Today begins the second month of the year! January's over with all its craziness and enthusiasm and we've settled in to winter (though today's weather in DC was more like spring).

That means it's time to take out your list of New Year's resolutions and re-evaluate. If you're like me, you started January super-focused on your resolutions. But as the month went on, it got harder and harder as life took over.

So this week, get out your list (this is why you wrote them down!) Assess your progress on each one. What have you done well? Where do you need to put some extra effort?

I have to admit, my results thus far have been mixed. I've done pretty well on my efforts to live more lightly on the earth. I've made some progress on some long-standing projects. (I thought I had finished going through my old magazine stash until I discovered another box earlier tonight — sigh.) My efforts to exercise more and lose weight have not been as successful as I'd hoped. Weekly Friday tidys have not been a weekly event.

Regular check-ins on your resolutions are a way to keep your focus. If you don't keep your goals at the front of your mind, it will be harder to achieve them.