Monthly Goal Review: April

Posting this really late because things got busy in April...I know, despite us being home most of the time. Work has been piling up for me, or perhaps because I am new and unfamiliar to the work, yet, hence I am taking much more time than usual to complete a task.

1. Be comfortable on my own
I'm so comfortable on my own now...I'm quite worried about the reverse culture shock I'll feel post-MCO.

I'm actually surprised how I've learned to be comfortable on my own - last year I couldn't stand having a free weekend on my own. I love alone time - there are so many things I could do and learn. Perhaps I should write more about this on a separate blog post.

What really helped me to be comfortable on my own is to have different lists of things to do - I constantly refer to it whenever I have free time, or think I have nothing to do. Turns out there are a lot of things one could do :)

2. Long term planning my wardrobe
The only thing I wear during MCO is my house clothes. I did not buy any clothing so you could say I'm sticking to my goal, as I don't need any new clothes when I stay home.

3. Create experience for myself and others
I tried...to talk to people more during MCO. Initiate conversation.

This is something for me to think about - how to create more experience for others despite being in a lockdown.

4. Read at least two books per month
I try my best to read at least a chapter a day, though recently it's much harder. But I'm quite happy to log in four books for the month of April:

This is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay (Non-Fiction)
Station Eleven by Emily Mendel St John (Fiction)
Girl In Translation by Jean Kwok (Fiction)
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi (Non-Fiction)

Glad to achieve a balance between fiction and non-fiction. I feel that recently I'm more drawn towards non-fiction, as I strive to improve myself, especially at work.

5. Doing a monthly review of my goals
On it :)

7. Do a monthly/weekly review of my spendings
For the month of April, my spendings were very plant-centric. I've been spending more than usual as well, because of my conscience that businesses need our support more than ever. I know we can't save the world, and my spending to their income, is probably quite insignificant, but I really believe it is something!

Fittonia plant, soil, pebbles, moss and charcoal (RM28.47)

To make terrarium! Have made four of it so far :)

Fertiliser (RM4.13)

It was for free but I had to pay for shipping. Loved it so far!

Pots from Taobao (RM97.55)

Okay...It was for four pots...four pretty pots. I know, it's a lot. Shipping cost almost half of it. But it's really pretty. Do I regret this purchase? I don't know, I can see how pots play a big role in the aesthetic. Ask me again in one month :p

Gifts for friends (RM100)
This month I had a few close friends' birthdays! No regrets for sure.

Roses from Cameron Highland (RM40)

It started off from a news article about the farmer destroying their flowers and crop....
Hence...

However, I have no regrets :) The roses are so pretty! It definitely brightened up my day, and hopefully the people whom I gave the rose plant to :)

More soil and cactus seeds (RM22.5)

Plants from Cameron Highland (RM35)

Ermmm. No regrets :p

Blog renewal (RM200)
To be honest, I'm not too sure why I'm still keeping this domain alive - I could just revert back to a normal Blogspot. This is an expense which I'm not too sure how I feel about.

Car battery voucher RM125
My car battery is due for a change and Lim Tayar is offering a voucher for half the price so why not!

I definitely spent much more than usual this month...but I don't really regret most of it, as it gave me something to do. The questionable ones are the pots and the blog domain renewal.

8. Learn the art of note-taking 
I'm starting to incorporate some Bujo technic with the Cornell method - it's still a #WIP!

I've also learnt new ways to organise to-do list which I sometimes apply to my work. I'll share some of it here:

Kanban Method
I really love this method. The Kanban method is a visual system to manage workflow. Work is broken up into manageable chunks, written on a piece of sticky note. Prepare a board with sections labelled "To-Do", "Doing" and "Done", and stick the sticky note to wherever appropriate. The workflow is visualised by moving the sticky notes acorss the board. Of course, you can be eco-friendly and use Padlet instead! (Which is what I am doing now!)

Here's an article by explaining it. It feels satisfying to move it around, and work is break up into small, doable chunks when I do so.


9. Cook a new dish each week Try out something new each week - it can be cooking a new dish, baking something, or even making something

MCO encouraged most people to cook but I find myself ordering in more often...mainly to support the businesses out there and also, I'm getting bored of staying in. So hence...I've adjusted the goal. Plus, I'm kinda lazy to go grocery shopping for food stuff to cook because the supermarkets are always crowded...(excuses, I know.)

Week 1 (Technically this was made on the last day of March..but let me count this in ya :p, since I did not record this last month)

Week 2: Coconut planter

Week 3: Chocolate Chips Cookies

10. Write more at least 100 words per day (not including what I write at work)

This failed - somehow I find it hard to push myself to write in April. Also part of the reason why this post wasn't published on time.

New Goals

11. Log down news article I've read and jot down my thoughts about it, ie reading with purpose

This became inconsistent after 18 April, when work suddenly got very busy. I'm still trying to do this at the best of my capacity :)


12. Keep a daily log of how I spend my time
Yes did this for the whole of April

A nasty side effect came out from this - I feel pressured to make sure that time is well spent in a day. It is not a bad thing, I am conscious about how I spend my time, but sometimes I feel the overwhelming need to push myself to be productive, which can feel suffocating at times, and it sometimes lead to me being counterproductive.

I am worried too that I will feel bitter after MCO is lifted and I realise how much time I can waste when commuting.

Intervention method: to set "budget" for mindless hours/downtime for myself. To give me some leeway to rest and you know, be unproductive, within the allocated budget.