LIFE II 18 in 2018 Update (with FREE downloadable template)

It’s been too long since I both posted and updated my progress on my 18 in 2018 list. Now that we’re officially halfway through the year, I thought an update was due. 

For those of you unfamiliar, I first heard the idea to make a list of 18 things I want to do in 2018 on the podcast Happier with Gretchen Rubin (and I’m actually listening to the latest podcast as I type this!), and I immediately loved the idea. I have always liked new year’s resolutions, but found it hard to keep a lot of resolutions that were focused on habit change. The 18 in 2018 list has been so fun and rewarding for me because it enabled me to put more “resolution”-esque goals on my list with very concrete, one-time experiences or to-dos that were easier to achieve. Speaking of which, on to my 18 in 2018 updates sketch.

Desert 2 District Design II 18 in 2018 updates

Putting this together, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I’ve done in half a year. Most of what’s left on my list is planning travel, which I love to do so I think I should be able to get that done without too much difficulty. I’ve fallen the furthest behind on my spin goal, so I’ll need to make that happen soon. In terms of my habit goals, I am definitely making progress, but need to keep the momentum going the rest of the year.

If you’d like to use my template, you can download the image here (visit the link and right click on the image to download). Just print it and you can create your own progress report! 

LIFE II 18 in 2018 Progress Report

Desert 2 District Design II Progress over Perfection

Happy Thursday! I am trying to keep myself on track with my 18 in 2018 list by doing these periodic check-ins. I am a forever perfectionist so it's hard for me to be OK with incremental progress that isn't 100% perfect 100% of the time. This mantra helps me. 

Here's where things stand since my last check in:

It looks like I haven't added much, but the one I checked off last was a HUGE one for me--launching my online shop!

I've been wanting to do this for a while, but I've been intimidated by the technical aspects/little tasks that are all part of launching the shop--setting up Paypal, getting a postage meter, taking and editing photos of my artwork. But I chipped away at my mountain of tasks and gave myself a deadline by announcing my shop launch. And somehow... it came together! 

So even though I don't have much else to update, checking that one off the list was a huge accomplishment for me. I've just got to keep repeating my mantra above--progress over perfection.

LIFE II 18 in 2018 Progress Update

Desert 2 District Design II Stay Sunny

If you found this blog through my instagram, then you probably know about my fondness for list-making and goal-setting. It's probably not a surprise that I'm a Virgo. Although I've always loved goal-setting, I haven't always been the best at tracking my goals, especially long term goals. I often set grand goals, make progress, and then decide that I did enough or I'll lose interest and move on to the next project. 

This year, I am trying to see my 18 in 2018 (AND my new 30 before 30) lists through. So, to give myself a little accountability, I'm going to do periodic updates on my progress on both lists. Tackling my 18 in 2018 list first...

Desert 2 District Design II 18 in 2018 progress

I actually surprised myself a little with the amount of progress I made so far this year! I've made the most progress on my art and home-related projects, with a huge amount of help from my sweet and handy husband. I have my new art space all set up (which I LOVE and use daily), we made new side tables, and after a ton of deliberation and months of searching, we also finally ordered a new couch to replace our $50 IKEA couch that we've had for 3 years. 

I've also made a little progress on my travel goals--we went on our first international trip in years last month, spending a blissful three days in Playa del Carmen. 

I'm making progress on my monthly and weekly goals as well, although I'm doing better at some vs. others. Date nights have been a wonderful new tradition. I don't know if any of you are as obsessed with Google calendar as I am, but they have a new "GOALS" feature where you can tell it you want to set aside an hour (or any amount of time) for a goal once a week (or whatever frequency you want) and it'll find time on your schedule for you and create recurring appointments. It really made finding time for date nights easy for me, as an overly scheduled person, and we haven't missed one yet. 

I've also been doing my at least monthly spin classes thanks to Classpass, but injured my shoulder fairly seriously in the last month and am finding it hard to get back into my routine now that it's finally starting to heal. I am also really struggling with the bedtime routine. I'm great about it for a couple nights and then I'm back to somehow staying up until one in the morning and slogging through the next day.

