So the children are all tucked in bed, the dishes are done, the holiday decorations are stored away for another year. Lunches are waiting to be made and outfits are laid out for the morning.
Yes, for me, the new year doesn't start until that last bus pulls away from the curb. You can keep your countdown to midnight on December 31st. My New Year's celebration begins today.
Dont' get me wrong, I love the holidays. Having family around, being able to sleep in, celebrating the season with the people I love - all of these things are in the "win" column for me. But for starting fresh, turning a page on the year, I need the structure of my routine, the daily schedule that gets me back on track.
And, of course, the new challenges that go along with it. I don't like to make big Resolutions-with-a-capital-R, with specific end results, because they're so easy to break. This year, I thought I'd look at a few areas of my life that could use a nudge, and list a few ideas of what I'd like to do differently this year. Here they are, ready for the official start today:
1. I will exercise more. (Yes, I know, this is *the* big resolution. Still, it needs to be done!) Even if this means heading to the gym the minute the kids are safely tucked away in the public school system instead of making a hot chocolate and surfing the net for a little down time. I may not be able to find a parking space, but hey, the extra walk won't hurt. And with a trip to Hawaii just three months away, I'd better start working off those holiday pounds NOW.
2. I will stay on top of things. No more letting my e-mail pile up in folders until I have 500 unread messages (sorry, NNN ladies! I'm a bit behind!). No more waiting until the last minute to meet deadlines. This year, I'm going to get it done early.
3. I'm going to organize and prioritize better. Twitter can wait until I finish that book proposal.
4. I'm going to read more. Somehow, this fell by the wayside in '09, and I don't want that to happen this year.
5. I'm going to celebrate the small successes. Sometimes life can be a bit overwhelming, and it's easy to forget to enjoy the positives, especially if they're not huge flashing neon signs. I'll work on recognizing and enjoying them more.
It's not a long list, but it's a good start. How about you? What steps are you taking this year - big or small?
Great ideas Kate! I hate making resolutions that I know I won't keep, so I don't, :-) but I'm with you on the excercise, I really need to get back to my running and working out. It's so hard to drag myself away from my writing but I really have to do it!
ReplyDeleteThanks to the Heart of Denver Romance Writers, I'm in the middle of a Book in a Week challenge. Great way to jumpstart the year! And yeah, I too find myself using writing to avoid exercising (but I just *have* to finish this chapter).
ReplyDeleteI have exercise on my list also. It's never a silly resolution to make. I understand the Hawaii trip trim down concept. I leave for New Orleans *yet again :)* in three months. So, if I want to look good in the Big Easy, well...I can't let myself be a Big Easy on the couch! I want to make a word count goal for each day and meet it. Hope everyone has a wonderful 2010.
ReplyDeleteMy big goals this year include trying to find some kind of balance between all the areas I need to focus on while still getting the second vampire book DONE. Ideally, I'd like to get the second and THIRD vampire book done in 2010, but if I can at least get the second one and a couple of shorter pieces finished, I'd be happy.
ReplyDeleteAll great goals, Kate! :) I rarely have trouble finding time to write-- I put everything else off for it! *G* Which means my house is a mess, my treadmill isn't used enough, I'm sleep deprived and my kids eat a lot of mac and cheese (not that they mind!) Okay, so maybe I have some goals to set...
ReplyDeleteErin
So I'm guessing that "stay on top of things" is going to be a work in progress...
ReplyDeleteSorry I'm late responding, everyone! I've been called for jury duty this month and it's already messing with my schedule in a big way. Sigh.
But thanks so much for commenting, and I'll keep my fingers crossed that you're more successful than I'm starting out to be! :)