Goals for this year
Without looking at how I did with last year's resolutions...this year I plan to:
Declutter - My garage is getting there; I spent yesterday setting up a new shoe rack to address the piles of shoes scattered by the door and it looks better already. I also want to get my closets and study into shape; maybe finally get some framed pictures on the wall. At least I framed some last year. And I should really suck it up and ditch the old Emmy screener DVDs that I've got stacked up in piles on the floor of my living room. Just because I got them for free doesn't mean I'm actually going to watch a stray episode of Battlestar Galactica or The Tudors.
Make a vision board - a friend of mine who's a huge Oprah fan (for the record, I'm not and find Oprah worship a little disconcerting) is a big proponent of vision boards, and swears by them. She says everything that she put on a vision board two years ago came true for her, including stuff like playing at Carnegie Hall and meeting fashion designer Carolina Herrera. While I have major reservations about stuff like The Secret, a little positive projection never hurt, and I do believe that voicing dreams and goals can help direct your actions, even if subconsciously. (I just don't know about the whole, "And now I've got a mansion and I'm on a boat!" thing -- that's just ludicrous.) So why not? It's not like I'm not already doing that by writing it out in my blog. Making a vision board would actually just be fun -- I'd feel all craft-y and shit.
Meet my financial goals - Between property taxes, R.'s 40th bday, the annual writer's conference, classes at UCLA, car insurance and home insurance, that's a huge chunk of change I need to have set aside. Plus I want to up the amount that I'm putting into my 401k (just doing the bare minimum right now) and add to my emergency fund. It's a security thing -- I don't think I can ever shake the feeling that the rug can be pulled out from under me.
Buy less, buy mindfully - This goes hand-in-hand with decluttering and meeting my financial goals. This article from Zen Habits pretty much sums up what I would like to do. Which means I need to cut back on the impulse to "stock up" whenever I come across a deal.
Complete my novel - I signed up for my second novel-writing class at UCLA, with the same instructor. The goal is to complete 50 pages by the end of the course. Here's hoping!
Get my 2nd picture book manuscript in shape for submission - I love my idea, and it got a good critique last summer, but I haven't done much with it since and I do want to get it out there. You can't win if you don't play!
Submit manuscript(s) - See above. I would love to get an agent and/or a book deal. Is that like saying "I'd love to win the lottery"? Yes, yes it is. But I'm saying it anyway.
Go to bed earlier - Getting enough sleep is beneficial in so many ways. Brain health, skin health, overall health...it's no use having goals if you won't take care of your body.
Work out regularly - I was doing well for a time, but the holidays hit and everything dropped off a cliff. I haven't worked out in nearly two months now. Gotta climb back on that wagon.
Write every day, even if it's just in a journal - It's like working out. The more you do it, the better you feel. But it's hard to get yourself motivated sometimes.
Watch less TV - Seriously, what does watching all that TV do for me? Nothing! It's junk food for the brain! I must stop binging! Thankfully, I'm over American Idol so that's one less show I'm compelled to watch. I will still watch Mad Men, Glee and Top Chef though -- and Big Love starts next week! I can't help it, I do love Castle. Project Runway is out for me. I gotta stop watching the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, but it's so hard to tear your gaze away from a train wreck. This is gonna be hard.
Throw a dinner party - I say this every year, and I'll say it again. Always a worthy goal!
Take a trip for fun - Also always a worthy goal!
Bring plants into my life - Plants add so much to a space, they're good feng shui AND they help clean the air. I used to grow cat grass weekly for my girls, but stopped when I had a fruit fly infestation in the late summer (those little suckers LOVED the cat grass). Need to start growing kitty grass for the cats again; also want to bring plants into the house. I have a total black thumb, but I know there are plants out there that are pet-friendly (non-poisonous) and hard to kill (like snake plant, for one).
Get my teeth cleaned more than once - Only went once last year. Which is dumb since I have dental insurance. I'm going every six months this year, like I should.
Get promoted or start looking for a new job - It'll be two years in March with my current company. I don't want to make the same mistake I made at my old company, where I languished for four years in the same position without a promotion, even as the department grew in numbers and revenue. If I don't get a promotion, then I should probably start looking for a new job that is, if not better-paying, at least more engaging. Should start getting my resume ready.
