2013 WAHM Goals Self-Audit – Q1

After I attended the WAHMderful Life workshop last January, I made a list of the things I learned. I promised myself that I would use those lessons well, and in effect, they also became my WAHM goals for the year. March is coming to a close, and with it, the first quarter of 2013 is ending too. I thought this would be a good time to do a self-check on my progress with those goals.

WAHM GOAL #1: Save Money

I committed to make a conscious effort to save after learning at the workshop that savings should be deliberate. The good news is, I’ve actually become more aware of my spending, and I’ve learned to keep tabs on money that comes in and out of our bank account. We’ve also started plotting a budget for our small family, but of course, a lot of it will change later on once we have a place of our own. I’ve become more conscious of due dates for my monthly bills, and I actually set aside money for them now using the envelope system. Yes, that actually works for me.

The bad news is that, while I do have a little bit of extra money now compared to last year because of my new found budget awareness, I’ve yet to put some aside in a place where I’m certain not to touch them. Money has been tight the past few months, and so I’m a little bit afraid of not having that extra amount in our revolving fund, even though I know that I’m better off transferring them to a savings account. I know I should, and I promise to do so once our finances are more stable. But for now, I promise not to touch the extra cash unless it’s for a real emergency.

WAHM GOAL #2: Learn More

While I haven’t gone and enrolled in any classes or workshops since the WAHMderful Life, I have been doing a lot of reading, and through this, I have managed to teach myself a few things. I try to pick up SEO or blogging tools online whenever I can, and just recently, I’ve signed up for MailChimp, and I plan to figure out how to setup an email newsletter for this blog. I’ve been learning new recipes too, mostly from browsing the internet and from watching the Food Network. I’ve taken my yarn stash and crochet hooks out of storage, and am learning new designs and experimenting with new patterns. Through my own efforts, I do learn a little more each day. Eventually, I will take classes and join more workshops too. But yes, I can put a great big check in the Q1 box for the achievement of my goal to learn more.

WAHM GOAL #3: Stick to a Schedule

I think I’ve been doing pretty well at keeping procrastination at bay over the last few months. I’ve even cut down on video game time in a major way. I have also started preparing early and leaving early when I have to be somewhere, so I’ve been on time or early for most of my appointments. This is a big deal for me because I am one of those people who are always late. Ask any of my former office mates. I’ve been suspended due to tardiness a number of times before. So, yes, the fact that I am on time more often is really a big deal. I also can now squeeze more things into my day, meaning I have less idle time, and am generally more hardworking. Yay. I’m so proud of myself.

WAHM GOAL #4: Dream Big, and Always Aspire to Be Better

I’ve really surprised myself at how I’ve managed to make the last few months work for us. I’ve taken on more responsibilities at home, I’ve taken on bigger work projects, and I am learning to market my skills better too. I’ve finally started setting up my professional/portfolio website, something that is long overdue. I know I can do so many great things if I try hard enough. I had a small taste of that recently, when finally I had the opportunity to work with an agency that I love and admire. Of course I grabbed my chance, and really I hope that it was only the first of many projects we will do together.

Like I said in my blog post about the WAHMderful Life workshop, I am part of an amazing community, and that makes everything a million times better. I am so lucky I got to learn so much that day. I’m so lucky that I met all of those amazing moms and dads! Ever since then, things have been so different in such an amazing way.

So, I invite moms and dads and parents-to-be, whether you have a regular job or you work from home, or you’re planning to leave your day job to work from home, sign up for the next WAHMderful Life workshop. It’s happening on April 13 at Studio SnR in Ortigas, and will feature two breakout sessions – one for freelance writing and one for virtual assistance. Click here to register.

Believe me when I tell you that it’s all worth it, and trust me when I say that you will not leave that venue empty-handed.