2013 Third Quarter Goal Check In

Part of me can't believe that the year is 2013 and not something like 2005, and part of me is already planning my 2014 goals. Nonetheless, I'm excited to share how my 2013 goals have been going the past few months. If you want to follow my progress, check out the original goal post and my first quarter and second quarter check in posts.

1. Work out twice a week. I've done really well with this goal since the last check in. This isn't too surprising because if there's one time of the year I'm good about working out, it's the summer. Getting out for a half an hour to an hour when it's warm out hardly seems like a chore. We'll see how it goes this fall. I stocked up on workout clothing and got a new pair of sneakers this month. That may seem like a ridiculous girly motivation to work out more, but I was way overdo for new workout gear (as in hadn't bought new workout shorts since undergrad...), and honestly it will be motivating. Also, Jake and I have been talking about getting an exercise bike this fall, which is also exciting and would definitely keep me motivated, too.

2. Create a weekly cleaning schedule and stick with it. As I've discussed in previous goal updates, my biggest reason for finally getting serious with this goal was to keep up with the extra chores that come with having three cats instead of one cat. That aspect of this goal has been successful. I have not maintained as many weekly cleaning tasks as I'd hoped, but I am maintaining considerably more than I was at the end of 2012.

3. Double my December 2012 HubPages earnings. As some of you know, this past month, my HubPages earnings (as well as many other writers' earnings) took a huge drop, thanks to significant decreases in the CPCs that advertisers are paying right now. It is natural that these rates will fluctuate. As we get into the 2013 holiday season, it's likely that rates will increase again. It's still scary that this is the biggest drop I've ever seen in my 2+ years of writing for HubPages. August 2013 was my lowest paying month since January 2012. At this point, I would be really excited to get back to my December 2012 earnings. The good news is that my views haven't dropped and are still considerably higher than they were this time last year. If the rates do increase again, so will my earnings.

4. Maintain a 2,000-3,000 word per day minimum on weekdays. I've continued to do really well with this goal, and as such, it continues to be one of the accomplishments that I am most proud of for 2013. It's extremely rare that I've fell below the goal and haven't made it up for it on another weekday or over a weekend. Writing 2,000 words per day comes really easily for me now, which is such a great feeling.

5. Participate in 10 craft fairs. I participated in 3 shows this spring and have 4 more scheduled for the fall. There are 2 shows that I was planning to apply for that conflict with already scheduled shows this year. I'm really bummed about this fact. Currently I have 1 app in (which is one of those shows that would be a really long shot), and I'm waiting to hear on dates and apps for 2 more. It would be great if I can get a couple more shows on my lineup. However, I would rather keep the current fall lineup, which consists entirely of repeat shows and highly recommended shows, than waste my time applying to completely unknown shows that may or may not be a total wash. Between my brother's wedding and launching my photography Etsy shop, I've already got plenty on my plate this fall.

6. Learn one new Photoshop Elements skill per week. I still haven't been learning a new Photoshop skill per week. However, I took a big unexpected leap this summer and purchased Lightroom when I decided to start shooting in RAW. Learning Lightroom and using it with RAW files has taken my photography to a whole new level. Lightroom lends itself naturally to combined use with other photo editing programs. I find myself opening Elements more than ever and still using Picasa as much as ever to do final edits on photos, which has been really great. With all of the editing skills I've learned this year, I still consider this goal a success, even though it wasn't how I originally intended to accomplish it.

7. Start to monetize my photography. I have Zazzle, deviantART, and SmugMug accounts going and just launched my Etsy photography shop. At the beginning of 2013, I didn't think that I'd be at this point. It would be nice if I had a bunch of sales already, but I'm still hopeful that the sales are going to start coming in for the holiday season.

8. Participate in 6 BBA challenges. I've participated in 4 BBA challenges so far this year and am doing my best to stay on top of the upcoming challenge themes so I can plan accordingly.

9. Maintain focus on expanding my best selling lines/items. I took a little time off from making jewelry this summer, but I'm back in the swing of re-stocking best selling items before the holiday season. I've also continued to add new items to existing lines. Recently I decided to bring back triangle earrings for the 2013 holiday season. Watch for more of these listings in my shop over the next couple months.

10. Maintain focus on ensuring consistency with my craft fair booth and my business in general. I haven't done any craft fairs since my last goal check in so I don't have a lot to add to this goal. I am not a big fan of many of the new changes on Etsy. That's a completely different post for a different day. BUT I feel like I should mention here that their new listing layout with the item photos at the top and right side of the listing has helped me really appreciate how far I've come with creating a cohesive photography aesthetic for my shop. It's very encouraging and reinforces how well I've done with this goal this year.

How are your 2013 goals going?

 * Don't forget to enter my huge photography giveaway! *

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