Declutter - My garage is getting there; I spent yesterday setting up a new shoe rack to address the piles of shoes scattered by the door and it looks better already. I also want to get my closets and study into shape; maybe finally get some framed pictures on the wall. At least I framed some last year. And I should really suck it up and ditch the old Emmy screener DVDs that I've got stacked up in piles on the floor of my living room. Just because I got them for free doesn't mean I'm actually going to watch a stray episode of Battlestar Galactica or The Tudors.
Make a vision board - a friend of mine who's a huge Oprah fan (for the record, I'm not and find Oprah worship a little disconcerting) is a big proponent of vision boards, and swears by them. She says everything that she put on a vision board two years ago came true for her, including stuff like playing at Carnegie Hall and meeting fashion designer Carolina Herrera. While I have major reservations about stuff like The Secret, a little positive projection never hurt, and I do believe that voicing dreams and goals can help direct your actions, even if subconsciously. (I just don't know about the whole, "And now I've got a mansion and I'm on a boat!" thing -- that's just ludicrous.) So why not? It's not like I'm not already doing that by writing it out in my blog. Making a vision board would actually just be fun -- I'd feel all craft-y and shit.
Meet my financial goals - Between property taxes, R.'s 40th bday, the annual writer's conference, classes at UCLA, car insurance and home insurance, that's a huge chunk of change I need to have set aside. Plus I want to up the amount that I'm putting into my 401k (just doing the bare minimum right now) and add to my emergency fund. It's a security thing -- I don't think I can ever shake the feeling that the rug can be pulled out from under me.
Buy less, buy mindfully - This goes hand-in-hand with decluttering and meeting my financial goals. This article from Zen Habits pretty much sums up what I would like to do. Which means I need to cut back on the impulse to "stock up" whenever I come across a deal.
Complete my novel - I signed up for my second novel-writing class at UCLA, with the same instructor. The goal is to complete 50 pages by the end of the course. Here's hoping!
Get my 2nd picture book manuscript in shape for submission - I love my idea, and it got a good critique last summer, but I haven't done much with it since and I do want to get it out there. You can't win if you don't play!
Submit manuscript(s) - See above. I would love to get an agent and/or a book deal. Is that like saying "I'd love to win the lottery"? Yes, yes it is. But I'm saying it anyway.
Go to bed earlier - Getting enough sleep is beneficial in so many ways. Brain health, skin health, overall health...it's no use having goals if you won't take care of your body.
Work out regularly - I was doing well for a time, but the holidays hit and everything dropped off a cliff. I haven't worked out in nearly two months now. Gotta climb back on that wagon.
Write every day, even if it's just in a journal - It's like working out. The more you do it, the better you feel. But it's hard to get yourself motivated sometimes.
Watch less TV - Seriously, what does watching all that TV do for me? Nothing! It's junk food for the brain! I must stop binging! Thankfully, I'm over American Idol so that's one less show I'm compelled to watch. I will still watch Mad Men, Glee and Top Chef though -- and Big Love starts next week! I can't help it, I do love Castle. Project Runway is out for me. I gotta stop watching the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, but it's so hard to tear your gaze away from a train wreck. This is gonna be hard.
Throw a dinner party - I say this every year, and I'll say it again. Always a worthy goal!
Take a trip for fun - Also always a worthy goal!
Bring plants into my life - Plants add so much to a space, they're good feng shui AND they help clean the air. I used to grow cat grass weekly for my girls, but stopped when I had a fruit fly infestation in the late summer (those little suckers LOVED the cat grass). Need to start growing kitty grass for the cats again; also want to bring plants into the house. I have a total black thumb, but I know there are plants out there that are pet-friendly (non-poisonous) and hard to kill (like snake plant, for one).
Get my teeth cleaned more than once - Only went once last year. Which is dumb since I have dental insurance. I'm going every six months this year, like I should.
Get promoted or start looking for a new job - It'll be two years in March with my current company. I don't want to make the same mistake I made at my old company, where I languished for four years in the same position without a promotion, even as the department grew in numbers and revenue. If I don't get a promotion, then I should probably start looking for a new job that is, if not better-paying, at least more engaging. Should start getting my resume ready.