Thursday, January 03, 2013

Ten Things Thursday: Ten Things I want to Accomplish in 2013



It is the first Ten Things Thursday of the new year! Today I am going to share with you ten things I want to accomplish in 2013. I don't do resolutions, as I have learned that my life will do everything it can to make sure I do not keep them. Usually I do not make any type of goal list, but I feel the need to do so this year. So,  here we go!

1. Write every day.

It might not be in the blog, but after finding this quote:

"WRITE EVERY DAY, the Muse insists. Don't skip a day no matter how you're feeling, no matter how many wars your country is fighting, no matter how many tornado's are heading your way. Crawl into your storm cellar and pick up a pen. If you can't think of anything to say, write the word God again and again. If you don't believe in God, write the word dog. Everyone believes in dogs. ("Sy Safransky's Notebook," The Sun, July 2011)

I, along with a few others who liked the idea, are going to make the effort to write SOMEWHERE daily. I got burnt out in October, not because I do not enjoy writing, but because I was going through an emotional shit storm while jumping into three intensive projects at once. It was not a smart idea, but time marches on and I feel more mentally and emotionally put together than I have in over a year. So I will be writing somewhere every day, even if it is for my eyes only.

2. Write in the blog more often.

I seem to go through these phases where I write a lot, and then I just stop for a while. It is not something I am fond of and I would like to be more consistent. Maybe I will not feel so disjointed about it. I have been reading writing tips, and a lot of professional writers say that you have to treat it as a job, even if you are a freelance writer. Set aside a time to write every day, and do it. It will train your mind into doing what needs to be done, and hopefully keep things flowing, instead of barfing words up all over the place and then having nothing left, as the "stomach" is empty.

3. Reduce the clutter in my house by at least 50%

I have a very tiny home, and Jack and I both have a love for big furniture. We do not even have a kitchen table, as there is no room for it. My large computer desk is there. We also have a daughter who INSISTS we keep every scrap of paper, every art project, every math paper, or anything else she does, forever. I can't count how many times I have stuffed old school work and scribbles on paper to the bottom of the trash while she is at school or asleep, or even taken the trash totally out to the big can outside so she would not see me do it. She is a great artist but as she loves to draw, it adds up in a hurry. I keep the most special ones, and I have scanned a ton of others to my computer, but I still have paper stuffed in to various drawers and cabinets until they are filled to the bursting point. I have explained to her that we do not have room, and that we could keep the favorites, but it is one thing she flips out about...so I have to be covert about it.

4. Become more organized by at least 50%

This ties in to number three, but as I mentioned, our place is tiny and we have big stuff. We have very little usable floor space to put bookshelves or dressers or things like that, but what we do have is a lot of empty wall space. So Jack has agreed to build shelves and mount them on various walls, and I will obtain boxes and baskets and things in which to organize stuff. Our clutter is not visible, but it is stuffed behind cabinet doors and in places you can not see. I still know it is there, and every time I open certain drawers or cabinets, I have to beware of the avalanche. So I would like to get a handle on all of that.

5. Continue with weight loss

I am hesitant to even put this here, because I am not actively trying to lose weight, and I am fully aware that the stress of the last year is the biggest reason I have lost 43 pounds in the last 17 months. It is also because I am more active these days, as I never seem to be able to sit still. I can tell in the way my clothes fit, the pant sizes I have dropped, and the way I feel, but to me at least, it is not much of a visible change. So maybe I should change that to I would like to get more toned. I would like to physically see the change.

6. Read more.

I am and have always been a very voracious reader, but the last few months I have read considerably less than I usually do. I would like to get back to it.

7. Strengthen my relationships with friends and family.

Being caught in the nasty claws of depression for the better part of a year means I have been withdrawn and solitary. I have found it hard to talk to people, and they have found it hard to talk to me because of it. I want to reach out more and cultivate those relationships that I am fortunate enough to have.

8. Be more artistic.

I have a wealth of crafting and artistic materials here, and I have said in the past I am not a "crafty mom" and it is true, I am not. But I enjoy painting, walls as well as art, and I want to do more of both. We already have the paint for the walls, and I already have the paint for the art. I just have to do it.

9. Learn a new skill.

I have things to learn to knit and to crochet, but my shaky hands have kept me from doing it. Since the meds I am on have helped me, I am thinking of taking it up again. If not that, then maybe something practical like soap making or candle making. If the world goes south, those would be things that are handy to know.

10. Expand my knowledge base.

Last but not least, and the easiest of them all, is to just keep learning. The last 24 hours alone have led me to learn about something I knew pretty much nothing about. My mind is the best thing about me, and I want to stuff just as much knowledge in to it as I can. Never, ever stop learning!

So there you have it. My basic list of things I want to accomplish this year. None of them are super hard, but they can be time consuming, and time is the one thing I have an excess of. Plus, all of them will be beneficial and make things better for us.

Is there anything special you want to accomplish this year?


1 comment:

Stephanie said...

Good luck. I hope you do them all. ;)

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