Greetings, loved ones. Let’s take a journey through October and check in with how I’ve been doing on my October goals.

Let’s take them each, one by one, and see how I did.

1. Map out my week and time-block my days. // I will call this one HALF done, as of 10/28. I mapped out what a “normal” (is there really any such thing for a musician) week is for me, including all the stationary obligations, like my teaching schedule and my church gig. It was pretty cool to have a visual representation of what my week looked like—it really helped me see big chunks of time in my day. The next step is to divide those big chunks up into time blocks for all the things I want to get done.
   
2. Create a budget. // I did NOT do this for October. I WILL do this for November.
3. Track my spending. // I am also going to call this one 50% complete, as I did a very good job of tracking my spending with my flex money (the money unreserved/left over after I pay expenses). Going to give it even more of a go in November.
4. Clean out my iPhone photos. // I haven’t entirely decided what “clean out” means? That seems vague to me now, in retrospect. I DID manage to delete a lot of memes and clutter hanging out on my phone, but I don’t think I did a purge like I probably meant when I wrote this goal down.
5. Organize my Evernote. // YES. I did this. I am also making a concerted effort to go through and each time I use Evernote, make sure I’m organizing things properly.
6. Clean out my Pocket. // HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA NO I JUST ADDED MORE STUFF TO IT. See y’all on Hoarders: Digital Clutter.
7. Celebrate fall & Halloween in the studio. // Oh boy, yes! I did this! I created a little incentive box for my students to pick from when they accomplish their practice goals each week in October. Some kids don’t care about stuff like this, but other kids LOVE IT.
8. Decorate my apartment for Halloween. // TBH this one was done at the time I wrote the October goals post soOoooOooOOooOo, there you go.
9. Carve a pumpkin. // Surprisingly, I have not done this? I’m kind of horrified by the fact that I haven’t. There are TWO pumpkins chilling in my apartment and yet … neither are carved. I’m not sure I’ll get this done by Halloween. And … I’m okay with that.
10. Make four new recipes. // Again, 50% done. I made two. There was definitely enough time to make four new recipes, but I didn’t plan out what I was going to make and when I was going to make it, so you can guess what happened next. The two recipes I did make were fantastic. What did I make, you might be asking! Well, LET ME TELL YOU. I made Peruvian-Style Roast Chicken and a One-Pot Taco Casserole I found on MyFitnessPal.
    
11. Celebrate my friend Audrey’s wedding! // Y’all, I did this and it was so good. I went to Oklahoma City, had a four hour voice lesson (and I’m not exaggerating), ate a lot of delicious food, and saw my beautiful friend marry the love of her life. It doesn’t get much better than that.
    
