Can we all agree that March 2020 was the weirdest and longest month EVER? Needless to say, my March tending list got blindsided by COVID-19. My April 2020 Tending List almost didn't happen, but I decided, in this time of uncertainty, I needed something to work towards.
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First of all, if you’re unfamiliar with the goal-setting workbook PowerSheets, go back to read my 2020 PowerSheets and 2020 Goals post.
MARCH 2020 PROGRESS
March 2020 was B-A-N-A-N-A-S, y’all. I started the month in Nashville, dodging a tornado by about 3 blocks, and then this whole COVID-19 thing hit mid-month, turning everything in the entire world upside down.
So how did I do with my March 2020 goals? Not great.
//MONTHLY PROGRESS:
❌ Make appointment with general practitioner – POSTPONED
❌ Plan 12th anniversary – PLANS CHANGED
❌ Open online boutique – CANCELLED
✔️ Women’s Night of Worship meeting – HOORAY! Did this one, but the actual event has now been cancelled, so…yea.
❌ Plan Australia graduation trip – CANCELLED
❌ Read the book of Acts – GOT SIDETRACKED
❌ Read 9 books – ALMOST! Read 6.
The hardest part of March, by far, was having to cancel the Australia trip. My daughter graduates from high school in May (and may not even have the ceremony now), so our graduation trip was cancelled because of the Coronavirus. We just can’t take any chances, but hopefully we can go next year.
//WEEKLY PROGRESS:
❌ Keep the Sabbath – 1 Friday out of 4
❌ Tithe 10% – 2/4
❌ Meal plan & grocery shop – NOPE
❌ Paycheck budget – NOPE
❌ Prayer journal – NOPE
March just didn’t work out. Ugh.
//DAILY PROGRESS:
- Gym or walk: I only made it to the gym 4 times, then went walking a couple times, but y’all – March was weird.
- Morning routine – didn’t have one.
- Evening routine – again, didn’t have one.
- No-spend: the only daily tending item that did well, mostly because I couldn’t leave the house for the bulk of the month.
Have I said it yet? March was weird. Enough said.
SPRING GOAL REFRESH
As if the PowerSheets knew that I needed it, there’s a built-in quarterly update, and it falls neatly between March-pocalypse and April-demic.
Each quarterly refresh gives you an opportunity to review and assess each area of your life.
I really enjoyed this process, especially with so much chaos and uncertainty in the world right now. It felt good to see that, in spite of the pandemic and strangeness of self-isolation, I’m actually doing okay.
Next, I did a complete goal refresh. I decided to just start from scratch, and it took me several days to really hammer down what I want to focus on for the next three months.
SECOND QUARTER GOALS
My goals for the second quarter of 2020 look a little different than my original goals for the full year. I’ve created six different focus areas that I can work on during this period of uncertainty.
- Focus on fiscal responsibility: The hubs had to take a pay cut due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so we’ll be learning to live on less.
- Focus on faith: I want to get back into my routine of a weekly Sabbath and tithing, and maintain daily quiet time.
- Focus on health & wellness: I can’t go the gym, but I can still exercise. I just have to stop making excuses! I’m also using my essential oils more regularly.
- Focus on home: I’m home all the time, so I’ll be tackling home projects I’ve put off, and keeping the house clean.
- Focus on blog & biz: Did I mention I’m home? I have more time to blog, both here on STSG, and my new website, KThompson Marketing.
- Focus on fun: I’ll continue my reading habit, and enjoy more outdoor activities like kayaking and corn hole.
APRIL 2020 TENDING LIST
Alrighty, let’s get down to business. Now that I’ve created my 6 focus areas for the next three months, I sat down and wrote out my monthly, weekly, and daily tending list items to work on for the month of April 2020.
First, I wrote out my 6 focus areas and ideas to help me cultivate each of them for the month of April. This helps me determine which items will be weekly, monthly, or quarterly.
Next, I transferred those ideas to my April 2020 tending list in their appropriate areas.
//MONTHLY ACTION ITEMS:
- Laundry room makeover: We’re adding cabinets to create better (and prettier!) storage.
- Paving stones: Adding a section of paving stones on the side of the house where the garden hose lives.
- Paint front door: Another house project I’ve been meaning to do.
- Read 6 (or more) books: I feel confident this will happen.
- Sign one person to Young Living: I love my essential oils, but rarely talk about them. I’ll be sharing more on the blog and social media, so if you’re interested, let me know!
//WEEKLY ACTION ITEMS:
- Sabbath: Sometimes I feel like I’m living in a perpetual state of rest, but I need to get back into my intentional day of restful worship.
- Tithe: I’ll be honest – fear has kept me from tithing the full 10%, but I trust God to provide, even on less income.
- 1 KThompson Marketing blog post
- 1 Bible teaching: probably on Instagram Live and then sharing the replay here on the blog
- 1 STSG blog post (like this one!)
//DAILY ACTION ITEMS:
- Walk/exercise: It’s so easy to get outside and walk, but I get complacent. Gotta just do it!
- Quiet time: I do this now, but want to be sure I continue to do it.
- Clean/chore: I will be cleaning 1 area of my home, or doing 1 household chore each day (except Sabbath)
I’m keeping it simple this month, but also giving myself actual tasks to do, rather than sitting around being bored and wasting this precious time we’ve been given.
Before I go, I want to share the divider page for April. Honestly, this was one of those little God-winks for me. Check this out:
BELIEVE IN WHAT YOU CAN’T YET SEE.
How awesome is that? We can’t see the end of this current crisis, but it’s there. I will continue to work on being a better person in every facet of my life, and when this is over, I pray I have a new normal that includes intentionality in my work, appreciation for the little things, and gratitude for the relationships I have.
