2019 New Years Resolutions

I’m one of those people who make New Year’s resolutions every year and most years, I actually work on keeping some of them. Of course I’ve never had a year with 100% success but since I usually make five (5) resolutions, my track record is about 50% (40% some years and 60% others) which is pretty good… well, for New Year’s resolutions (not so much for a test score).

This year, I wanted to make a conscious effort to make SMART goals for my New Year’s resolutions and ones that I might actually be able to achieve – none of the “fall in love” or “lose weight” ones. So with that in mind, here are my 2019 New Year’s resolutions. Each one will be named, I’ll explain why I choose it and I’ll finish with an achievable goal for each.

To write here more regularly and to rediscover the joy of writing.

This is the number one thing I want, no, that I need to do in 2019. Writing is incredibly important to me, whether it’s just me talking about beers I like, writing a fictional short story, or a review of a film or album, I love to write. I need to write. 2018 was a bad writing year for me in many ways. I had to take a step back from my writing – both personal and professional – because it stopped being fun, cathartic and something I wanted to do. It became work. It became stressful. I had burned out. So I stopped, took a break, because I wanted writing to be fun again. I needed it to be something I wanted to do not something I was supposed to do.

It’s taken a while to get back into the groove for many reasons, even after the ‘official’ hiatus ended. So I want to make writing a priority for 2019 – not just work writing but all writing. One good thing did come out of burning out and taking a hiatus, I realized that I missed creative writing so I’m going to spend more time doing it. Most importantly, I’m going to write about what I want to write about, not what I think I should.

Goal: To write for at least 20 minutes daily (about anything). I don’t have to publish, I just need to write.

To clean out and revamp my closet.

I’ve done a bit of closet clean out before (and it’s been a resolution before) and recently donated two bags of clothes that had been sitting around waiting to be donated (for over a year) but I need to do another closet cleanse. Or perhaps I need to make it a regular yearly thing. This time, I want to revamp my closet. It sounds like a small thing but I have a hard time getting rid of clothes, although I’ve gotten a lot better at not buying them. So there’s stuff in there that I like or in many cases, really liked, but don’t wear anymore. And while I know I’ll never be a capsule wardrobe person, I would like to pare my closet down to the clothes I wear (and which look good on me), rather than everything I love.

I know I hold onto certain items of clothing for sentimental reasons so difficult questions need to be asked – like “do you love it enough to shadow box it?” – so I don’t keep tees from high school forever. Or learn how to quilt and make a quilt from it…oh wait, that’s not going to happen.

Goal: Spend a weekend and go through all of my clothes. Anything I haven’t worn in the last two years, donate. Be ruthless.

Stop thinking I have to do everything for ATK Magazine

This goes back into the first piece. One of the reasons I started burning out is that I was trying to write about everything that fell under ATK Magazine’s niche and I stopped writing about the parts I loved. I need to stop thinking I can, or need to, do everything. It’s not that I can’t say no, I have no problem with it. It’s that I thought ATK had to cover everything and there often wasn’t anyone to assign the work to so I ended up with it.

ATK Magazine may be my baby but it should be more fun than it is work. I need to rediscover that.

Goal: Repeat after me, you can’t do everything. It’s my new motto for 2019. (I realize this isn’t a SMART goal but… a change in thinking is important and necessary.)

Declutter my apartment

I come from a family of pack rats so clutter – and the inability to throw out stuff – comes naturally but it’s time to take some control. And while it hasn’t reached a point, or anywhere close to it, that my roommate wants to schedule an intervention, there are a couple of problem areas that collect clutter. I’ll never have, nor do I want to have, a knickknack-free house as I collect books, Blue Mountain pottery and shot glasses; but I want to get a handle on the random clutter and the-never-used stuff.

As there are a couple of problem areas, I will tackle each separately – one a weekend – until the place looks how I want it to.

Goal: Declutter the four worst areas: my bookcases, the coffee table, the corner of my kitchen island, and the corner behind my couch.

Spend more “improving me” time

Now I’m pretty good at spending some “me” time, even if it’s just an hour before bed reading or booking the occasional massage or facial, but I haven’t taken a course or improved on any of my existing skills in ages. I feel like I’m stagnating a bit which might have helped exasperate #3 and contributed to the problems that led to #1.

I like learning new stuff (or improving on what I know) and there’s a couple of areas in particular I’d like to learn more about: using essential oils, Scotch, my heritage, and tea. Of course, there’s lots more I’d love to learn but those are at the top of my list.

Goal: Find a classes/courses in each of the four areas that interest me the most and take them.

That’s what I’m working on for 2019. What are your New Year’s resolutions this year?