I started the summer with 4 main goals and 2 side goals. I created these goals to guide my summer to be the best it could possibly be. Having goals gives me the motivation to be my best self and make the most of my summer. I can be very motivated if I put my mind to it. These goals were set at the beginning of the summer with the intent to complete them by the time I leave Washington at the end of the summer. I've set up this article by goal (what the goal is, how I was going to achieve it, the outcome, and a reflection). There is no order to the goals except the first 4 are before the last 2.
Make Bank
Goal: Save X amount by the end of summer
How: 4 8-hour shifts a week (32 hours). Track income and spending on Google Docs.
The Process & Reflection:
My initial estimate of my income and hours allowed me to reach my savings goal. Unfortunately, I did not reach my goal. However, I did get pretty close. I’ve definitely earned the amount I was hoping to save but I spent more of it than I thought I would. Some spending was practical like gas, groceries, and new suitcases (my old one broke). Some weren’t and could be considered unnecessary. That being said, I'm proud of what I was able to achieve this summer in terms of finances.
I did use the tracking sheet, but I didn't do it consistently (like it was intended to be used). I updated it about 3 times, using my banking app to fill it out. This ended up being tedious and confusing. The biggest problem I came across was that if my checking account hits 0, overdraft protection takes money from my savings. This means I had to subtract from what I thought I had saved.
In the future, I think I could update the list as spending occurs, and be more detailed with my chart. I’ve already made a new monthly one to use this school year.
I think I worked the perfect amount. I wouldn't want to work anymore or any less each week. 4 days at 8 hours each is 32 hours. I’ve worked 8-hour shifts in the past (Saturdays), so it wasn't totally new to me. Doing it 4 days a week was definitely an adjustment though. I was able to do a 2-week vacation which definitely helped me not get burned out.
Scrapbook
Goal: Finish my high school senior year scrapbook & start my college freshman year scrapbook before the end of summer
How: Dedicate lots of time to scrapbooking (see Scrapbooking Process article).
The Process & Reflection:
Scrapbooking takes a lot of time. Especially the way I do it. It’s pretty much a full-time job. I had 2 jobs this summer: Chocolate Man and Scrapbooking. I’m not joking when I say I started in the morning and stopped before bed. Because it's a big time commitment, my goal was to finish my senior year scrapbook, which I hadn't finished the previous summer, and to start my freshman year. Not only did I finish my senior year scrapbook, I finished my freshman year one too. Hours and Hours and Hours. I cannot stress enough how many hours I put into it.
I'm really happy with what I was able to achieve over the summer pertaining to this goal.
Read
Goal: (Reading List) Read The Ballard of Never of After and the 3 books in the Cruel Prince series.
How: Spend time reading
The Process & Reflection:
Last summer I wanted to read 10 books from my summer reading list, I read 6, and some books that weren't on the list. Because I didn’t exactly achieve last summer’s reading goal, I made this year smaller. I began the summer with 4 books, one of which I was already halfway through (The Ballard of Never After, a prequel to a book I read last year). The remaining 3 books were The Cruel Prince series. Since my brother owns them, I wanted to borrow them while I was at home. I read the last 2 in about 2 days. I pretty much set aside the days for reading and didn't do anything else. This allowed me to finish my reading goal within the first month of summer. The next 4 books I read were random ones I found on Kindle Unlimited for free. I read those during the week I was at my Nana’s house. Once again, I dedicated most of the day to reading. The next book was one I would consider on my Reading List since It’s a book I already owned: They Both Die at The End. I believe I read that in 1 or 2 days. After watching the movie trailer for Red, White, and Royal Blue, I got the book on Kindle Unlimited and read it in 2 days. It’s a title I had been recommended previously, which is why I include it as part of my list. Finally, I read 2 books (The Rest of Us Just Live Here and Truly Devious) on my road trip, both about a day’s read. These were on the list because I owned them.
Over the course of my summer, I read 12 books. 7 being from my list and 5 being random other books. To qualify to be a book on my list, it has to have been a book I’ve been wanting to read. Most of them I already own, due to my buy more books than I can read phase.
I’m really proud of myself for achieving my goal. 12 books, excluding the other books I read that I just couldn't commit to finishing in the timeframe. I consider myself a slow reader, but I put in the hours and that's how I made this goal happen.
Exercise
Goal: Constantly Exercise
How: Go to the gym 5 times a week
The Process & Reflection
Unfortunately, this is the only main goal I wasn’t able to complete. I started going to the gym in February. I hadn't gone since a week before school ended. For the first 2 weeks, I had a bad cough that wouldn't go away. Then I just kept having excuses. That is until August when I sat my ass down and told myself I was going to the gym! I still didn't go 5 times a week but I went about 3 times a week. I used the small gym at my mom's condo. This included 3 machines that did 4 different exercises each, hand weights, and a treadmill. I started doing cardio on the treadmill. I used to hate going on the treadmill because it felt so sedentary and boring. This summer, I’ve found that I like it though. I can watch TV while I work. I’ve been switching between speed walking, jogging, and running. That also makes it less boring (playing with the buttons).
I’m happy with what I was able to do in the last month and not going to be hard on myself for what I couldn't do in the first 2 months.
Keep Writing
Goal: Write
How: Work on fiction, articles for the blog, or journal consistently.
The Process & Reflection:
I was not consistent with my writing over the summer. I did journal a few times for myself but didn't
do much else. The one thing I did for my blog was my Scrapbooking article. I didn’t finish this article until after the first week of school.
This is okay, considering how much I put into the other goals.
Keep Spanish
Goal: Retain Spanish learned this year in preparation for my last semester of Spanish
How: Talk to Spanish Speaking friends & practice
The Process & Reflection:
I still have a semester left of Spanish so I didn't want to lose everything I learned over the summer. The plan was to converse with my Spanish-speaking friends and just practice. The most I did
pertaining to this goal was making a grammar sheet towards the end of the summer. I went through all my notes and put them in one document, so it's easy to find.
I didn't do a lot of work toward this goal but it was a subgoal and my first week of Spanish went well so I'm not worried. I also just got Duolingo and am addicted.
Overall, I’m very proud of myself and happy with how my summer went. Working on these goals helped me focus on growing as a person. I’m excited to see what I will do this year!
For the fam at home who probably want to know what classes I’m taking:
Intro to Creative Writing: Nonfiction
Research Methods (Psychology)
Spanish 202
Gender, Power, and Identity
Nutrition (doesn't start till Sept 25)
Also, I’m officially declared as a double major in Psychology and Creative Writing.
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