2010 Resolutions
Posted under: Resolutions
Resolutions, predictions, goals, gifts … whatever you want to call them. Here’s what I want to have accomplished by the end of twenty-ten.
I use toodledo.com for my checkbox and todo list needs. I find them to have just the right number of features, they’re free, were easy to get started on, and email daily reminder lists. Whatever method you use for goal tracking, make sure it’s one that you find easy to use and keep up with. =]
Big Goals or Habits
Note that this list should be short. Habits are very difficult to form and you don’t want to overload yourself with a lot of big changes all at once.
- Learn to meditate. (personal/spiritual goal)
- Become more comfortable with digital coloring for my art. (artistic goal)
- Complete SONG OF BINDING and begin shopping for an agent. (writing/dream/future goal)
- Learn to code for the iPhone. (professional goal)
Medium Goals
Goals that will require a moderate amount of effort. Note there are four writing goals, tipping the scales toward what I consider to be my most important activity, and the one I want to devote most of my time to.
- Continue Choose. (Choose implies its own schedule)
- Self-publish Volume 1 of Choose.
- Complete the editing and posting Blue Moon, Book 1 and stop beating myself up by trying to make it “quality” when I should make it “fun”.
- Continue Wenching. ;) (*glee*)
- Learn how to play Hymn of the Fayth on the keyboard. (This will involve actually practicing. Yeah. Weird.)
Small Goals
Small in terms of effort or work involved, not importance. Many of these are “keep on keepin on” type goals – either continuations of habits I’ve already formed and don’t want to lose, or one-off events that I want to make sure happen.
- Go on photo-trips with Mr. Moore. (4 currently planned, with loose weather-dependent dates)
- Be adventurous with my writing. (Continue prompts, flash fiction, and stuff “just because”. Try other genre and point of view options. Do fanfiction. Have FUN.)
- Be adventurous with my food. (At least 2 new healthy recipes per month!)
- Remember birthdays. (If you want me to remember your birthday, please post the month and day in the comments. Years are for sissies.)
- Complete “my alphabet” for use with my fancy schmancy dip pen and ink. (I’m up to capital ‘J’ !)
- Keep a food diary!
- Do not eat any of the random free food brought in to work. No cakes, no free bagels, no free muffins or cookies or candies. Prohibididididadido. *
Example: Medium Goal
“Self-publish Volume 1 of Choose.”
That is broken down into :
- Edit the installments (I have a repeating To Do box on my Toodledo with a loose expectation of editing one installment a day).
- Identify all the homages for “special content” (I will make notes as I edit and compile after my editing is complete)
- Format the polls for print/ebook (I’ve given myself a week to do this properly)
- Add art (I’ve squished this up to the polls task week)
- Format the whole kit n kaboodle according to lulu.com standards (A weekend)
- Choose a price. Think about offering signed copies. Remember how hectic signed copies were last time you did that. Think about doing it again anyway. (just a checkbox)
- Upload book to lulu (another checkbox)
- Post about the availability of the book. Worry about the signed copies thing again. (Flexibly firm date of February 22nd)
Note that EACH of those items has a schedule or specific tagged on to it in my to do list. I want to have Choose available via lulu.com by the end of February. It feels like an awfully long time from now, but on the other hand … that’s a lot of work! Especially since I’ll still be working on my OTHER writing projects during that time.
Example: Small Goal
Not all of them are that in-depth, of course. “Remember Birthdays” is just:
- Ask people for their birthday. (Hey look! I JUST did this one! You noticed me asking, didn’t you? Of course you did. *checks it off the list*)
- Add the dates to my todo list software, since I actually USE that to keep track of things and open it daily.
- Wish them happiness on their birthday.
Each and every goal has been broken down into milestones and each milestone has been given a flexible date of completion. Furthermore, by assigning each milestone a checkbox, I can track whether or not I’m actually accomplishing my goals, or if I’ve been watching one too many episodes of Code Geass or playing too much Fable 2 lately. =]
And You?
What are your goals, big or small? I recommend making a list rather than just sort of vaguely thinking about what you want to do. The act of writing it down makes it feel more real.
Most Important of All
I hope that all of you have a joyous, productive 2010 wherein you achieve your goals, get closer to your dreams, and have significantly more ups than down.
HAPPY 2010, y’all!
* Of all the goals I posted, this one was the hardest to write down. I kept trying to convince myself that it was unnecessary, or that maybe there’d be a TOTALLY AWESOME THING brought in one day and I’d want some and then I’d have LIED on my BLOG. The fact that I tried over and over again to convince myself not to add this goal is precisely why it’s up there. Seriously, self? You find it hard to believe you can go a whole year without eating box cakes, old bagels, dissatisfying donuts, or burnt cookies? Lame, self. Very lame.
June 16. You?
The biggest thing in 2010 will be the birth of our first child so there are a LOT of short-term and long-term, tangible and intangible resolutions/goals concerning her/him.
