For the past few days, I’ve been trying to put my focus on school. My classes started, and I really haven’t grasped them completely. Usually, for the first few weeks, I always feel a bit overwhelmed, just until I gain an understanding of what is expected out of me in each class. Yesterday, I cracked down a little and started reading the first chapter of my abnormal psychology book. It was hard, I’m not going to lie. I just couldn’t concentrate, and it took me a while to read just ten pages (which is only half of the chapter). My mind is elsewhere, and I admit, school hasn’t been my main focus, though I want it to be.

After some thinking, I decided to ask my boss if I could go down to 4-day weeks from September 17th to the last Friday in October. (Luckily, my boss is awesome, and he approved it.) I think having Fridays off to completely devote to school will really help me to bring my focus back to where it needs to be.

I know that losing eight hours a week will decrease my paycheck each week, but I’m willing to do it. I just really need to do this to achieve the “work less, live more” goal I have set for my life.

What do you do when life gets a bit overwhelming?

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I’ve been seeing “4 simple goals” posts around the blogging community lately, and I love writing down my goals, so I thought I’d join in. The point of these simple goals is not to focus on the end result but to focus on the journey that gets you there. So, this fall, I’m going to focus on these four goals.

1. Plan dates with Husband that we can BOTH enjoy. I often plan things that I know he’ll be okay with but not necessarily like (going to the movies, walking around in a city). For the rest of the year, I want to plan dates that we’ll both be excited about: hiking trips with picnics, riding our bikes to the creek, camping adventures on the weekend, board games & movie nights at home, making s’mores over a fire in our backyard. My husband LOVES these things, and I really want to take these next few months to appreciate him and show my love for this amazing man that I’ll be spending the rest of my life with.

2. Find a healthy routine for my lifestyle. I go through phases of eating healthy, but I really want to make it a main priority in my life. I want to know and understand what is going into my body. Though I know I’ll splurge occasionally on cupcakes and cookies (because I love to bake!), I want to make a point to bring healthier foods for lunch at work and cook dinners with healthier aspects. I also want to take some time to tone up and get into shape. I’ve been very lazy lately, and I want to start running and biking this fall to lower the risk of high blood pressure and an unhealthy weight later in life.

3. Work less, live more. I’ve written about my thoughts toward working less and putting my focus on my marriage and school, but I haven’t taken any action yet. For the rest of the year, I’m going to start making final decisions on what the next plan of action will be, and then I’m going to actually do it.

4. Find a clear separation between my offline life and my online life. I need balance. I need to step away from the computer/cell phone/television/ipod and really focus on myself within. I need to spend more time outdoors and more time doing nothing and loving it. Life is always go-go-go, but I’d really like it to have a few pauses in there when I just step away and enjoy sitting in the grass while the wind blows.

If you had to choose four goals (focusing on the journey) for the rest of the year, what would they be?