My Goals Journal

I always find setting lots of goals is fun. I love dreaming and thinking of possibilities and adventures. What's even more fun is making progress on goals, although sometimes it can be a bit hard to keep track of the many things I've decided I want to do.

This year I wanted a new system to record my progress and work out what to focus on next, so I've started a goals journal. It combines a little bit of scrap booking, a few check boxes, and a lot of lists!

My sister gave me a couple of notebooks for Xmas so I'm using one of them. It's a nice compact size but with enough space for a bit of writing and pictures.

I started with a title page using some images and text I'd gleaned from a magazine a while ago.

The next pages are dedicated to my word of the year (I first heard about this practice here) and this year I decided to pick one I thought would challenge me a little!

Next I made a list of all my goals for the year with boxes to check them off when they're complete. I've also got room to add a couple more goals if I feel like it...

My first goal is to visit three new countries, which should be happening in May and June. I've left some spaces to write down which countries we get to (our plan is Malaysia, Belgium and Greece) and also space to stick in a photo I've taken in each country.

I've left six page for my next goal since I'm planning to stick in tickets, photos etc from our date nights (those are movie tickets from Girl With the Dragon Tattoo).

This is the list of the tutorials and assignments I have to finish to complete the proofreading and editing course I started last year. I love being able to tick each one off as I finish them!

The first goal I've completed! Here are the full instructions for making vanilla essence. I'm going to take a photo of how it's looking at the start of the process, and then another once it's ready to use.

Inspired by this method, I started checking off my almost daily exercise in November last year. For the new year I decided to keep going with the same page, and I'm planning to stick it into my goals journal once I've crossed out every day. And then start on the next page!

To keep track of the new recipes I'm trying, I've decided to record the name, the book it's from, and I'm also giving it a star rating (out of five) to see whether it's worth making again.

I have a list of books I want to read as part of my Life List, but I've also written the list of what I want to get through this year so I can tick them off once I'm done. I'm reading Jane Eyre at the moment (along with a couple of other books not on my list).


The rest of the pages don't have anything to share at the moment (I'm not sure what I'm going to do with some of them!) but I'm planning a review of my goals journal at the end of the year to see how effective it's been.

How to Make Pasta

In an effort to use up some more eggs I'm planning on making a few batches of pasta. It's one of those things that sounds way more complicated than it actually is, so if you're interested here are some basic instructions:

Combine a couple of eggs and just under one cup of flour per egg in a bowl and mix until you get a nice lump of dough.

Knead the dough on a floured surface, just for a minute or two is fine. If the dough is sticky then add some more flour.

Roll out the dough, it's really important to get it as thin as you can since the pasta expands quite a lot when cooked.

Cut into thin strips for fettuccine, then hang the pasta to dry for at least ten minutes. I usually set up a wire oven tray over an empty sink.

This is the best time to make the pasta sauce (here is a good recipe).

Add the pasta to a pot of boiling water with a little salt and olive oil. It will only need a few minutes to cook, I usually test it after about five.

Once it's cooked, drain the pasta then add the sauce and enjoy!

Projects to Achieve Goals

Photo Credit

I love finding new concepts for setting and achieving goals! Here are some different projects which can help to accomplish those goals that never seem to be a priority, or the ones you just need a little push to start.

101 in 1001
Michael from Triplux came up with the challenge to complete 101 tasks in 1001 days. There are hundreds of people around the world taking part (here’s my list)! One year just isn’t long enough to complete certain types of goals, so 1001 days (2.75 years) gives you a few seasons to achieve more long term ambitions. And 101 tasks means that it is certainly a challenge!

30 Day Trial
I first heard about the concept of the 30 Day Trial from Steve Pavlina. Instead of making a commitment to change your behaviour or adopt a new routine forever, which obviously can be very intimidating, decide to follow your goal for only 30 days instead.

By the end of 30 days you should have developed a habit, which is then easier to continue if that’s what you decide to do. Or you might have realised that what had seemed like a great goal at the time is actually not!

52 Resolutions
If you find that setting really long term goals just doesn’t work, then maybe making goals for each week would be a better plan. Andrea from A Cat of Impossible Colour came up with the idea of making 52 small resolutions and writing one on each card from a pack of standard playing cards. Every week just pick a card (without looking!) and complete the goal. At the end of the pack one very productive year will have passed!

Links
How to Set Goals You Will Actually Achieve by Steve Pavlina
The Art of Doing at Yes and Yes
A Simple Guide to Setting and Achieving Your Life Goals at Zen Habits
How to Achieve Anything at Think Simple Now
Making Your Dreams Come True: A Sure Fire Strategy at Charade

Surviving the London Underground

Before I came to London I had never experienced the dubious pleasure of travelling on the underground, and it took a bit of time to get used to! Here are some of the things I wish I knew to start with:

Basics
The Transport for London website has all the key information you need to know about using the Tube, and also has a journey planner so you can work out what transfers you will need to make and how long it might take.

Lines
There are eleven different lines, each depicted by a different colour. At first glance the map of the London Underground looks very confusing, but as long as you know where you are starting from, the final station you need to reach and the line that it’s on you will be able to work out your route without too much trouble. And if you get totally confused then the staff at the ticket booths are usually very helpful.

Zones
The London Underground is separated into six zones. Zone One includes the centre of the city, and Zones Two to Six radiate out from this centre point. There are different charges the further you travel, and the more zones you travel across the more expensive it becomes.

Tickets
A range of travelcards are available from stations, but if you are spending more than a couple of days in London it’s worth getting an Oyster Card for £3.00. Fares are usually cheaper with an Oyster Card and they are very easy to use. Money needs to be loaded onto the card, which can be done at stations. As long as you have at least £1.00 left on the card you will be able to get through the barriers, and if you travel more than one zone in this case the Oyster Card will go into debit.

Weekends
There is always engineering work being carried out on the weekends, and sometimes whole lines are closed down for the day. Transport for London has information on which lines are affected and it really pays to check their website before you leave home!

Photo Credit

Crowds
If you have a choice definitely try to avoid travelling on the Tube during rush hour! If it can’t be helped then it is worth knowing a thing or two about dealing with the hordes of commuters.

Navigation
In London everyone walks FAST. If you’re not in a hurry or don’t quite know where you’re going then make sure to keep out of the main flow of traffic or risk being trampled on! One of the easiest ways to move through the crowds is to find a human shield – someone you can walk behind who will clear a path.

Using Escalators
There are two “lanes” on each escalator: keep to the right if you are standing still, or keep to the left if walking. You can always recognise when someone has spent time in London because the automatically stand on the right hand side of escalators no matter where they are!

Entertainment
There is not a lot to occupy your time on the underground, so having something to do makes the journey a lot more interesting.

Reading
Books, magazines, newspapers… any reading material is a good way to pass the time. Just make sure that you don’t get too absorbed and miss your stop! If you forget to bring something to read there are usually vendors outside stations distributing free newspapers, and people always leave copies behind in the carriages.

Music
Usually the only sounds to be heard on the Tube are the noise of the train and the recorded voice constantly informing everyone to “mind the gap”. Listening to music is a big improvement! I have found that rock music is best during rush hour. When the crush of bodies gets too much I like to pretend I’m in a civilised version of a mosh pit.

What are your suggestions for dealing with public transport?