Q1 2019 Goals Check In

Is it goals check in season already!?

I feel like I mention this constantly, but I mean it when I say that time just absolutely flies by. While the weekdays at work are all a blur, the weekends usually are a bit slower which is nice, but it still leaves me with that feeling of “where has the time gone?”

While this is a check in of how I’ve done against my 2019 goals during the first quarter of the year, I feel like focusing on slowing down my perception of time will try to be a focus of mine for the rest of the year.

What I mean by this is to try new experiences, or do things a little differently every so often. When your experiences become too similar (like the drudgery of the 9-5), your brain tends to combine all those experiences together, making it seem like time is going faster than it really is!

I value my time, and I don’t want it to seem like I’m living in fast forward!

Anyways, mini-rant over 🙂 lets see how those goals are doing!

Financial Goals

Max Out 401K/HSA

With my high salary, this one is a fairly easy goal for me to hit, but I find it one of my favorites nevertheless.

After doing my own taxes this year (through turbotax) and pulling together old tax documents from prior years out of personal interest, I noticed just how powerful the pre-tax savings really is.

I am saving myself thousands of dollars in taxes every year by contributing to these accounts!

Seeing how my overall tax liability has changed over the years really put this into perspective for me, and its a future post idea in the making.

Status: On Track

Purchase Rental Property #1

This is something I still have my eye on, though my thoughts may have potentially shifted.

I mentioned this in my February Rumblings post, but I also have my attention focused on my local DC/Northern Virginia market for potential deals that could come through.

Finding a property (most likely a condo) that I could live in during the time I’m here, and rent out for a positive cash flow should I ever move would be very enticing. Unfortunately those properties are few and far between, so I may have to get lucky in my timing in order to land one.

Status: In Progress

Fully Fund Roth IRA… with ONLY Side Hustles

I knew this was going to be a intensely challenging goal the moment I wrote it down, and it hasn’t failed to disappoint.

I wrote about my struggles and The Need For Structure in pursuing these types of side hustles, but I’ve yet to get in a rhythm and find something that works.

In addition, the only current side hustle I have going on has actually taken a turn for the worse recently (sneak peak for March’s update). Hopefully I can get back on track with that as the weather gets better, but I am very far off the mark of where I hoped I would be

I have a boatload of excuses ready to go as to why I haven’t gotten the ball rolling on this goal, but at the end of the day it just comes down to holding myself accountable. I simply haven’t made it a big enough priority.

We’ll see if I can make this more of a priority in Q2 and get the side hustle train rolling.

Status: Needs Work

Savings Rate of 65%

This was also a pretty lofty goal that would require some reduction in budget spending or raising of my income to achieve.

Through February, I’m right on track at 65%, though that may not be entirely accurate as I’ve already had one of my two 3 paycheck months on the year, which has helped inflate that number up.

I recently received a higher than expected raise, which goes into effect in April, which should certainly help to offset the side hustle income that has been lacking.

Looking forward to later in the year, I’m hopeful I will get another promotion at work that would raise my income even higher, as well as a potential significant reduction in expenses, to help out with this goal.

As always, you can keep up with my status of this one on my Net Worth Updates page.

Status: In Progress

Raise My Pre-tax Income > $100K

A big part of this goal was accomplished in Q1 when I got a much higher than expected raise! It goes into effect in April, and will certainly help to grow my income.

However, this won’t be enough to push we over this threshold. I’m currently sitting at about $24K in pre-tax income through March (sneak peak!) which is slightly below the targeted pace.

The potential promotion later this year and resumption of side hustle activities will be essential in hitting this milestone.

Status: In Progress

Personal Goals

Read at least 12 Books

This was the same goal I accomplished last year, but one I found very worth it.

I got off to a slow start last year and had to play catch up at the end, but this year I’ve gotten off to a much better start! I’m through two and a half books so far, so fairly close to being right on pace.

I’m a slow reader, so I’ll never be able to read the insane amount of books others can read, but one per month is manageable for me and definitely a priority.

Status: On Track

Work Out More Consistently

As seemingly every quarter, I struggled off and on with this one. There were weeks I was really good, and others which I was not.

That being said, I believe I’ve finally found a way to up my motivation for being more consistent with this category, but I’m saving it to go further in depth for a post later this month. Stay tuned! 🙂

Status: In Progress

At Least One Long Walk/Run/Hike Per Week

If we look at this goal from the technical side, I achieved this no problem.

My walk to work (on the 1-2 days a week I get to walk there) is 4 miles round trip. As long as I go to this office once per week I’ve technically accomplished this goal (which I have).

However, the spirit of it was meant to be done on my free time, as a way to unwind or do something adventurous.

I unfortunately can’t say this was done every week, however I’m at least happy to look back and say that it was done most weeks!

The winter is admittedly tough, when sometimes I just have no desire at all to be outside in the freezing cold. With spring here, I don’t envision this being a huge challenge going forward, but something I will be mindful of nonetheless!

Status: In Progress

Meditate, Yoga, or Stretch every day

This has pretty much been a great success! While I have not tracked this on a daily basis for the month, I’d say I did one of these over 95% of the days which is awesome for me.

Sometimes I don’t have the time to get a good stretch in, but on those days I’ll still just relax for 5-10 minutes and try to clear my head, focusing on my breathing.

After having a tough time dealing with stress in the quarter, this goal is more important than ever.

While I made some huge strides in my flexibility last year, I’ve kind of plateaued at the moment which has been a bit of a bummer.

I’m used to things (especially on the physical/athletic side) coming a bit easier for me, so reminding myself that some things take quite a bit of time has been a good experience for me.

Status: On Track

Post (at least) Once Per Week on Blog

I’m happy to say this has been a success so far! Though admittedly it has come with it’s close calls (such as this rare Saturday post).

While I’ve been consistent on getting out a post a week, the timing of those posts have been anything but, being released on any day from Tuesday-Saturday, seemingly at random.

Sorry about that! I write when I’ve got the free time, and that varies weekly with my fluid work schedule and weekend activities. As always, feel free to subscribe (link or in the sidebar) if you want a simple email informing you or when my next post releases.

I don’t send any emails other than post updates, seeing as I’m not sure how that would be much different from what I’m already doing on the blog! 🙂

Status: On Track

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As you could tell, there were some goals that went very well, while others have some significant work ahead in order to be accomplished.

I believe it’s important to periodically take stock of your progress on goals, and re-evaluate why certain ones are or aren’t successful. If they aren’t being measured, how can you tell if you’re on your way to accomplishing them!?

We’ll see what Q2 brings, but I hope to build upon this first quarter and make some solid progress.

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How did your first quarter go? Any goals you have accomplished, on track or are struggling with? Let me know!