It’s amazing how much you can accomplish with a little planning and foresight. Maybe that’s why I’ve never made it far on my resolutions in the past. But this year, I have chosen to commit to 12 objectives. No more. That’s one per month. And that makes it seem perfectly doable.
Now that I have a plan to make my resolutions happen, it’s time to define my 2017 objectives.
1. Clean Up My Stuff — Use, Re-use, Recycle or Donate
“Discard everything that does not spark joy,” says Japanese organizing consultant Marie Kondo. There’s no need to collect things, as all those things collect dust and space. Also, having too much clutter at home makes me uncomfortable, especially in my home office. In January, I’ll take 2 days to reset and reorganize, and clear out the things I haven’t used in the last year. It may be necessary to do it again in the fall.
2. Enjoy Life And The People I Love
Every experience is better when shared, so I’ve made it my goal to spend more time with the ones I love. My objective is to have quality time at least once this year with each of the people that I love. That means no distractions, no ticking clock, and plenty of in depth conversations. And since our family is moving out to a new city, this is mandatory.
3. Preserve My Memories
Good times make for good memories, and there’s no better way to relive those memories than thumbing through the pictures that preserve them. My objective is to print at least 24 pictures this year (that’s two a month, I can do this!). And I’ll keep my 2017 digital souvenirs organized for later access in Kumbu.
4. Be Bolder — Take Action And Move Forward
If you want something, stand up and take it — no more laziness. No longer will I hesitate on plans, dreams, or chances to live. If I find myself on the brink of hesitation, I will only tip forward because I know that afterwards I will be happier for having done so. And if I ever regret it, I can always take back the money in the jar.
5. Travel Afoot
Walking — the only resolution that I have actually fulfilled in 2016 that I must continue. I’m lucky enough to be able to walk or cycle to the office, and I’m taking full advantage. I have made it my objective to choose walking whenever I can, or whenever I hesitate. And as an added bonus, I discovered that walking gives me a special time where I can listen to music or call a friend.
6. Learn New Things
It might be too late for me to learn about quantum physics. But there are plenty of other new tricks I can learn: food recipes, wine discoveries, new places and work related skills. And I should learn to build something special for my daughter — perhaps this interior wooden scooter I have in mind.
7. Get Active in My New Surroundings
Like I said, I’m not going to start running. But I am moving to new town, which has birthed two new objectives: find a new soccer team and pick up surfing. In the last 10 years I’ve been surfing once or twice a year. Now, I’ll try to surf twice a month. But the first crucial step is to find friendly people to tag along with.
8. Take A Break From The News
It’s important to know what’s happening in the world. But I don’t have to know everything, in the instant. I’ve started by turning off notifications on my phone. I’ll allow myself 10 to 20 minutes every day to keep up with the news, and that’s it. Oh, and I’m quitting News Channel as well.
9. Go to Sleep 1 Hour Earlier
When my kids were younger, I tricked myself into believing that sleep was for the weak. But as they no longer need me at all hours of the night, I can once again believe that sleep is essential to my overall well being. With that said, I’ll try to go to bed earlier. I know I can’t do it everyday, but the first half of the week seems to be a good start. And no more screen time on the smartphone before bedtime. This is not going to be easy.
10. Plan Future Holidays
The past two years we haven’t planned our holidays. We end up having the same vacations, in the same locations. This year, I’m preparing at least one holiday in a place where we’ve never been to.
11. Eat Healthier
This one tops the New Year’s Resolutions charts in popularity, but it probably means something different to each of us. For me, I plan to keep a weekly /daily balance to compensate comfort food with healthier food. For instance, I shouldn’t eat red meat more than twice a week, and I should have a veggie meal at least once a day. But oh boy, I’m not quitting cheese! It doesn’t have to be all health food all the time — just a little more than in 2016!
12. Don’t Take Things Too Seriously
Life is too short to be too serious. I’ll try having fun in whatever I do and force myself to stress less — New Year Resolutions included
We’ll see in 2018 how it came out for me!
What about you? What are you planning to change this year?
I’m Arnaud co-Founder of Kumbu — the Souvenir Box for the Digital Era. Please share this article if you like it, thanks!
