It’s gonna be May! Yes, I made that joke again. I’m so ready to kick butt in May as I feel like I have definitely got my groove back a little. With that being said, let’s review my April goals before setting my 10 goals for May 2023.
APRIL GOALS
Before I set my 10 goals for May 2023, let’s review my April goals that I set. I won’t say it was a complete disaster but it wasn’t my finest month to date.
Complete a 30-day Yoga with Adriene challenge
FAIL. I don’t even think I even started this goal whatsoever, which is embarrassing! April was definitely a sloth month for me so maybe I’ll try this goal again in the summer.
Write five blog posts a week
FAIL. I managed two posts a week on this blog, which is at least consistent. However, I didn’t post once to either my business blog or my minimalism blog. When I tell you that I fell off the wagon, I really did.
Book travel for Q2
FAIL. Instead, I’ve decided to cancel my May London trip. Whilst I only had theatre tickets booked, I just simply can’t afford the hotel or train ticket prices right now. Hopefully, I can save up and go later on in the year. I’ve also decided that travel is on the back burner for me right now whilst I work on making more money.
Read 4 books
DONE! In April, I managed to read five books! I kept on reading fiction rom-com books as well as one non-fiction book. Currently, I’m just trying to get through my TBR stack of books on my Kindle so I decided to cancel my Kindle Unlimited subscription.
Try a new coffee shop
FAIL. I literally only left the house for the food shop and my trip to Sheffield. If you saw my April review, you’ll have seen that I said Sheffield city centre was pretty empty in terms of shops/cafes, etc. I’ll carry this goal over to May because there are some places in Hull that I’m desperate to try.
Post 4 weekly photo dumps to Instagram
FAIL. Urgh, Instagram and I have such a crap relationship. I’m not a photographer and every time I have posted in 2023, I’ve barely got any engagement! I know you have to post regularly to improve it but I’m sorry, I’m a writer more than an influencer. However, I want to try to get better at it!
Low-spend month
DONE. My income was much lower than expected so this was sort of a forced low-spend month. In fact, my three largest categories in April were bills, beauty, and eating out/coffee shops, thanks to my Sheffield trip and needing to replace some toiletries.
Cement my morning routine
DONE. It’s something that I’ve worked on all month but has really been focused on in the last week of April. I’ve noticed that by doing my morning routine before checking my emails or social media, I feel much more relaxed and ready for the work day.
Get 1 new client
This is a maybe goal. I’m in the process of working with two new businesses but I have to write a paid trial blog post for them first. Fingers crossed, they’re both impressed because I need to add to my client roster!
Explore Notion
DONE. This is probably a goal that I’ll continue to work on for some time but I’ve got my basics set up for now. My monthly and annual goals are set up as well as my content calendars so I would rather build on that from now on.
APRIL RECAP
4 – TV series watched (Chicago Fire s7-9 + SVU s6)
1 – Films watched (Burlesque)
7 – Blog posts written (10 Goals for April 2023, What I Watched in March 2023, My Spring Morning Routine, My Spring Evening Routine, What I Read in Q1 2023, My Planner Line-up for 2023, April 2023 in Review)
23 – No-spend days
4 – Empties
5 – Books read (Morning Makeover – Damon Zahariades, Just Date and See – Portia MacIntosh, Love Her or Lose Her – Tessa Bailey, The Cheat Sheet – Sarah Adams, Tools of Engagement – Tessa Bailey)
1485 – Pages read
MAY GOALS
Now that April is done and dusted (and forgotten about forever more), let’s look at my 10 goals for May 2023. I’m trying to focus on myself much more now and progress with my health and wellbeing as well as money and writing.
Follow Tone It Up workout plan
Now I’ve got a set morning routine, it’s time to ramp it up a little. Back when I worked in retail, I’d be awake at 6am every morning to fit in a home workout before getting ready. Whilst I won’t be getting up at 6am unless I absolutely have to, I’d like to add in my workout into my mornings. I’ve tried exercising in the evening and it’s just not for me! With that being said, I’m going to follow an old Tone It Up Bikini Series plan from a few years ago. They used to be my absolute favourites so hopefully, they’re still enjoyable!
Low-spend month
I really think I’m going to try a low-spend year, cutting back on non-essentials and not travelling as much as I’d planned to. Having looked at my plans for the month, there are no big spends planned unless my London trip is back on. However, I may get dermaplaning and a massage so my beauty category might be the biggest spend again!
Work out of the house once a fortnight
This is one that I really need to improve upon. I do find that I am productive working from coffee shops but it can be distracting sometimes. I’d also still like to try some new places in Hull. If anyone has any recommendations for laptop-friendly cafes/coffee shops, let me know!
Stick to content plans
They are set up for three of my websites (the fourth is TBD for now) so all I have to do is follow them! I’m hoping to switch up my schedule so I give myself more time to write for fun and use my selected work days to work on client stuff.
Continue with 75 Sustainable
Now I’m a week in and I’d give myself a 6/10 so far. Next is to build on my routines, add in daily workouts, and work on my food habits more. I’ve already felt such a dramatic shift personally since starting this challenge so hopefully weeks 2-5 will be even better for me!
Start updating my biz website
This has been on my monthly goals list before but now is the time to get it done. Firstly, I need to make a list of what changes I want to make. Then, I need to write the website content before posting it. With May being a quieter month in terms of plans, I should be able to carve out some time to update my website!
Brainstorm digital products
Another area that I’m desperate to work on is passive income. Right now, I only make money if I’m writing blog posts for clients. I really want to have something that is just making some recurring income, no matter how large or small it might end up being. That’s why I think I’d like to work on some digital products.
Find new dinnertime recipes
Whilst I love cooking, I hate cooking every day, especially at dinner/lunch. At 12pm, I want something quick and that requires very little effort. Most of the time, I just have wraps with deli meat or packet noodles. If it means I have to cook more in the evening to have leftovers, I’m fine with that! And yes, I have dinner and tea, not lunch and dinner.
Take more photos
If I want to improve my Instagram account, I need to take more photos. I do like that Instagram is going down the old-school, snap-and-post route again. However, that means I need to actually take more pictures daily! I just lead a very average life that I doubt anyone really wants to see online!
Plan travel for the rest of 2023
Whilst I have cancelled my May London trip, I do want to see if I can take more day trips around the UK as well as holidays to cheaper places here too. Most of this will tie up with theatre trips but I’m going to be pickier about what I see and when. Ideally, I’d like to go away for a few days at the end of every quarter!
Here’s to completing my 10 goals for May 2023! Does anyone else feel like they have a little more motivation and energy again? Let’s hold each other accountable. Why not send me a DM on Instagram or Twitter and we can keep each other updated?
