If I’m being honest, I’m terrible at transitions. I tend to move from one thing to the other without really stopping to appreciate the in-between, mainly because I’m always looking ahead to the future. Being futuristic is one of my strengths, but in a season of life where I really don’t know what the future holds, it’s turning out to be a major weakness. I’m stuck in the in-between stage of transition and it’s slowly killing me.

That being said, I’ve been looking for a way to keep my sanity intact and to actually be present in this in-between season. I realized, that if I set short-term goals over the course of a few weeks, or even a few months, it might ebb some of my anxiety that I feel about the future.

I’m a list-oriented person (but truthfully I like making them rather than actually sticking to them), so I’ve created a short list of things I want to work on this month:

1.) Budget better. I guess part of being an adult is actually learning how to save some of the money you make instead of blowing it all on Nutella and the Target dollar section.

2.) Live a healthier lifestyle. Obviously four years of a diet comprised mostly of Top Ramen has not set me up for this goal very well, but I’m determined to find a way to be more mentally, physically, and spiritually healthy. But that doesn’t mean I totally have to cut donuts out of my life, right?

3.) Write something productive every week. It’s no secret that writing is one of my biggest passions, but between transitioning into my full-time job and trying to balance adult-life, I haven’t really made any time to do any sort of writing. My goal is to designate a time each week, even just for an hour, to get some solid writing done.

4.) Be more positive. I’ve been feeling like there’s a lot of negativity in my life lately (mostly because I’ve been dwelling on all the things that I can’t control, which only serves to make me really unhappy), and I want to change that.

I’m hoping that focusing on these small things that I can control and achieve in the next month or so will keep me focused on the present and help me to worry less about the future.