Checking In – 2019 Goals & Priorities

August 21, 2019

Meghan Donovan at NYC Laduree I 2019 Goals & Priorities

Anyone else feel like 2019 is speeding by? In a way I do and in a way I feel like it’s been a long and laborious year. A lot has happened in my personal life and many unexpected changes have provided this year some unforeseen twists but today I wanted to revisit my goals and priorities that I set at the onset of the year and do a check-in on my progress.

Meghan Donovan at NYC Laduree I 2019 Goals & Priorities

2019 Goals & Priorities

2019 Goals & Priorities

Meghan Donovan at NYC's Laduree I wit & whimsy

Laduree Macarons I wit & whimsy

Laduree NYC | 2019 Goals & Priorities

Checking In – 2019 Goals & Priorities

Go on a yoga retreat.

Booked! I am going for two nights up to Woodstock with my friend Bekka in late October. So excited to prioritize myself by doing this. It’ll be my first yoga retreat!

Redesign wit & whimsy’s NYC guide & build one for Paris.

This project has certainly fallen by the wayside and truth be told, it may not happen this year. Instead, I launched Paris, Perfected and am spending all my extra time on that at the moment.

Finish decorating my apartment & shoot it.

Turns out I will have to move next year I’ve learned as the owner of my apartment will be selling it. I am SO bummed and therefore had some wind taken out of my sails when it came to finishing the place. I probably won’t do a full apartment tour as a result.

Spend my birthday in Paris.

I am so, so glad I treated myself to this. I needed the time to reflect, to celebrate and the best thing thing to come out of it was my idea for Paris, Perfected.

Join a wine club.

I signed up for Winc and I opt for a shipment about every other month. It’s fun to get the new bottles and try different varieties.

Take a photography class.

My friend Julia is a professional photographer and she was kind enough to sit down and re-teach me how to use my digital cameras. I’m so grateful she lent me her expertise (and patience) and I had so much fun shooting manually while in France.

Buy a new camera.

I bought this Sony one when it went on sale earlier this year and used it to shoot my London content here, my photos from DC and all my Provence and Paris photos this summer. It’s such a good value for a camera and I love its functionality and how light it is to travel with.

Complete BBG 2.0. 

I really loved the challenge of and results from my first round of BBG (I completed 1.0 which is 12 weeks + another 5 weeks of beginner workouts) and have since completed 2.0 as well! I am stalled on 3.0 due to summer travels but will finish it out at some point this year.

Do a detox to start the year. 

I have gotten 100% off track with my better eating habits and while I didn’t start the year with a formal detox, I did do a reset diet earlier this summer which I learned a lot from. I’m still working on being better with my diet day to day but get sidetracked easily.

Get a massage a quarter.

I’ve managed to do this and have reaped the benefits. Combined with my twice-monthly acupuncture, my headaches have been much improved this year and that feeling is priceless. The best massage I’ve had this year was no doubt right here.

Go on a shopping freeze in January.

Check, check, check! Did it and it was a breeze. May want to do another come this December.

Be more mindful.

I’ve definitely grown in this area this year thanks to absorbing quite a bit of content related to it. My Five Minute Journal has been so, so helpful on this front. This book also had a big impact and I’ve been working on manifestations, too.

Get back to meditating.

I was so in the groove with meditating in 2017 and early 2018 but I completely abandoned it somewhere mid-2018. I tend to do this during stressful times which is exactly when I need it most! I’ve definitely been using it more this year which has helped with my anxiety and sleep patterns. (Here is the app I like.)

Get more organized.

This may be a draw. I’ve had a lot of success certain weeks feeling organized and buttoned up and then other times I look at my to do list and apartment and think – will I ever get my head above water? This is the inevitable ebb and flow of working for yourself and on strange schedules. That being said, I have grown in my time management this year (post on that coming soon!) Have any organization tips for me? I am all ears!

Get back on a schedule.

I’ve found a lot of success with my schedule when I go into Manhattan on Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays and then spend Mondays and Fridays in Brooklyn. I was in a great groove with this schedule and I found that it really helped me maximize my time each day. Due to a variety of priorities with work and travels I haven’t been great at this during this summer but I hope I can revisit come Fall or at least re-assess the days I’m going into the city. The days I schlep in and out of the city multiple times or the weeks I do it all five days drain me so much and have me completely, utterly wiped by the week’s end.

Travel. 

In 2019 I wanted to visit two places I’ve never been before and also take a spontaneous trip. Spontaneity is not my forte so it hasn’t happened yet. I’ve managed one of my two “new to me” places when I was in Maryland last week and I’m going to Australia in November (which I did book somewhat spontaneously when I spotted a good airfare back in January). We’ll see where else the second half of the year takes me.  So far this year I’ve been to London, LA & Palm Springs, San Jose, CA, Washington DC, Maryland, Provence and the French Riviera and Paris. I also hope to get upstate one weekend this fall outside of my yoga retreat in the region.

Get back to reading a book a month. 

This has been a great reading year so far! I still go in waves of being on and off of reading but when I’m in the groove, I tear through books. I’m working my way through this reading list currently.

Sort out my skincare routine.

I have FINALLY discovered the reason I’ve been battling bad breakouts all over my chin area (this hair remover was the culprit – le sigh as I loved this thing!) so my skin is a bit back on track since that discovery. I’ve also prioritized making time for regular facials and been more consistent in my routine overall. Need help yourself with building a skincare routine? See this recent post.

Soak up New York’s cultural offerings.

I’ve slacked on this a bit but I did finally make it to the ballet! I saw a special one-time only program back in January thanks to the tip of a wit & whimsy reader and had such fun getting dressed up and having a date night with a good friend. I also took in the Met’s Fashion Institute CAMP exhibit and I just bought tickets to see To Kill a Mockingbird on Broadway. I’m also hoping to see a few performances during the holiday season. Perhaps the Opera? Or the New York Philharmonic (always a favorite!)

. . .

How are your goals coming for the year?

Zara Top // AGolde Jeans (Size 27; a favorite pair!) // Sarah Flint Heels (similar here, here) // Mansur Gavriel Bag (similar for less here) // Cluse Watch // Miansai Cuff

p.s. more pieces of Paris in NYC and how to wind down when traveling for work.

[Carter Fish Photography]

comments +

  1. GF says:

    I really enjoyed this update! Helps me think of my own goals, and to be honest with myself about which ones I’m making progress on and which ones need more work (thanks for channeling that!). Also, love the outfit, that top is so flattering!

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