Time To Fly In July

June has been a busy month for me, it went from the stress and busyness of A-level exams and the looming end of college to complete freedom. Unfortunately, this freedom has come with a certain level of aimlessness. 

With exams being over I've lost any control I had over grades, so my path forward into university is suddenly out of my hands, and- despite my best efforts- I haven't managed to land a well-paid local summer internship in my dream company (shock!). So I'm left with one fundamental question: what the hell am I supposed to do with all this free time? 2020 lockdown Isabelle was in a similar situation, school was over and college hadn't started, we couldn't go out and I had more free time than I knew what to do with. My solution then was a bucket list, 30+ random goals to complete during my newfound time off. 

Cut the flashback- present day I have ticked off possibly 2 of my 30 'lockdown' goals. Possibly even worse than that feeble total is my complete loss of interest in the other 28 things that 16yr old me found so worthwhile. 

I had a decision to make, do I make the same mistake? Do I spend a few days making an exhaustive list of future achievements and ideas to complete over my 'time off'? A list I will eventually, like every other plan I so dutifully produce, ignore. Or do I do it differently? As an 18yr old, with arguably very few responsibilities and a heck of a lot of free time, I was instantly faced with a huge opportunity. I could literally do anything, wake up as late as I like, spend my days carrying out any number of hobbies. The sky (and my poor bank account) is the limit. 

And from all these realisations I birthed my brilliant plan, the one I'm actually going to stick to. I seem confident don't I? It's because its easy, not easy as in undemanding, just uncomplicated. Not 30 things on a bucket list- but three; three specific, achievable goals with their own individual and realistic timelines. They aren't all I've added to my routine, I've applied for a night shift job to get some extra money for life as a broke uni student and taken up multiple challenges for charity. But these are the three central aims I have for these next couple of months and going forward. 

1. Learn and become fluent in French

This is the big one, the only one that was taken from my original 2020 bucket list. In my years at school I studied French and became pretty good at it on an intermediate level. Being bilingual is definitely not something that comes easily to me, but then the challenge is what makes the reward so sweet. I've given myself a year for this one, and I'm hoping to achieve it through a combination of Memrise, French podcasts and French vocab books. 

2. Learn how to touch type

Perhaps slightly easier than becoming fluent in a second language, touch typing is a valuable skill I've always wanted to pick up. It would make life so much easier and I always like developing things that will build my CV, plus nerds like me tend to like flexing stuff like this. 

3. Keep the blog organised and updated

I'll be the first to admit that my exams and college coursework took priority over the blog, two blogs a week may seem manageable but it quickly becomes lost in a sea of revision and flashcards. So I made a promise to myself to regain some organisation and regulation when my studies were finished, this includes the original 2 blogs a week on a Wednesday and Sunday, as well as the occasional 'think piece' to keep you all on your toes. 

My main tool to keep track of these goals is an app called Accomplish; I haven't payed for premium but as the free version extends to three goals I don't have a need for premium yet. It's got so many brilliant features like task to-do lists that you can check off to track your progress, which has definitely helped me stay inspired. It's a nice feeling to be achieving something, even if they are only personal goals that won't have a huge impact on anyone other than me. What are your three goals?