March Plan With Me

Can you believe that it’s already March! I swear that I just paid my rent yesterday and it feels like I just completed February’s Plan With Me blog post! Time flies when you’re busy and have goals to accomplish. A new month means it’s time to set goals for the next 31 days and to get intentional about what direction your life is headed. If you’re not sure where to start, I’ll show you the way with my step by step goal setting method. Come plan March with me!

Plan With Me Method

My favorite way of getting all my ideas and goals out of my head is to grab a piece of paper or a journal and write it down. It could be a list or brainstorm, whatever works best for you. Set aside 30 minutes to an hour to write down your monthly goals in health, career, finances, personal development, and relationships.  When writing down monthly goals remember that they should be realistic enough to be able to accomplish but also challenge you. When goal setting just remember to use the SMART acronym (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound). Below is a review of my progress on goals that I set in February and my new March goals.

February Health Goal Summary

Health and fitness continues to be a priority in my life. In February I consistently went to the gym 5-6 days a week and walked for 20 minutes 5-6 days a week. During this month I dropped four pounds-which I’m sure has a lot to do with no drinking alcohol and reduction in going out to eat or ordering Doordash. I’ve been stuck at the same weight for months so it’s nice to see the scale finally move. I also took updated photos of my body to see the difference from when I started my fitness journey in November 2021 to now and there is a huge difference! I still have 50 pounds to lose by October.

I’ve also been more mindful of the choices I make with food when I’m not in the mood to cook. I’ve chosen cleaner options for meals like Chipotle or El Pollo Loco. A majority of my meals are cooked at home but I still allow myself to have chocolate or a piece of cake on occasions.. 

Ash Wednesday kicked off the Lenten season and this year I decided to give up alcohol. I love going out for drinks with my friends or having a glass of wine at home to relax after a long day. So for me, it is a sacrifice to give up wine for 40 days. Last night I went out with friends for the first time in over two months to one of my favorite wineries and didn’t have a glass of wine…even though I really wanted one. 

Nutrition wise I’ve considered reducing my meat intake and eating plant based meals twice a week. This also ties in with Lent, so I’m getting creative with my meal plan. Limiting meat in my diet is not only a healthier option but it is also a cost saving strategy. Meat is ridiculously expensive right now, and there are some weeks that I don’t eat all the meat that I meal prepped. Instead I’m eating more vegetables, beans, fruits, and grains to supplement my diet. 

My goals for this month: 

• Lose 6 pounds 
• Workout 5-6 days a week (strength training, yoga, and walking)
• Eat healthy foods and meal prep breakfast, lunch, and dinner- two days of planet based meals each week
• Limit processed foods and no alcohol during Lenten season
• Drink one gallon of water a day

Areas to improve

I’m still craving sugar but I’m trying to reduce my sugar intake, but not eliminate it. My blood sugar is back in a normal range, but I need something sweet. Recently I started making healthy smoothies at home and that seems to help. Here is my healthy smoothie recipe. 

Samara’s Healthy Everything Goes Smoothie

• Spinach
• 1 bananas
• 5 strawberries
• Handful of Raspberries
• Handful of Blueberries
• Ginger- small amount of the root (to taste but not over power)
• Powdered Tumeric (2 shakes)
• A pinch of black pepper (to activate Turmeric)
• 2 celery sticks
• Almond milk

February Career Goals Summary

February is the first month of consistent Youtube video posts and believe it or not it was harder to get the videos together this month with posting only 4 videos versus creating content every day. My weakness has been creating content on Reels and Tik-Tok. I have a strategy to use my Youtube content and edit them into content, but I haven’t had a chance to sit down and edit and schedule those videos in bulk. 

 Here are my goals for Youtube and social media content

• Post 1 Youtube video every Wednesday
• Post 1-2 social media content a week for Reels and Tik Tok- create content in bulk once a week and schedule post
• Post Instagram stories to promote new videos once a week

February Relationships Summary

Relationship building and focusing my energy towards finding “my person”  is my top priority. I am clear on what I would want in my ideal partner and what I need to focus on to be the woman that my future spouse will need me to be. I’m definitely focused on improving myself mentally, spiritual, physically, and financially. I’m also opening myself up to meeting new people and getting to know them. So I’m taking one step at a time. 

February Relationships Summary

Relationship building and focusing my energy towards finding “my person”  is my top priority. I am clear on what I would want in my ideal partner and what I need to focus on to be the woman that my future spouse will need me to be. I’m definitely focused on improving myself mentally, spiritual, physically, and financially. I’m also opening myself up to meeting new people and getting to know them. So I’m taking one step at a time.

Finances

During February I focused on only spending money on bare essentials and tracking my no-spending day. It really helped me to stay on budget and I was surprised how much extra spending on non-essentials that I do on items I don’t really need. Amazon is definitely an issue for me, so I am taking an Amazon fast. Here are my financial goals for March

Financial Goals for March

• Track budget in Everydollar App
• Re-read Dave Ramsey Total Money Makeover 
• Listen to The Ramsey Show Podcast daily for inspiration
• No spend March-no spending on non-essentials (Amazon)

Areas To Improve

Reduce spending on non-essentials and stick to my food budget. I love to eat and my spending on groceries has been consistent, but I do have some upcoming expenses like car repairs so I need to prepare for that. My goal is to pay off my credit card in the next four months so my spending needs to be tight to accomplish this.

Spiritual 

Lent is in its second week and it’s the perfect time to really get focused on prayer and spirituality. My goal is to increase my prayer time to include prayers throughout the day and night prayers. I am using the Hallow app as a tool to help in my prayer life. 

Area To Improve

One area I need to improve on is going to confession. I made a goal at the beginning of the year to go to confession at least once a month and I haven’t followed through.

Here are a few spiritual goals for this month:

• Pray the rosary and say morning and evening prayers and Angelus.
• Read daily readings and night prayer
• Go to confession once a month

Use my March Plan with Me to guide you on your goal setting journey so you can continue to move forward with your goals. For more tips on self-care then you have to read Plan With Me For 2023.