January in Photos & Reverse Goals List

Happy Tuesday!

As I thought through how I wanted to approach “month-end” in 2017, I thought back to my December in Photos post. I loved that one and enjoyed sharing a glimpse of some photos that don’t necessarily make it to the blog or Instagram. That didn’t happen quite as much this month. If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve probably seen some of these before. I think some months you’ll see more that have been shared already and some months you’ll see less.

I also wanted to talk about some of the things I’ve worked on each month. There was a time when I shared monthly–and even weekly–goals on my blog. I thought about reviving those this year, but I decided not to, in favor of thinking about what I can do each day to further advance my bigger goals. A few years ago, I first heard about a reverse bucket list from my friend Erika. With that idea in mind, I decided I’d rather end the month with a reverse goals list, instead of starting it with a list of goals.

Stick around to the end of the post to see that. First, let’s start with the photos!

New Year’s Day started with a book, some coffee and smooches from my NYE date, Odin.

I spent a lot of time at my desk this month, jotting down notes from different webinars. It started with one on planning, led by Callie Gisler and Kayla Hollatz.

Here’s a little before and after of an Instagram shot. Messy desk to not so messy desk.

I’m a member of the Loft Literary Center — the place where I’ve taken a lot of writing classes recently. They recently held a Member Happy Hour, where they released their new look (which I like SO much better than their old one!). A friend and I attended and stopped for coffee between work and the event.

The end of 2016 was so busy that I felt like I didn’t get to spend as much time with my sweet Little One as I like to. I’ve soaked up lots of time with her this month. We sat in this chair quite a bit as I read and she snoozed/kept an eye on any passersby outside the house. I also started to use the portrait mode of the iPhone 7 Plus and wondered why I didn’t use it right away.

I have been in love with playing games recently, which is a little unusual for me. There might be a post with some of my favorites in the near future.

Castle Danger Brewery did a tap takeover at a pub in St. Paul so a friend and I camped out in a booth that night. It was fun to have a few drinks and talk for awhile.

Reverse Goals List

1 // Rearranged the furniture in my room. I love the new setup and am now inspired to do some organizing that needs to be done.

2 // Finally created my @dreams-etc email! I can’t even tell you how long this has been on my to-do list.

3 // Put together three videos. I uploaded my Pep Talk earlier this month and my overview of 2016 this morning. You’ll see the third later this week.

4 // Worked out five days a week. Until the last week of the month, because I actually decided to have a bit of a social life. And I’m not sorry about that at all.

5 // Wrote a short story. The shitty first draft, but one that’s been on my mind for awhile. Also, I think I came up with the perfect names for the characters. That’s always a good feeling!

Get Caught Up!

>> Word of the Y ear // 2017  |  Shared my word to guide 2017.
>> Favorite Books Read in 2016  |  My top reads from 2016.
>> Happy Friday // 01  |  A new series to share gratitude and inspiration from the week.
>> What Steps Can You Take Today to Achieve Your Goals?  |  Taking daily steps to achieve goals.
>> Anticipated YA Releases of 2017 (January – June)  |  YA novels to keep an eye out for in the first half of 2017.
>> Happy Friday // 02  |  Gratitude and inspiration from the week.
>> Book Tour // This Is Not Over by Holly Brown  |  An online battle ensues between a temporary renter and a host.
>> Current Skincare Routine  |  The skincare products that recently cleared up my skin.
>> Happy Friday // 03  |  Gratitude and inspiration from the week.
>> 25 Creatives to Follow On Instagram  |  A list of artists, bloggers and other creatives to follow.
>> Happy Friday // 04  |  Gratitude and inspiration from the week.

What adventures did you have in January and what’s on your Reverse Goals List?

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