12. Drink tea. Burn candles. // The weather has been deliciously wonky here, going up into the 70s and then down again without abandon, so I haven’t really felt the hot tea spirit as much as I should have. But uh … I have burned a lot of candles. And will continue to do so.
13. Track my meals. // Yup! Did this. I didn’t track when I was in OKC, because why would I even do that when I could just eat #allthethings without abandon? I GOTTA LIVE, Y’ALL. Anyway, other than that weekend, I absolutely did this.
14. Print out a calendar and write in potential dates. // My calendar is printed and my dates are … not in it. Yet. I am going to do this before November starts. MARK MY WORDS. I have typed this, so now I have to do it.
15. Get a haircut. // I am ashamed to say that NOPE, this didn’t happen. Your girl still has a hair cape with split ends.
16. Read four books. // I was hoping to call this one 50% done, but it’s more like 35% done. I finished my fiction book within 48 hours, and then I got a notice from the library that one of my holds was ready for checkout … and of course it was Helter Skelter, which is a bit longer than I probably would have chosen for my non-fiction book. I’ve spent the majority of the month reading that and then I saw last night that it had unexpectedly been returned early? I DON’T KNOW BUT I AM MAD ABOUT IT. Hopefully, timeblocking will help with my reading for next month. I may try listening to an audiobook or two next month, as well.If you want to see what I’m reading, follow me over at Goodreads.
17. Watch four operas. // Nope. Didn’t plan for it, didn’t schedule the time, forgot.
18. Listen to two classical works and write about them. // Nope. Didn’t plan for it. Didn’t schedule. Forgot.
19. Listen to two non-classical albums and write about them. // Nope. Are you sensing a pattern here?
20. Go to a movie. // I still haven’t done this! I am the worst at self-care that involves leaving my house.
21. Take on at least five transcription jobs a week. // At the end of the day, I did not get this done, but the weeks I did transcribe, I did a LOT of transcribing, so I’m calling it accomplished.
22. Create at least four products for my Teachers Pay Teachers store. // 50% done. I made two. One product is posted and one product I did today. I know I could be more prolific; I have so many ideas I want to execute. I’ve just got to schedule the time in and make a plan!
    As a side note, if you’re a music teacher-y type and want some cool stuff to use with your studios (for group or private teaching), you should definitely follow me at Southern Fried Soprano on TpT.
23. Create running list of blog post ideas in Evernote. // I haven’t moved my list to Evernote yet, but I did write a list!
24. Create a blog editorial calendar. // Nope. Again, I didn’t schedule the time to do this and therefore, I did not do it.
25. Post one blog weekly. // I did not manage one blog weekly, but I did manage three posts in October (four if you’re counting this one!), which is like, more than most of 2018. PROGRESS.
26. Gratitude journal. // Nope, and I think this is the one I am most ashamed of not accomplishing? Why didn’t I do this? I literally have no excuse.

What have I learned this month about setting goals? It’s not enough just to set goals. You must also meticulously design a plan for accomplishing them.

As for me, I did a fantastic job of deciding what was important to me in October. I’m totally allowed to pat myself on the back for this—this is my blog, after all! GOOD JOB ME. However, with some of my smaller goals, I didn’t create a plan for follow through. The bulk of those goals fell by the wayside.

It would be easy to be super bummed about all the goals I didn’t make progress on in October, but frankly? I’m going to take the lessons learned, adjust accordingly, and attack them differently going forward.

I think it’s important for me to be honest about what I did get done and what I didn’t–it’s easy to only post about my successes. I don’t consider the things I didn’t get done failures, either. They just haven’t happened yet! I need to analyze why, determine if those things are still important to me, and adjust my plans (or, in some cases, MAKE a plan!).

I was the most successful with goals that I have prioritized over a longer period of time. For instance, I was super successful with tracking my meals, but I have also been doing that pretty much non-stop since the end of January. It’s safe to say that continuing to track my meals in October (I use MyFitnessPal, by the way) was not going to be such a stretch to do. It’s a habit I’ve developed.

Contrast that with my goals to watch two operas and two new pieces of music and write about them? I didn’t plan out how I was going to accomplish it, just that I was going to, at some point. Nebulous planning leads to nebulous accomplishment!

Habits are fascinating to me. I guess you could say I am a creature of habit. I’d like to say I’m super spontaneous, and there are definitely facets of my personality that are, but for the most part, I like to know what I’m doing, when I’m doing it, and how it’s getting done.

I learned a lot about myself in October and how I like to get things done. I’m looking forward to November and all it brings–goals included! I’ll be posting my November goals this week, so stay tuned!

How did you do on your goals for October? What would you like to get done in November?

It’s cliché, but these next three months are hands-down my favorite. No questions asked. No time to think needed. I love the weather, the flavors, the holidays, celebrations, and special occasions. I don’t care how basic that makes me.

I am acutely aware that at some point I will be miserably cold and shivering under four or five layers, but for the time being, I’m going to enjoy wearing makeup and not feeling like it’s melting down my face five minutes later. (Yes, I have setting spray. Don’t @ me.)

