I haven’t posted in two weeks, but I have a good excuse: I have bronchitis.
Yep. It’s been pretty terrible. Especially since finals week was last week. I had to take my last final on Monday with a 102-degree fever. Since my temperature was so high, my doctor sent me in to get a chest X-Ray to make sure I didn’t have pneumonia.
The results haven’t come back yet, but I don’t think I have pneumonia even though I’m still pretty sick (which is to be expected). Even so, summer has officially started for me. That’s what I love about the south: our winters and springs are short while our summers and autumns are long. I have some good three-and-a-half months to be a productive human, so I may as well start now.
Even if that means starting off the summer writing a blog post in my bed.
You gotta start somewhere. There’s something about the start of a new chapter that makes life so refreshing.
//How I Did On My April Goals//
I completed almost all of my goals last month. I’m very proud of that fact. There are a few weekly and daily habits that fell on the backburner, but I still did really well
School Related Goals– Complete. I dedicated April as a month of school work, so most of my monthly goals revolved around that. It went amazingly well. I got 100% on my Developmental Psychology term paper and actually followed my finals study schedule (I usually end up procrastinating.Read 3 Books; Watch 1 New Movie– Complete. This was easy enough to complete. I’ll share the books and movies I’ve read and watched in my April Favorites, as always.Meet Up With A Friend– Complete. I try to practice what I preach. In my previous post, 8 Ways To Practice Self-Care During Finals, I talked about how I put social time on the backburner during hectic times even though I find spending time with friends very refreshing. During finals week, I invited one of my best friends to lunch. We found time after she took her first final on a day I didn’t have an exam. It was great to catch up and make summer plans.Add $500 To Savings Account– Complete.Move Everything To New Phone– Complete.- Post Bangladesh And
Canada Photos On Facebook– I published an album with my Canada photos, but not my Bangladesh photos. I haven’t had enough time to finish organizing them. Respond To All Blog Comments– Complete. I stopped replying to comments last Fall, so this has been a long time coming.Post On Blog Once A Week– I’m counting this as complete because the only week I didn’t publish was during finals week when I got sick. I’m giving myself a pass.- Journal Once A Week – April was the first month this year I didn’t journal every week. I had so many other things on my mind that it slipped through the cracks. It’s okay.
Track Income & Expenses– I actually created an excel sheet to track everything instead of using my bank statement or Mint to write everything out on paper.- Reread Old Blog Posts – Nope. Maybe this month.
Duolingo Spanish Every Day– This was half complete. I did it at the beginning of the month and the end of the month. I didn’t have access to it in the middle of the month because I hadn’t logged in on my new phone, but this is a good habit to ensure I don’t forget all the Spanish I learned in high school.Dance Every Day– This goal was so refreshing. Whenever I felt tired, I’d dance for thirty seconds and instantly feel energized again. It was a great pick-me-up in such a school-centric month.
//May Goals//
My May goals revolve a lot around preparing for summer break. I have May, June, July and the beginning of August before classes start again, so I want to be productive as I can in the time I have. Right now, I want to make plans for working out, finance, blogging, and my business. After these things are planned in the next week, I’ll start implementing them throughout the month.
//Create Summer Fitness Plan
2017 was definitely an amazing year for me health-wise. I worked out consistently and ate a lot healthier. If you’ve been following along, you all know that I pinched a nerve in my back on my trip to Bangladesh and have been experiencing chronic back pain ever since, so I haven’t been able to work out. I also haven’t eaten as healthily as a result, so I really want to get my act together this summer when it comes to my fitness habits.
I’ve been to an orthopedist and they don’t one hundred percent know what’s going on. My back still hurts, but not nearly as much as it hurt in January and February. My first step is to plan around that. I’m getting a gym membership for LA Fitness next week like I did last summer. It would’ve been this week, but I’m sick. The working out will have to wait.
I also usually don’t eat very nutritiously in the summer months because my schedule is so up in the air (I have a tendency to snack), so I need to create good health habits on that account as well.
//Work Out 4-5 Times Per Week
This is my goal for this summer in general. For the next three and a half months (May to Mid-August), I want to work out four to five times per week. I know that it’s possible because I did it last summer, but it’ll probably be more cardio-based because I haven’t been cleared to lift weights. I’ll start tracking this goal next week after I get better.
Related – Summer Workout Routine (2017)
//Create Financial Plan + Track Income And Expenses
Since I’m moving out in August, I need to plan out all the financial stuff that comes with that. I’ll bring you along with me when the time comes, but this summer is all about saving money. Financial stability was one of my 2018 goals. When I set that goal, I had assumed that I wouldn’t move out until 2019, so this year was about preparing for that. Because the timeline for that has moved up, I’ve got to start preparing.
I started the other financial goal of tracking my income and expenses last month after filing my taxes. I say that like I did anything substantial; I gave my dad all the information and he did my taxes for me (He understands self-employment taxes far better than me. I’ll learn it later). I just paid the money. I relied on my bank statement and Mint to do the work.
