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The New Year went by quickly! While January of last year felt like it was going by slowly, this year’s January came and went quickly. Already, I’m writing about how the first month of 2021 went for me with this January wrap up post.
Work
Well, work was pretty busy as I had to work on two communications plans on such short deadlines. I enjoyed analyzing and strategizing but they really can be mentally draining and also stressful. It already feels like I need another long break.
Out and About
I’m still working from home so I stayed home most of the time this month. After all, COVID-19 is still around and with cases in the Philippines still rising and no vaccine yet, it’s the safest and most responsible thing to do in order to not get the virus.
However, I did step out of the house a couple of times this month. I went on a short trip to the nearby coffee shop for a much needed destressing after work and I also went to have a quick early dinner with a couple of my closest friends one weekend.
I’m a homebody but it helps uplift my spirits to sometimes see my friends too and do a bit of the things I used to do often and freely before the pandemic.
January Wrap Up: Goals Look Back
For my personal goals in January, I wanted to:
- Continue decluttering and donate or recycle plastics – And I did. Gone are my old music CDs, VCDs and DVDs that I no longer use and I donated it to someone who turns such materials into works of arts. I also was able to donate the plastics that had accumulated in our house to an organization that would recycle them! Let’s go save Mother Earth guys!
- Establish a set sleeping schedule that will allow me to have at least 7 or 8 full hours of sleep – For most part of January, I was able to do this. I gave myself a scheduled bed time and every time, I woke up feeling more energetic which is great! I definitely want to continue doing this.
- Save and invest some of my salary every pay day – Also so far, so good on this. Being able to continue doing this for the rest of the year, now that’s going to be the real challenge!
- Read 1 book for the month – I almost thought I wouldn’t be able to achieve this goal for January because I couldn’t sit down long enough to really get on to reading. Turns out all I needed was the right book to really want to read.

- Get back to the habit of exercising 4-5 times a week – For most of January, I was able to workout four times a week. Can I still push myself to workout five times a week like I used to before? Let’s see if I can this February.
- Write in my journal at least 3x a week – I honestly was not able to commit to updating my journal as often as I set out to do. Most nights, I found myself just wanting to go to bed after watching Netflix or reading my book. So I’ll try again next month.
As for my blog and social media goals this month, I wanted to:
- Get my blog self hosted – I did it! I finally went self hosted so if you’ve been a reader of this blog for awhile, you’ve probably noticed the layout change and that’s because I have moved from my long time home, Blogger to WordPress.org. I chose GreenGeeks as my self hosting site and I will write a blog post all about the experience and as to why out of all the possible self hosting sites out there, I chose this.
- Earn $24 with Google Ad Sense – I got close to the target but I did not hit the mark.
- Do an affiliate marketing promotion at least once a week (either on the blog or via my social media channels) – If you follow me on Twitter specially, you might have seen me posting some ads. Aside from Google ads, I think I may be able to earn from affiliate marketing too. Well not with Amazon anymore because I got kicked out of the program again! I’m trying out Involve Asia now since I live in the Philippines where people love to shop on e-commerce sites like Lazada and Shopee more.
- Grow my bookstagram following to 200 – Also soooo close at 193 followers! Oh well, I’m just glad to connect with more booklovers who also love sharing their books on Instagram. If you’re also a bookstagrammer, let’s follow each other online!
January Wrap Up: Things I Loved this Month
A new plant, a money tree!
According to feng shui experts, this is a lucky plant and it also attracts energy of wealth and prosperity. Since I am going to live a year of abundance, this is just the perfect plant to get for the new year.
A coffeemaker finally!
I’ve been drinking brewed coffee for some months now and I used to brew my coffee the old fashion way – in a pot, on a stove. Last Christmas, my best friend gave me a coffee maker. Nothing like the smell of freshly brewed coffee in the morning to start the day off on the right track! Buy the coffee maker available on Shopee.
Scented candles
My aunt sent us these two huge scented candles last year and I’ve loved how it scent wafts through the room that I can already smell it as soon as I enter the door!

Sleepwear
Nothing says bedtime than wearing PJs. I bought my pajama from SM. I think this year, this will be the form of clothing I’ll be spending money on the most if not the only one!
So that’s my January wrap up report. How about you? I’d love to hear how the first month of 2021 went by for you. Drop me a comment!
Featured Photo credit: Mai
Merry Sari
Great post here! You started this year amazingly 😀 I’m wrapping up January with a lot of positive results so I hope I can keep working hard on it in February 😀 Thanks for sharing this x
girlingreenscarf
I hope to also keep working hard on my goals this February. That’s really the challenge – sustaining the motivation to keep working on the goals.
Hanna
I loved reading through every bit of your January, it’s great that you are able to keep up with the goals that you set and at the same time not feel too pressured about it. January has been a bit of a ‘breaking in to the year’ month for me, I had to adjust myself into the new year and slowly but surely fit into days and tasks. I along with my teammates at work have also purchased a coffee maker, just like you! Never thought that a coffee maker purchase could bring us some sense of joy!
I’m a new reader and I’m so happy I found a fellow Manila girl. It’s rare for me to run into local bloggers and I’m looking forward to reading from you in the future.
Stay safe, stay healthy, and hang in there!
Cheers,
Hanna / Heydays With Hanna
girlingreenscarf
So glad to have found your blog as well Hanna! Like you said, it’s so rare to run into local bloggers so I’m really happy to engage with fellow Filipino bloggers. Stay safe as well!
Smelly socks and garden peas
What a great month! I’m so jealous that you saw real friends in person. Congrats on moving to WP xx
girlingreenscarf
I was so glad to see them too though. I wish I could see them as often as before but I’ll take the rare times for now. We all have to be safe.
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