So I really wanted to do a theme this year. Thought it’d be a nice thing to do instead of “goals” or “resolutions” or anything like that. However! Life is gonna get a little complicated with a newborn arriving in February, and I knew that was going to throw everything into whack.
With that said, my theme is: Year of the Garden.
I want to work on all of the small things in my life, thinking of it like a garden that I need to tend to in order to have success this year, and be ready for future years as well.
With that said, here are my 4 main categories:
Harvest - continue with established habits
- Read at least 1 book/month (far less than my goal of 50 that I had for 2021, but hey - a baby is incoming)
- Brew coffee daily vs. buying sugary mochas
Prune - trim down existing habits to be better suited for my future
- Prune who I follow on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube every quarter (Tokimeki Unfollow is GREAT for this if you’re a Twitter user)
- Uninstall/stop playing video games that I can’t pause
- Cook fewer “comfort” recipes, and focus on healthier options
Sow - plant new habits
- Healthy movement daily (exercise, Ring Fit, walking)
- Drinking 80+ oz (2.3 L) of water daily
- Write more (D&D campaign, blogging, journaling, etc.)
- Practice piano
- Practice guitar
- Write music again (possibly Q2-Q3)
- Learn to draw (iPad? Pencil?)
- Learn a language (Spanish, Korean, French)
- Learn a new programming language (Python, Swift, Rust?)
Raze - clear weeds and unwanted habits to make way for better things
- Get off of Facebook (planned departure date of 1/1/22)
- Use the Screen Time functions of Mac/iOS to restrict time on Twitter and Instagram
- Actively identify and implement solutions to stop biting/picking my nails
I fully intend for items to move around in this list. For example, once I “sow” some of these new habits, I intend to move them to the “harvest” category where I continue to pursue them. Some “harvest” items will need to be “pruned” as I go along, or “razed” entirely. I want to leave myself the flexibility to identify and attempt new things, while simultaneously understanding that my time will not be my own in about 2 months.
Ultimately, I want to trim the fat, keep things lean, and identify the things that bring me joy and growth. Lay the ground work and prepare the garden for future years. Practice habit gardening now, so I am experienced with it as my life changes and I need to change.