Do you have any ideas for how to get back into a workout routine after injury or how to make a bedtime routine stick? If you have a list, I'd love to hear about your progress too!

Have a sunny weekend!

LIFE II Date Night Ideas (2/18 in 2018)

Desert 2 District Design II Heidi Nielson

I've been working on checking things off of my 18 in 2018 list (inspired by the wonderful Happier with Gretchen Rubin podcast) and one of the most fun things on my list is to go on weekly dates with my husband. We've been married for almost two years, but have been together for over 10. As you can imagine, it's easy to get into a routine when you've been together for so long. Our weekly date nights have been so fun to plan and have been a wonderful way to spend quality time together, usually doing something new. 

I've collected a few of my current favorite date night ideas. We've cooked new recipes twice now (including these vegan carrot "hot dogs" and this vegan spinach artichoke pizza). We've gone on walks around our neighborhood, went couch shopping and stopped in at a new-to-us tea bar & cafe, and we're planning an indoor camping night for this weekend! It's been a blast and thinking ahead to the number of dates we get to plan this year prompted me to round up some low-cost date ideas so I'll always have a resource to look back to when it's July and we're on date number 28 (and to hopefully give some of you some ideas as well!). Here are a few I'm looking forward to:

1. Visiting museums! We're lucky to live in a city full of some of the best free museums, Washington, D.C. I can't wait to visit the Hirshhorn's upcoming exhibit, PULSE or see some old favorites at the National Gallery. Even if your city doesn't have many free museums, most museums offer one free day each month, often on the first Saturday or Sunday of the month.
2. Getting outside. I'm especially excited to hike some new trails this spring/summer and to check off another item on my 18 in 2018 list---camping! I'm excited to go to Shenandoah National Park, but am also looking forward to visiting some smaller state parks in Virginia and Maryland as well. When we don't have a full weekend to spare, I am definitely looking forward to renting bikes and riding around the monuments. 
3. Trying new activities together! I just heard about Bad Axe Throwing opening in D.C. and am excited to check it out. Other ideas: splashcycle at the Watergate hotel, renting a kayak or stand-up paddle board, or playing the indoor mini golf course at H Street Country Club. 

What are your go-to affordable date ideas? I'd love to add more to our list!

1/18 Resolutions: DIY Simple Side Tables

DIY 

SIMPLE WOOD SIDE TABLES

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I recently created my list of "18 in 2018" inspired by the wonderful Happier with Gretchen Rubin Podcast and I'm proud to say that I checked off the first item on my list--making side tables for our living room! 

My list is kind of all over the place, but quite a few of them relate to making our home more personal, intentional, and calm. One thing that can make our house less calm is having lots of clutter. My husband has nicely observed to me, "you sure have a lot of art supplies around the house" (and not quite as nicely says when other people ask where I make art: "Everywhere"). So, to try to manage the clutter making art creates, I made it a goal to make two simple, inexpensive side tables with storage capacity. 

Enter wood crate + sand paper + wood stain and ... voila! You've got a super simple side table. I'm really happy with how these turned out, and they cost a grand total of $15 each. I ordered two of these wood crates and this wood stain from Michaels (it's really easy to find 20% off coupons for Michaels as well so you can save even more). Then my husband and I set to work sanding them down. They were fairly rough, so you'll want to spend some time sanding before staining to make sure you don't get splinters when taking things out of your new side table if you make your own. After sanding, I used an old rag to apply the stain. The stain recommends adding some kind of sealant on top of this, but I haven't yet gotten around to doing that. At some point, we may also add legs to the tables, but for now I'm going to count these as DONE!  I'm happy with them and my husband is VERY happy that my collage supplies are tucked away in their new home and not covering all of the available surfaces in our small apartment.

Do you have a list of 18 in 2018? Are any of them to make something for your home? Let me know in the comments!