My Official 2024 Q1 Review
5 questions to wrap up Q1 + 4 simple but effective things that are saving my sanity.
Happy April! We’ve made it to Q2. How is your year going so far? During the beginning of 2024, I set some goals and intentions for Q1, and today we’ll be doing a little check-in on myself. Feel free to steal these questions and ask them yourself!
⏳ Read time: 4 minutes
Q1 REVIEW
What was my biggest win in Q1?
Deleting TikTok off my phone. I haven’t been on the platform for a month now and I feel like it’s been really healthy for me. I’m still on other social media but TikTok was the one that I found I spent the most time on.What did I struggle with in Q1?
I really struggled with prioritizing time to read. I even tried listening to an audiobook, but I still had a hard time getting through it. Maybe I just need to read a good book that will get me out of this slump. Please send me your suggestions!What brought me joy in Q1, and can I make more time for it in Q2?
YouTube and getting some much needed alone time were the highlights. In Q2, I plan to make more time for visits to local coffee shops as well as adding more educational videos on my YouTube watchlist. I loved watching TedTalks, videos on organization and decluttering, & interior design. As a guilty pleasure this quarter, I looked forward to watching new episodes of Love is Blind. One memorable moment involved making lunch for myself with a fizzy drink in hand while the kids slept next to me on the couch. It was pure joy!
What would I be excited to accomplish in Q2?
Any of these would be great:
What impactful changes can I make to my daily routine in Q2?
✨ More reading time, less screen time
✨ Using my laptop > scrolling on my phone
✨ Get back into the gym, attend workout classes
✨ Create a daily cleaning routine
WHAT’S SAVING MY LIFE RIGHT NOW
Each quarter I’ll be sharing a list of things that are saving my life. I got the idea from Kendra Adachi who got it from Barbara Brown Taylor’s book Leaving Church.
Too often we know what’s killing us and what’s stressing us out. But how often are we asked the question of what is giving us life? It’s a good question to come back to every once in a while. What are some things, both big or small, that are saving us? What keeps us going?
This simple practice allows me to focus on the good, instead of the bad. To think on the positives, instead of the negatives. Hope you enjoy this list and try making one for yourself!
Frozen toaster waffles. For a quick and easy breakfast before tending to the kids, I rely on toaster waffles. They’re not always the healthiest, but they’re convenient. I love lathering them up with some butter and syrup. These are the ones I get.
Things having homes. Watching decluttering videos taught me that the easiest way to reduce clutter is to give everything a designated spot. When decluttering, separate items into three categories: things with a home, things without a home, and garbage or donation. This method ensures you always know where things belong. For example, I created a spare parts tub in our laundry room for loose screws and small items, so I can easily find them when needed.
My new pressure cooker. We buy frozen chicken from Costco, and thawing it has always been a hassle. I hate touching raw chicken, so when I discovered I could cook it from frozen to ready-to-eat in 12 minutes with an Instant Pot, it changed everything. I've only used it a few times, but I'll never defrost and cook chicken the same way again.
Using a dishwasher. This may come as a shock to you but up until this year I had never used a dishwasher before. I grew up hand washing dishes and in our previous home, we used our dishwasher simply as a drying rack. When we moved places, I decided to start using it, and it has saved me so much time. I can focus on other things like cleaning the stove top after making dinner and sweeping the kitchen floor. What used to take almost 15-20 minutes to hand wash now takes less than 5 minutes to load up the dishwasher. Obviously this isn’t groundbreaking to most, but it is to me!
The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the greatest intention.
Khalil Gibran
TALK TO ME…
What was your biggest (or smallest) win in Q1?