I don’t know if I can pull off another one of these projects, but the last one was grounding and created a useful routine for me. This year it isn’t about “being a writer” or any other single goal, but the modest hope to do better at a few things in my life than I did last year. I don’t need perfection, but I’d like to see some improvement.
Also, I don’t want to plan the whole year out tonight, and would like the year to unfold somewhat organically, but I at least know that I want to do better at carving out some writing time each week, making regular activity a priority, and being a better partner. I also know that those are vague as far “goals” go, right now. Success would be tough to measure, so to actually “do better” at them, I’ll have to be creative, specific, and accountable–I might have to try radical solutions, or look to outside resources, like taking a class or hiring a professional. That’s what I’d like to use this space for: documenting these short term projects and their progress. The only rules I’d like to establish are that each project should last between 2 and 4 weeks, and should start with a clear, stated goal. Each new project should start the day after the last one’s deadline.
As far as today: Rather than a single, repeated tradition each year, I try to spend the first day of the year doing things I hope will be a big part of the coming year (I also do this on my birthday, which is around the halfway mark). To that end: I cleaned up the house a bit, knit on a sweater, made a bunch of good food and had some friends and family over.