Mid Year Goals Update

Every month I post an update on my progress towards my goals for the month of interest. This post however will cover my over the course of the year so far. So, it will look at lot like my monthly updates but I will show my progress for each  month and follow up with some actions I need to take in order to get myself back on track.

GOALS

Financial

- Expense rate under 45% of my net income. Needs work.
Year to date: 57%

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun
108%	35%	75%	51%	51%	38%

My year started off pretty bad with the purchase of airplane tickets to New Zealand. But I did have two good months, hopefully that will become more of a trend.





Actions: Track expenses as they happen. I usually go back at the end of the month to tally the damage which does not help me adjust to changes. 
- Establish an emergency fund with automatic deposits. Needs work.
Actions: Just do it. I have the cash right now I just need to open the account.


- Invest $2,500 per month. Needs work.
Below is the amount I invested each month this year:

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	YTD	Goal	Progress
4000	2203	2151	2482	200	200	11236	15000	75%

 I started off the year quite well but May and June were terrible as I have been holding cash for the possibility of buying a house later this year.
Actions: Continue my holding pattern  until I know what our plan is, the good thing about holding on to my cash right now is that I can invest it at anytime and get right back on track with this goal.
 
 

- Open a Loyal3 account and start automatic investing. Mostly Complete

I opened an account and starting automatic investing, however I don't want to mark this as complete yet, this month I would like to add to these investments.
Actions: 
   1) Double my monthly investments
   2) Find 4 more companies to invest in on Loyal3

- Pay for my vacations with overtime. On Track!
Below is the number of overtime hours I put in each month this year, and I am right on track an a little ahead of schedule.

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	YTD	Goal	Progress
15	12	28	4	6	21	86	83	103%

 Actions: keep up the 4 hours/week.

- Establish one new source of income. Needs work.

No progress here yet.

Physical

- Complete the Tough Mudder. On Track

I am already signed up for this one, so it will be happening.

- Workout my legs 2x per week. Need a little work
Below is the grade I gave myself each month.

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun
B	B	C	F	A	A

The last two months have been pretty good as I have gotten used to including legs in my regular routine.
Actions: Keep up the recent trend, start marking the calendar on leg day to stay more organized with my tracking.

- Complete a sprint triathlon. On Track

My triathlon is this coming weekend and after a couple more swimming sessions I will be as ready as I can be for the race.

- Complete a 15K in 1 hour and 24 minutes (9 minute/mile). Needs work.

Actions: 
   1) Sign up for a 15K late summer/early fall.
   2) Start running on a treadmill one mile in 9 minutes before a workout.
   3) Research running apps that track your speed
   4) Start training with running app

- Reduce my percentage of body fat to 12%. Needs work.

I am actually not sure what my current percentage but right now I don't think I am doing very well.

Actions:
   1) Find out current body fat % (my gym has an electronic device that I can use to track, but I need to learn how to use it.
   2) Track body fat % on a monthly basis
   3) Track calories
   4) Go back on Whole30 (if needed)

- Track my calorie intake every day and review weekly. Needs work.

Below are the grades I gave myself each month. As you can see I started off well but things went down hill fast and have stayed down.

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun
A	A	F	F	B	D

Actions: Set a reminder on my phone each morning to track my food from the day before.

Personal

- Read 6 Books from my Reading List. C

Finally started one of the books on my reading list. But I'm going through it pretty slowly so I need to pick up the pace.
Actions: Start reading at other times besides just before bed. Go straight from one book to another without a break.

- Take an online class. Needs work

Honestly I do not see myself completing this goal. There just is not enough time and I do not have the motivation to go after it. 
Actions: Identify a specific class I would like to take.

- Average one blog post per week. On track

Below is the number of posts I made to my blog each month.

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun
4	4	3	4	5	3

My average is actually at 3.8 so I am close on this goal and I think a couple of good months of writing will let me make up for the bad.
Actions: Make a template for my monthly updates to speed up that process.

- Travel somewhere new. COMPLETE

- Try meditation. Needs work

I have no progress here.
Actions: Research meditation for beginners

- Try out one new hobby. Needs work

I think I am going to pursue mountain biking, but I need to figure how I can try it out instead of diving headfirst into it.

Actions: Research Seattle mountain biking groups, if nothing comes of that, I can take a mountain biking course from my local REI but that costs money that I would rather put down on a mountain bike if it turns out I do like it.

- Date night with my girlfriend at least once per month. On track

I think this one has been going well so far but it needs improvement in being specific about what the date is and when we are doing it, basically plan in advance.
Actions: Put the date on the calendar

Conclusion

I am definitely making some progress but I am still behind on most of my goals. But I think I can turn things around with some renewed dedication and a strong plan.

Photo: FreeDigitalPhotos.net