Q1 Check-In: Fewer Lists, Clearer Focus
At the beginning of the year, I stepped away from monthly goal posts and narrowed my focus to a smaller set of priorities in a few broad categories. The goal was to stop constantly resetting and give a few things enough time to actually work.
Now that the first quarter is over (January 1 – March 31), I wanted to check in on how that’s going. Some areas moved quickly. Some didn’t move at all. But overall, this already feels steadier than the constant cycle of starting over.
Health Goals
- Lose 78 pounds
-
Lose 78 pounds: 18.2/78 (23.3%)
Status: In Progress
This is the category where the “fewer, better habits” approach worked the most. I lost 18.2 pounds in three months, and while it means I'm slightly behind on where I need to be for this goal, I'm proud of what I've done and how I've done it. I didn’t overhaul everything. I stuck with smaller portions, cut back on sugar, and let consistency build over time.
It hasn’t felt dramatic day to day, but the results are real. That matters more than doing something extreme for a few weeks and burning out.
Running Goals
- Go for 80 runs
- Complete 3 races
-
Go for 80 runs: 0/80 (0%)
Status: Not Started -
Complete 3 races: 0/3 (0%)
Status: Not Started
This one hasn’t started yet. I didn’t force it, but I also didn’t prioritize it. If I want this to become part of the year, it needs to actually start in Q2.
Money Goals
- Pay off credit cards completely (3 total)
- Increase savings by $2,000
- Raise my credit score from 736 to 760
-
Pay off credit cards: 3/3 (100%) ✔️
Status: Complete -
Increase savings: $3,960 / $2,000 (198%) ✔️
Status: Complete -
Raise credit score: 740/760 (+4)
Status: In Progress
This was the biggest shift of the quarter. Paying off all three credit cards completely changed where my money goes each month, and my savings still increased more than expected while I was focused on debt. The credit score goal isn’t there yet, but it’s moving in the right direction. I also can't influence it a whole lot, which I suppose I should have thought of earlier.
More than anything, this category feels different now. It’s less about fixing problems and more about deciding what to do next.
Reading Goals
- Read 100 books
- Complete at least 3 series (Hunger Games, Dread Nation, Birthright)
- Finish Freida McFadden's backlist
- Finish Noelle Ihli's backlist
-
Read 100 books: 9/100 (9%)
Status: In Progress -
Complete 3 series: 0/3 (0%)
Status: Not Started -
Freida backlist: 19/30 (63.3%) ◦ Q1: +1
Status: In Progress -
Noelle backlist: 3/8 (37.5%) ◦ Q1: +1
Status: In Progress
This category is slower than I expected. I’ve made some progress, but not enough to feel real momentum yet, especially on series.
Both authors have new releases coming out this year, but I’m keeping the original totals as my goal and treating anything new as extra afterward so the finish line doesn’t keep moving.
Backlist Trackers
✔️ = read prior to 2026
✔️ bold = read in 2026
• = not yet read
✔️ Ask for Andrea (2022)
✔️ Run on Red (2022)
✔️ Room For Rent (2023)
• Gray After Dark (2024)
• None Left to Tell (2024)
• Such Quiet Girls (2025)
• Forget You Saw Her (2025)
✔️ Dead Med (2014)
✔️ Baby City (2015)
✔️ Brain Damage (2016)
• The Devil You Know (2017)
✔️ The Surrogate Mother (2018)
✔️ The Ex (2019)
• The Perfect Son (2019)
✔️ The Wife Upstairs (2020)
✔️ One By One (2020)
✔️ Want to Know a Secret? (2021)
• The Locked Door (2021)
✔️ Do Not Disturb (2021)
✔️ Do You Remember? (2022)
✔️ The Housemaid (2022)
• The Inmate (2022)
✔️ Never Lie (2022)
✔️ The Housemaid’s Secret (2023)
✔️ Ward D (2023)
• The Coworker (2023)
✔️ The Gift (2023)
✔️ The Teacher (2024)
• The Housemaid is Watching (2024)
• The Boyfriend (2024)
✔️ The Housemaid’s Wedding (2024)
• The Widow's Husband's Secret Lie (2024)
• The Crash (2025)
✔️ The Tenant (2025)
• The Intruder (2025)
• Death Row (2025)
Series Tracker
• = not yet read
• Catching Fire
• Mockingjay
• The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
• Sunrise on the Reaping
• Deathless Divide
• Because It Is My Blood
• In the Age of Love and Chocolate
If I want this category to look different by midyear, I need to be much more deliberate about what I pick up next instead of defaulting to whatever sounds good in the moment.
Blogging Goals
- Publish 100 new posts
- Publish 50 One Minute Memoirs
-
Publish 100 posts: 35/100 (35%)
Status: In Progress -
Publish 50 OMM: 13/50 (26%)
Status: In Progress
This is the most consistent I’ve been with blogging in a long time. More than the numbers, it feels structured now. I’m writing regularly, posting consistently, and getting clearer on what I want this space to be.
Q1 Summary
- Lose 78 pounds: In Progress
- Go for 80 runs: Not Started
- Complete 3 races: Not Started
- Pay off credit cards: Complete ✔️
- Increase savings: Complete ✔️
- Raise credit score: In Progress
- Read 100 books: In Progress
- Complete 3 series: Not Started
- Freida backlist: In Progress
- Noelle backlist: In Progress
- Publish 100 posts: In Progress
- Publish 50 OMM: In Progress
Q2 Focus (April 1 – June 30)
- Health: Continue steady weight loss without changing what’s already working. Focus on consistency over speed. In Q2, I’d like to lose 15 pounds.
- Running: Start running regularly, even if it’s only 1–2 times per week to begin building the habit. In Q2, I’d like to hit 20–25 runs and sign up for at least one race.
- Money: Maintain momentum by continuing to build savings while making steady progress on my retirement loan. Focus on consistency rather than trying to force outcomes like credit score changes.
- Reading: Make visible progress on at least one series and continue moving through both author backlists more intentionally. I need to increase my pace in Q2, with a goal of 25–30 books, including one completed series and consistent backlist progress.
- Blogging: Maintain three posts per week while refining the balance between essays, memoirs, and lighter posts. I'd been intentionally focusing on more serious "writerly" pieces since my return to blogging in 2025, but I think it's time to shift slightly and bring some lighter, more "daily life" type content back in as well.
Three months in, everything isn’t where I want it to be. But nothing has been reset, either. I’m still working from the same list, still building on what’s already there instead of replacing it every few weeks.
That alone feels different from how I usually do this, and it’s enough to keep going.
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