For me? Write more. Cook more. Keep a closer eye on finances. And, with my husband, we’d like to buy a home in 2010.
Big goals, huh? <3
.-= Tristina´s last blog ..2009 and Looking Forward =-.
@Tristina
*grins* Babies and homes are definitely big big goals!
August 26. And while I know you celebrated yours sometime in the last 2 weeks, I’m unsure of the actual date.
As I told you earlier, my Goals post will go up in a few days; about to head to the airport to fly home. :)
Happy Twenty-ten, everyone!
.-= Steve´s last blog ..Best of the Aerie 2009 =-.
@Steve
December 15, for me. =]
If I post my birthday on here, it would make people think you didnt already know when it was. :P
*ahem*
As to the foot note, one thing that we can do to work on that is finding things healthier we enjoy as much or more than cakes, doughnuts and cookies AND reminding ourselves “we have things we like better than that” when we are accosted by said pastries.
@Rhotley
When IS your birthday again? Last half of the year, right? ;)
<3
My birthday’s on March 6. I haven’t committed to any goals yet… guess I’ll spend some time thinking about that tonight.
Consider using LiveStrong to track food intake. They have a free iPhone app that makes it a bit easier.
http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate/users/myplate/
http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate/iphone-calorie-tracker/
@Katy
Wow, nice app! Thank you for the recommendation.
.-= Tami´s last blog ..2010 Resolutions =-.
March 3rd.
@Rhotley @Tami
Feel free to send those cookies/cakes/etc my way… ;-)
Make sure you put them in “discrete” packaging so my wife doesn’t find out. Haha.
.-= Byrd´s last blog ..A Look into the Past (Part 1) =-.
@Byrd
*cackles* Email me your mailing address. I’ll send you a care package! <3
.-= Tami´s last blog ..2010 Resolutions =-.
September 4th. I would also welcome cookies and cakes and such, but I am afraid the long travel might make them quite inedible. Ah well…
As for New Year’s Resolutions:
1. Find a job, preferably one I enjoy.
2. Edit “Death’s Door”, if I am happy with it (which I doubtlessly won’t be), consider shopping for an agent, otherwise maybe post on blog or self-publish?
3. Complete Feather Path, start the second story-arc of what increasingly looks to be a trilogy.
4. Decide which country I want to try living in next *grins*
I am sure I could come up with more, but this looks quite sufficient for now.
.-= Iris´s last blog ..Blog Transmitted Disease =-.
@Iris
*laughs* I could always try for inedible gifts. =]
Woo for all the writing goals!
I’m always fascinated by the almost-anywhere-but-america view on moving from country to country. Good luck with your job and country search!
.-= Tami´s last blog ..2010 Resolutions =-.
My birthday is May 15th!
You sure set a lot of resolutions/goals! I wish you luck in sticking to them!
For me, my goals would be sewing more and better, teaching tango (starting next week!), selling stuff I make, and taking a trip to Argentina!
Anything you would like in return? ;-)
.-= Byrd´s last blog ..A Look into the Past (Part 1) =-.
@Tami
Actually, as my sister and niece live in San Francisco, America is on the table for me. Who knows, who knows…
.-= Iris´s last blog ..Blog Transmitted Disease =-.
@Camelai
Oooh, TEACHING tango? Awesome!
And Argentina as well, how fun!
I haven’t forgotten about the vests (well, I did once, but I’ve remembered since then). Just waiting for things to calm down so I can get those measurements to you!
@Byrd
*laughs* Nope! Though I don’t know WHEN this package may arrive. It’ll be a surprise to both of us!
@Iris
Oho! San Fran is a very nice area, too. Lots of personality!
Happy New Year fellow SmartBitch! I am thinking this year is going to be full of awesomeness, and making lists and detailing goals is all part of getting it to happen! So glad I “met” you in 2009, and looking forward to celebrating some literary success with you in 2010!
Oh, and my bday is Nov 14…yep, exactly 9 months after Valentine’s Day…eeew. ;)
.-= Mama Nice/Drama Mama´s last blog ..The List of Shame =-.
@Mama Nice
Happy New Year indeed, fellow SmartBitch! <3
Definitely glad to have met you, as well (most certainly the best result of the test drive, in my opinion).
.-= Tami´s last blog ..2010 Resolutions =-.
Hi Tami! Great goals (and lots of them)! Thanks for the p90x advice! Much appreciated!
Best wises for a happy new year!
ps – if you do learn how to code for iphone apps be sure to let me know ;)
.-= Jenny / LobotoME.com´s last blog ..{ the year of the pullup – bring it } =-.
@Jenny
It’s a lot of goals, but hopefully not too many BIG ones. It helps that most of them are ones I fervently desire rather than being habits I want to form or break. =]
I will definitely drop you a line once I figure iPhone coding out! *laughs* (I WILL learn how! *puts on her determined face*)