As I flip to a new month in my Get To Work Book there is a page for reflection and goal setting. It includes categories like, "Last Month's Wins" and "To Let Go Of." Seeing it will prompt me to jot down what I got done last month, what I'm still working on, and what I want to do with the next month. I feel so organized and centered when I finish.

A while ago I stopped recounting how I did on my goals from the previous month on my blog. It felt boring to me; I'd rather look forward. And sometimes it was disappointing. Like when I accomplished none of my goals. But using my GTWB reflection made me realize that it is encouraging to note all that I did accomplish in a month. Often if I don't complete a goal that I gave myself for the month it means I got other things done instead. And sometimes even the smallest accomplishments deserve recognition!

So in the spirit of celebrating big and little accomplishments whether planned or unexpected I'm adding a spot for noting wins from the previous month to my goal round up. I hope you'll remember to count all the things you DID get done last month and not the things you didn't.

August wins:

+ Traveled to San Francisco for work.

+ Did really well consistently exercising and eating healthy. I use My Fitness Pal to track what I eat which encourages me to make healthy choices.

+ Started Christmas planning and shopping.

+ Recorded and released new episodes of Matrimoney. It feels good to be back.

+ Fixed my MacBook air! It needed new storage and a reinstallation of the operating system. But all for $100 at a local Mac repair shop.

+ Purchased new sports bras!

Big things happening in September:

+ Trip to San Diego with my book club. Check!

+ Surprising Chris with a kid-free trip to Tucson to celebrate his 40th birthday. Check! It was such a great weekend.

In September I choose to:

+ Complete an Amazon Christmas order. We're giving lots of books this year and I've filled my Amazon cart with most of the gifts we'll give. If you'd like to know more about how we plan and save for Christmas, we chatted about in episode 35 of Matrimoney.

+ Have at least one weekend creative work session. I'd like to bank some blog posts and work on updates to the Girl Next Door podcast website.

+ Order plaque for my book club. I have the name of the place that will make it for us. At book club this month I'll measure the space and then I can order it. 

+ Document pre-school art work and clean out the art basket. 

+ Start designing our Christmas card.

Recurring monthly goals:

+ Make Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday evenings for work and leave Thursday and Friday open. 

Update: Doing pretty well on this. Partly because I've had a lot of travel which has prevented any later-week and weekend work, but that's a good thing!

+ Check Mint at least once each week. To CHOOSE savings I need to be mindful of every transaction and stick to my monthly personal allowance budget.

Update: With all of my travel I haven't checked as regularly but it's a habit I'm looking forward to picking back up.

Happy (belated) September, friends!