But last month, I started an Excel Spreadsheet to track my finances. This is small beans compared to other big financial goals, but this is a huge step for me. I’ve always kept track of my budget and income, but having it so well organized is something I’m very proud of. This will definitely help with taxes next year, but it’s also a great habit for me to start in the long run because I’ll be more aware of where my money comes and goes.
//Set Up College Transfer Stuff
I’ve already started on this. I’ve set up my new school email account and school ID. I have to register for Transfer Orientation in June. Those were the main things. By the end of this month, I hope to find an apartment complex. I have an idea of the area I want to live in and everything. I have to find a roommate. I’m either rooming with a close friend of mine (if that works out) or I’ll find a roommate on my own before August. These are just a few of the things I want to start preparing this month.
Related – The (Soon-To-Be) College Student’s Guide To Freshman Orientation
//Read 5 Books
I want to read 20 books this summer break (five per month), but I think I’ll be able to surpass that goal. At the end of March, I did a quarterly refresh of my 2018 goals (I have been meaning to share it, but final exams and bronchitis got in the way). I decided to read 50 books by the end of the year. I’ve already read 23 books so far (more if I didn’t group graphic novels together because they’re such fast reads), so it seems likely that this goal will be complete by August. In fact, I think I’ll be able to finish four books by the end of this week (bedrest has reading perks)
//Complete Blogging Course + Outline Product Idea
I bought a blogging course last month and am planning to go through and completing it by the end of this month. It’s a very comprehensive course that goes through email marketing, how to launch a product, how to create an email course, etc. I have a product idea that I would like to create before the fall semester starts. By the end of May, I want to have everything outlined and planned so that I can finish it in June and potentially launch it at the end of July. I’ve never done anything like this before, so there’s going to be a learning curve. I’m still super excited about taking this blog to the next level.
//Register For ASL Advanced Certification
I’ve been bouncing the idea of getting an advanced certification in American Sign Language for the last few weeks. I could get the basic one now, but if I take two more classes, I’ll be able to get fully certified so I think I’m going to do that. I found a program where I can do the first half of the classes this summer where I live and the other half in the city my school is in during the fall. If things work out, I will potentially be certified by December. This has been a goal of mine since high school, but I didn’t think I would complete it until after graduating college. It’ll be exciting to cross such a big skill goal off my list.
//Post 3 Blog Posts Per Week
I feel like I set this goal all the time, but I always pull through during the summer. I was on top of my game last year: I pre-wrote and scheduled posts for Monday, Wednesday Friday every week all summer, and my pageviews showed how well that consistency was received. I want to go back to that schedule again, so this will be a regular weekly goal in my Powersheets for the next three months.
//Meet Up With A Friend Twice A Week
Meeting up with someone once a week seems completely doable all summer, but planning a get together twice a week seems borderline impossible. One of my 2018 goals was to be more intentional about my friendships. Part of that is making time in my schedule to spend time with friends IN PERSON. I need to manage my time and prioritize making plans with friends because I love them and it’s not good for me to put all my focus and energy into “adulting.”
//April Reflection//
This month was pretty great even though it ended on a low note (Me taking my last final with bronchitis and a 102-degree fever). The fact that I completed almost all of my goals is very encouraging because I’m truly seeing the progress I’m making this year.
In terms of school, I was completely swamped. I had tests, papers, quizzes, and pop essays (who knew that could be a thing) that kept me busy, but I was completely on top of it. School went amazingly. I also wasn’t shaming myself for not blogging more because I knew I had a valid reason and was still managing to publish once a week. I was a bit hard on myself for not publishing last week, but I gave myself more grace than I would have a year ago.
Some highlights of last month were Pohela Boishak and my grandparents’ 50th anniversary. Pohela Boishak is Bengali New Year. It’s a lot like Chinese New Year in that we wear red, clean the house, and eat good food. My mom threw a party at the house and we all wore saris (as per tradition). My grandparents celebrated their 50th anniversary in Bangladesh, which is funny because all their kids and grandkids are in the Americas. The timing just worked out that way. Here are some pictures.
Spring allergies are still killing me. One day my eyes will be stinging, the next day my nose will be running, then another day my arms will be covered with hives….. it’s just one thing after another. I’ve had severe environmental allergies my whole life, but this season has been one of the absolute worst.
And I guess the biggest accomplishment from last month was that I committed to transferring and moving out. My parents have mixed feelings about me leaving, but the timing is right. I’ll talk more about all this and the process of moving away from a special needs sibling and how my brother will handle it soon. It’s going to be a struggle, but we’ll make due. It’s still very exciting to think about how different life is going to be in a few months. I’m so ready for the independence that comes with it.
Well, that’s it for now. You are going to be seeing a lot more of me in the next few months. I can actually promise that this time and you all can take it seriously! I’ll see you on Friday!
What are some of your goals for this month? My finals ended earlier than most people’s, so how are your finals going if you’re still in the thick of it?