bring you back to what is most important and make it easier to decide among several important tasks.

New additions to my goals list this month 

• Stay ‘minimalist’: We’re moving into a longer-term rental house after living out of suitcases for the last year. I want to remember how much I’ve loved our radically minimalist lifestyle and not fall back into the habit of filling up the space we have unnecessarily. I’m making this goal actionable by waiting at least 24 hours before purchasing anything non-consumable, adding anything I want to my “things I’d like to buy” list instead.
• Meditate: To keep my mental health intact, I’m planning to meditate every day in May. I’ve created a 31-day Meditation Challenge complete with a free playlist and Habit Tracker to log my sessions.

If you’d like to join me for the Meditation Challenge, jump in! (If you’re reading this after May has already passed, you can still click here to download the tracker and a 31-day playlist of 10-minute meditations.)

• Help the boys become better swimmers: Our new rental house has a backyard pool (yay!) Although the boys can swim a little, I will feel more comfortable once we review getting ourselves to the side of the deep end, climbing out safely, etc. I’m planning to spend the first few minutes each time we get in the pool practicing these essential skills.
• Make a great at-home 6th birthday party for my youngest: I am intrigued by virtual birthday parties hosted by Skyzone and Camp. Since our friends are spread all over the world, the trick will be finding the right time that works in everyone’s zone…
• Finish Mama Mantras, my book of affirmations for moms: I am deep in the process of trying to change some of the shitty automatic thoughts that I have, and affirmations are a powerful way of doing that. Although they can feel super-cheesy at first, over time, the new thoughts that are more helpful to me really are over-taking the crummy ones. I’m excited to help other moms do the same.

Are you still on track with your goals for this year?

If not, it’s never too late to get back on the horse—or to start from scratch for that matter! This post will walk you through the steps you need to follow to make your dreams a reality.

And if you are ready to make your own plan for May:

It looks like it will be a long time until things are back to ‘normal’, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t still kill it.

Go out there and grab a fantastic May!