These upcoming months mean longer outside walks with Lily Munster (sans mosquitoes), comforting, hearty meals featuring spicy and rich flavors, warm baths, big cups of tea, blankets, oversized sweaters, open windows (at least for a few weeks), candlelight, and lot of general merriment. Even if I don’t have any parties scheduled in my planner, every day is its own little celebration.

I am that girl who got her PSL at Starbucks on launch day–which, if you recall, was in August. I do have a tiny bit of shame, so I asked the barista as casually as I possibly could, though I don’t think I fooled anyone.

I like cardigans. I like cardigans even more when I can wear them and not sweat.

The smells and tastes of this season are things I enjoy year-round.

I stock up on seasonal scents during this time so even when it’s April and everyone’s talking about flowers (which I enjoy), I’m still smelling peppercorn and spice and pumpkin.

Above all, I am just made for this season. I am stoked about fall.

Today in Kansas, the forecast is 89 degrees. Summer’s last stand! My AC is whizzing and whirring, even though I try my best not to run it past September. Outside on my porch, #dirtclods2018 maintain a strong presence–I’m up to my eyeballs in peppers. Despite a few days last week of lower temperatures, it doesn’t quite feel like fall is ready to stay.

Regardless, I am in Full Fall Mode™. My apartment is decorated for Halloween (though I doubt anyone but me [and maybe the Internet]) will really get to see it. There’s a pumpkin candle burning and I’m thinking about all the things I want to do in the last months of 2018.

I had a hard time thinking about how to structure my goals for October. It’s not at all challenging for me to make lists of things I want to do. In fact, I frequently overwhelm myself with lists of tasks.

If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll see I regularly post pictures of my weekly goal checkboxes. There’s something so satisfying about putting a big X in a little box.

But beware! My boxes and lists can be dangerous! I can get so into the idea of checking off the box that I forget the reason I’m doing the task in the first place. The big why. What’s the point?

This October, I am trying to meet myself somewhere in the middle. As I planned out my October goals, I found myself in the between-space of making lists of tasks and lists of reasons why. In compromise, I decided to write the big picture and then how I hoped to accomplish that this month.

October Goals

I want to get more stuff done and get organized.

1. Map out my week and time-block my days. // I know there are a lot of things I want to do. I also know there are many things I have to do. My life as a performer and teacher means an irregular schedule, but even so, there are a lot of stationary things on my calendar. I’m hoping a visual representation of my days will show me the little pockets of time I waste and that I can use for other things! Flexibility is key, I think, to make sure I maintain a balance between a nice routine and a stressful schedule.
2. Create a budget. // I am not bad with money, but I want to be even better. I am saving for a lot of things right now (maybe more on that later). Knowing my fixed expenses will tell me how much I can devote to those things.
3. Track my spending. // I want to be more mindful of where my money is going. There are lots of apps and digital tools I could use for this, but I will use an old-fashioned paper transaction register. Physically writing down each expenditure will force me to think about what I’m spending my money on.
4. Clean out my iPhone photos. // I take a lot of screenshots of quotes, books, and other things I want to remember as I mindlessly scroll through the Internet (which … hopefully by the end of this month, I will be doing a lot less of). I tell myself I’ll put the ideas in another place and then I never do, which results in a backlog of screenshots clogging up my phone. TIME TO PURGE.
5. Organize my Evernote. // I used Evernote religiously in undergrad. In grad school, I stopped for some reason … maybe because I realized that I’d rather take notes on paper. I love bullet journaling but I am not willing to add another paper object to my routine right now (my paper planner is fine). A few weeks ago, I decided to start using Evernote again and I’m remembering just how useful it was!
6. Clean out my Pocket. // I feel like a digital hoarder, but yeah. Lots of articles and things in my Pocket that I need to sort through, read, or delete.

I want to savor and enjoy fall.

