As I sit down to write my February 2024 roundup, it’s hard to believe March is here. That means the strange winter of 2024 is almost over. I’m excited for spring, but I’m sure winter won’t let us get off quite this easily.

Read on for my monthly goals update, and terrific posts on the importance of time over money, AI and creativity, and greenwashing signs to look out for.

Happy reading!

Cool things I read in February

Since publishing my first monthly roundup at the end of 2020, it has been an honour to introduce you to some of my favourite bloggers. I started the roundup to say thank you to the blogging community and bring attention to talented writers who create funny, inspiring, and informative content.

Here are three pieces that caught my eye last month.

Why time is more important than money – Baby Boomer Super Saver

In this thoughtful post, Kathy shares her thoughts on the importance of making the most of the time we have. As a fellow breast cancer warrior, I related to this on so many levels.

Your money may not run out, but your time will. Because it is finite, time is priceless. Once time passes, it is gone forever, and you cannot get it back. No matter how much money you have.

Baby Boomer Super Saver, Why time is more important than money

AI and creativity – The Heart of the Matter

Everyone’s talking about AI these days! In this post, Wynne discusses the opportunities for creativity in a world where we increasingly depend on technology to think for us.

Reading these articles, it seems our technology is answering the easy questions so it’s pushing the envelope for humans to do the creative thinking.

Wynne Leon, The Heart of the Matter, AI and creativity

7 greenwashing signs to look for in brands – Enviroline Blog

Some companies want you to think they’re greener than they really are. In this informative post, Caroline outlines signs to watch for to spot the culprits.

Greenwashing is basically a company being sneaky and a bit elusive about what they are really doing. Why do brands do this? To get more sales and make more money.

Enviroline Blog, 7 greenwashing signs to look for in brands

What I wrote in February

In case you missed any of these, here are the new posts I published in February here on Boomer Eco Crusader.

• The Sunday Spark – Dry Feb is underway!
• The Sunday Spark – Do you miss dressing up to go out?
• Can I crush the candy cravings for good?
• The Sunday Spark – Word on the street says…I’m retiring
• Sustainable concert tours are possible! Who’s doing it?
• The Sunday Spark – What is the meaning of life?
• The environmental impact of online shopping

And here are the posts I wrote in February for Wise & Shine.

• Ikigai can add years to your life – And life to your years
• How to develop a growth mindset
• It’s time to end negative stereotypes of older adults
• The endless quest for greener grass

Plus, as I revisit my 52-Weeks of Decluttering Challenge, I refreshed and republished these posts.

• Decluttering challenge – Week 5 – Closet decluttering
• Decluttering challenge – Week 6 – Shirts & blouses
• Decluttering challenge – Week 7 – T-shirts & sweatshirts
• Decluttering challenge – Week 8 – Suits, blazers & cardigans

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Let’s keep in touch! Join my mailing list and I’ll email you when I add a new post.

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February goals – How did I do?

My year of reinvention got off to a good start in January, and the momentum continued in February. Here’s an update on how the month went.

Fitness

Once again, I set a goal of 180 minutes of exercise a week, including 2 strength training sessions. I crushed this one with an average of 239 workout minutes a week and 2 strength training sessions.

I’d been falling behind with my step count, so I added a new goal to average 10,000 steps a day. I fell short on this one with an average of 8,688. Even so, I feel good about what I did in February. I increased my average step count by 1,206 (16%) over January—and I hit 10,000 steps on 12 days, compared to just 2 days in January.

Reading

I met my goal of reading 2 books in February. I read:

• Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty
• Life Life in Crescendo by Stephen R. Covey and Cynthia Covey Haller

Health

I participated in Dry Feb and set a goal to raise $500 for the Canadian Cancer Society. Giving up alcohol was actually pretty easy, and I exceeded my fundraising goal with a total of $651 raised.

Reinvention/Second Life

I met my goal of completing 5 hours of practice coaching toward my retirement coaching designation. After the pilot workshop I’m running in April, I should have enough hours to complete the designation.

Decluttering

After a strong start on the decluttering front in January, momentum slowed in February as I moved on to closet decluttering. On February 29, I donated 2 books to the Little Free Library around the corner from my house to meet my goal of decluttering 50 items. Good thing it was a leap year!

My March goals

It’s sometimes hard to stay motivated as the winter doldrums take root in February. I feel good about what I accomplished, so I’m hoping to finish the first quarter strong. Here are my March goals:

• Fitness goals: Once again, I’m working toward 180 minutes of exercise a week, including 2 strength training sessions. Instead of focusing on steps, I’ve added a new goal to do a short balance or flexibility routine 5 times a week. To stay on track, I’ve created a new fitness tracking spreadsheet. Let’s see how many of the red squares I can turn to green.

• Reading: Read 2 books.
• Health: I gave up candy and chocolate for Lent, so my March goal is to limit candy to one day a week (Sundays are days off from Lenten fasting.)
• Reinvention/Second Life: My pilot workshop starts in April so I need to finalize the material.
• Decluttering: Declutter 50 items.

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Thanks for dropping by to check out my February 2024 roundup. Two months into 2024, how are you doing on your goals? Drop me a comment below to let me know.