Episode Summary
We discuss how to stay motivated during quarantine with a 2020 mid-year goals check-in. We revisit why it’s important to set goals, how to set them, and how to measure them. We talk about the importance of setting SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable/Assignable, Relevant/Realistic, Time-Bound) and the importance of tracking against your goals to make progress. We then share our progress on our personal and financial goals for 2020.
Episode Notes
We revisit the SMART goals framework. Ideally, your goals should be Specific, Measurable, Assignable, Realistic, and Time Related (that’s SMART). There are a few versions of what SMART stands for out there – don’t get too hung up on the specifics, just set some goals that are specific, measurable, and time-bound.
We also talk about how we’re struggling at times to stay motivated during Quarantine, and Mike shares some insights on how he stays motivated and disciplined.
Mike’s 2020 goals and mid-year progress:
- 20% Spending Reduction: Mike’s at 37%
- 15% net worth growth: Mike’s at 3.2%
- Read 10 Books: Mike’s read 14
- Be a better vegan: No significant progress, but Maggie isn’t too hard on him.
- Get more into minimalism: A big success!
Maggie’s 2020 goals and mid-year progress:
- 15% Net worth growth: Maggie’s at 11.4%!!!
- Live off of 25% of her salary and not dip into savings to augment her lifestyle: So far, so good.
- Read 11 Books (because of course she wants to beat Mike): She’s read 21, and it’s a mix of audio books and physical/kindle books.
- Spend more quality and focused time with her kids and husband (with phone off): Maggie admits she can do better here.
- Meditate 260 times (5X a week on average): Doing OK but not so great, but committed to doing better in the 2nd half of the year.
- Write a blog post once a week for Mostly Minimal Life: Maggie is at 42%, so she’s missed 15 weeks and completed 11 weeks. She’s committed to making up for it in the 2nd half of the year.
- Post a new podcast once a week for friends on FIRE: Crushing it!
Our top 3 takeaways for this episode:
- Set goals, write them down and discuss them with someone else to create accountability.
- Measure your goals throughout the year to find out if you are on track or off track.
- Be flexible and kind to yourself. If you can reach all your goals, reset them and keep on making progress.
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Show References
Maggie’s complete list of books she’s read in 2020