It’s now a little over three months since I last checked in, and six months since I did my end-of-year review. Things have changed quite a bit since, so I think it’s time to check in with you all.
Personally, apart from the last week or so, I’d say things are way better. I mean, I’ve actually had quite a few good days these last three months. I started using a meditation app called Balance, which has helped massively. And they’ve added some new exercises that I really, really need if I am honest. I’ve even looked into apps for CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) and ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy). There’s been a lot, and there are a lot of things left to do, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t in a slightly better place.
Professionally, my projects have gotten even further and may launch soon. I’ve already got one on the precipice, and I’m quite excited about that. I’ll keep you posted on progress there. Plus, I’ve been developing a prototype digital advertising product for prospective clients, which has been fun. And unexpected too. Looking to perform a hardware test soon, so we’ll see how that goes.
So let’s have a look back at the targets I set last time.
Getting that long rest
While that hasn’t happened, I’ve not really felt like I’ve needed it. I’ve taken time to myself, an hour or so here and there, but not the full day that I had planned. I don’t feel worse for it though, although I could probably still do with a break. With the summer coming, perhaps I can get those days off soon. Perhaps another visit to Old Trafford for this summer’s Hundred tournament is in order. We shall see. Plans are already afoot for that.
Reporting on the reporting system
I had an idea for a database reporting system, which is still on the cards. I’ve not done anything on this, mostly due to confusion around the project and how it would impact current projects, but for now, I’m still just thinking and planning. With the new structure of my contracts and the limitations I’ve placed on my maintenance services, I think it’s going to get a lot easier, so let’s try again.
A summary of the year
An annual report is still in the planning, as it should be for many endeavours. I need to get the structure down, but once I’ve got that I’ll be able to make more progress. I’ve also got a project proposal template set up, so that should make some things easier. Again, it’s in the pipeline.
Monthly blogging
Apart from this month when I haven’t posted anything, I’ve been doing well on this. I’ve got content planned for the coming weeks, new ideas that are being worked into long-form content, and some downloadable content in the works too. I’ve also got a post series for Instagram planned on WordPress Basics, which will be turned into a downloadable piece at the end.
What’s next?
While it sounds like I’ve not made progress in my targets, my time has been used elsewhere, and I have made a lot of progress in those areas. That’s great, really, because I’m not sitting by and doing nothing, and these targets are long-term ones rather than short-term ones. If I don’t achieve them now, that’s fine. I’m not going to lose sleep over this. I think I will set a couple of goals that I want to get for this quarter, since these seem to be longer-term goals.
I’m also looking at something I didn’t think I would – I’m going to try to push sponsorship. I have my Sponsorship page ready, but I’ve not really made any real push for partnerships. So I’m going to do something about that over the coming months.
So here are the targets I want to achieve before the last quarter of the year:
- To write one blog post every month
- To write and publish six posts for the WordPress Basics series
- To publish one blog post this quarter that actively promotes partnerships
- To get a software prototype for a digital advertising system
- To publish posts from my Hall of Shame that is currently Instagram on my website
On top of that, I still have the annual report (online and PDF), and the reporting system which I want to get set up, and I’ll keep you all up to date with that.
Here’s to the next few months then …