I cannot believe it’s October already. September seemed to fly by–I’m kind of freaked out that I seemed to miss most of it I was so busy doing schoolwork.

Truth be told, school is stressing me out this year. I still love it, but it’s definitely busy and I’m getting a little overwhelmed. Because of that, I feel like life is slipping away from me, and I don’t really know how to grab ahold of it again.

So, I’ve decided that I want to be purposeful about each month, starting with making some October goals. I’ve always loved reading Catherine’s monthly goals posts, and I think it’s a great way to be more present, since you’re working towards something rather than just running after everything that’s slipping away! 

So I’m going to start this. Every month I’m going to have 3 goals I will try to complete, and then the next month I’ll give a report on how it went as well as issue myself three new ones.

So here we go!

Since I don’t have any goals to recap about, I thought I’d do some of my favourites/victories from September:

Favourite: Connor and I discovered Swing Dancing!

Swing dancing has become our thing. We’re going twice a month now, and I absolutely love it! Dancing with him is so much fun–he proposed to me at an Irish céilí dance, actually, saying that he wanted to dance with me the rest of our lives. (I know, he’s actually the sweetest).

Victory: I managed to purge half of my t-shirts

I’ve been working towards a capsule wardrobe for the last two months or so, but clothes are expensive and I don’t have the funds to be able to just go out and buy some very versatile pieces. So I’ve been following my own advice on updating your wardrobe on a college budget and am selling all of my non-versatile pieces on my university’s clothing exchange group and buying “new” and versatile pieces from there, too! I got an amazing little black dress that I swapped for two t-shirts that are really cute, but just don’t go with anything in my closet. So I’m getting there!

Favourite: lamb.

I’ve learned how to cook lamb, guys. I crossed it off in my college bucket list about two weeks ago. And I’m good at it, and Connor loves it! I’m making a lamb rack tonight, so I’ll let you know how it goes. :)

So that was September, now, for my October goals:

1. Do school every week day from 8-5

I’m pretty much doing this right now, but I get distracted very easily and have a hard time staying focused. I want to make a conscious effort to do school during work hours with only a quick lunch break instead of working super hard for two hours, take an hour off, work a little for an hour, etc. Because I have so much to get done, I think this will help me get a handle on it better so that it’s less overwhelming!

2. Have relaxing time twice a week

I’ve written again and again on how important it is to take care of yourself. Funnily enough, though, when I get stressed this is the first thing I drop. Which makes me more stressed, which makes me less productive, which just adds on more stress. So I’m going to make a conscious effort to have truly relaxing times this month. That means a bath on Saturdays and doing a facial or something mid-week. I find that pampering myself is one of the best ways to reduce stress.

3. Get rid of two things a week

This is a goal I’ve been thinking about for a while but haven’t actually gotten around to doing. I’m trying to live a minimalist lifestyle, but it can be really hard to go through your house and get rid of a ton of stuff all in one big go. So I’m going to start donating, selling, or throwing out two things a week this month and see how that goes.

So those are my goals this month! I really think that following these will reduce my stress level immensely, and help me get a better handle on school. I really have an amazing year ahead of me, and I want to be present enough to enjoy it! It’s my last one as an undergrad, so I definitely don’t want to waste it scrambling to catch up!

What do you want to get done this month? What are your goals?