1. Celebrate fall and Halloween in the studio! // I am already on the case with this one. On Monday, I showed up to work wearing a pumpkin headband and my first pair of seasonal leggings. (I literally cannot be stopped. You cannot stop me. I am unstoppable.) I also decided to create a practice incentive for my students with the Super Stash for Spooktacular Students™. More fall and Halloween fun is forthcoming!
2. Decorate my apartment for Halloween. // I have already done this one, too. LOOK AT ME GO.
3. Carve a pumpkin. // I’m not sure if I will make it to a pumpkin patch (who wants to go with me?), but no matter what, I’m determined to carve a pumpkin. Will I top last year’s Law & Order: SVU pumpkin? Time will tell. The answer is probably no.
4. Make four new recipes. // Last year during Advent, I made a new recipe every week and I had so much fun. I love cooking, but when you live alone, making new things is a big commitment.
5. Celebrate my friend Audrey’s wedding! // I have been invited to a number of weddings over the last few years, but because of schedules and distance, I haven’t been able to attend any of them. My dear friend Audrey is getting married in Oklahoma on October 20th and she invited me! I am going! I am going to a wedding!
6. Drink tea. Burn candles. // #justGeorgeannethings

I want to continue focusing on my health and happiness.

1. Track my meals. // This is decidedly not a weight loss or “”””Health”””” blog (whatever that means), but it is a Georgeanne Blog, where I talk about things a Georgeanne is doing, and every day since the end of January, I have been tracking my meals. I am going to continue doing that. It makes me happy.

I want to be prepared for a 2019 audition season.

I don’t want to go into too much detail about this one yet, mostly because I am still sorting it out, but I do have at least one tangible action step related to this already set.

1. Print out a calendar and write in potential dates. // A simple but essential step.

I want to invest in myself.

1. Get a haircut. // Y’all, it’s been … almost three years. I’m going to leave it at that.
2. Read four books. // Many of my friends are super-readers. The other day, I saw another blogger report she had read 24 books! Awe-inspiring, honestly. While I am not shooting for that level of reading, I do hope to read more in October. Time-blocking my day will help me identify pockets of time where I can crack open a book. I plan to read one book for personal development, one music-related book, one fiction book, and one non-fiction book.
3. Watch four operas. // I learn so much about singing and performing when I watch live performances. Even if I can’t experience a performance in person, there are lots of options for me to stream or watch broadcasts, so in October, I am going to develop my craft by making opera-watching a priority.
4. Listen to two classical works and write about them.
5. Listen to two albums (non-classical) and write about them.
   
6. Go to a movie. // The last movie I saw in theaters was LEGO Batman (10/10, highly recommend), so it’s been a hot second. So far, I think I’m going to go see A Star is Born.

I want to make money.

(HAHAHAHAH DON’T WE ALL)

1. Take on at least five transcription jobs a week. // At the beginning of September, I had 39 private students! I am grateful to teach so much, but as my teaching schedule has grown more rigorous, my time for side-hustling has decreased. Something is better than nothing, though, so I am going to
2. Create at least four products for my Teachers Pay Teachers store. // I have been privately-teaching voice and beginning piano for a little over a year now, and I have noticed that lots of the resources published with method books don’t meet the needs of my students. They’re also very expensive, which is a strain on my students and often a strain on me. So, I started making my own. And because we’ve all gotta hustle, I started sharing these things with other teachers on Teachers Pay Teachers. My promise to myself has been that I would begin only by creating things I needed to use with my students … and I’m doing just that!

I want to grow my blog.

1. Create a running list of blog post ideas in Evernote.
2. Create an editorial calendar.
3. Post one new blog weekly.

I want to exude joy.

1. Gratitude journal. // I formerly used an app for this, but I may use an Evernote notebook this time around.

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Whew! We made it, y’all. I know it’s a lot, but I am committed to crushing it this month. I’d love to hear about your goals for this October. What are you planning to do?

PS. If you’d like to learn a little bit more about how I set goals, start here.