It's been a while since I had any real New Year's Resolutions. I haven't been sloughing it off, goal-wise, though. And I think New Year's Resolutions are a great idea. So here's mine for 2007 (numbered for future reference):
- Get things done: I have fallen off the GTD wagon despite several fitful starts in 2006. It's time to get serious about my life. I firmly believe that GTD is the best time management system out there but I haven't quite gotten my personal style of it figured out. I think that GTD-PHP is my best bet, but I need a mobile version of it or it's not going to cut it. Perhaps that will be the motivation to learn PHP that I've always lacked.
- Reduce my Mountain Dew consumption to one can a day: I'm currently at two cans a day with occasional lapses to three (and once in a very blue moon, four). Notice I specifically said Mountain Dew. I plan on drinking Rooster Booster Lite but my goal here is to eliminate soda-related weight gain. It's the number one reason for my weight fluctuation—up or down—throughout the year. I will maintain two cans a day for awhile and then gradually lower it to one a day, perhaps by an arbitrary time like February 1st.
- Stop the fighting: I need to stop fighting with Sandi. It's imperative. The last year has seen the number remain roughly the same, but the intensity has definitely gone up due to circumstances that I won't discuss here. I won't turn the other cheek, but there's got to be ways to keep cool even when one's buttons are being pushed.
- Reread Atlas Shrugged: I can get this one accomplished fairly easily since I've already started. But it's been a long time since I've reread it. With the movie coming soon, it'd be nice to have the plot fresh in my mind as I mercilessly pick apart the adaptation.
- Develop a Web application: I think that this has to be the year where I start my software company. It's on my 50 by 50 list (linked in the first paragraph), but waiting until I'm closer to 50 is insanity. I think that there's some rich opportunities to create a Web application that dovetails with Objectivist principles and a book idea I've been nurturing for the last couple years. I may junk this resolution in favor of writing that book, but I think the software might be more likely in 2007.
- Start saving money: We've always contributed heavily to my 401(k) plan but we've been hit or miss on shorter-term savings. We need to assess our income and sock money away in both ING and Desert Schools. We fritter away money each month and it'd be nice to have something to fall back on that didn't involve IRS penalties.
- Re-carpet the downstairs: We've got berber carpet downstairs and we were planning on replacing the carpet throughout the entire house once The Girls were old enough to control themselves (and the dog would stop whizzing on the floor occasionally). But it's gotten to the point where we actively hate laying on the floor because it is so god-damned uncomfortable. When we almost bought a house in 2006, one of the biggest joys was picking out some carpet to die for. I think the relatively small space downstairs would make re-carpeting fairly affordable.
- Blog more: December was a banner month here and I'd really like to keep it up. I look at my other blogs and the vibrancy they exhibit with considerable regret. bblog was supposed to be the scene, man, but I've focused all my energies on those other ones. I think if I can keep up the posting here, I'll at least feel like I'm giving it a shot. I may even start up a new blog or two in 2007—I've got some ideas and plenty of domains just sitting around.
- Get Phoenix history site rolling: I've got an incipient encyclopedia of Phoenix history and big plans for it, but it's sat idle for too long. If I can end 2007 with 10 good articles and perhaps 10 active contributors, then it will finally be building up a head of steam. Phoenix is a great city and the history of Phoenix is too easily forgotten in the hustle and bustle. Getting people active in recording and remembering it will fulfill one of my life's goals and, I hope, one of my legacies.
- Simplify my life: This is somewhat ironic given the previous resolutions, but I've got to get back to my basics. Hike more, love more, reflect more, be frugal more. If I were New-Agey (and boy am I not), I'd say I need to re-center but I think it's more of a re-focusing.
- Do something romantic at least once a week: Sandi is worth that. I'm already fairly romantic and I try to do it every week as it is, but I'm also a busy guy so it sometimes lapses. It'll also help me to remember that romance isn't always the big things, the grand gestures, but also the small, thoughtful actions as well.
- Keep library fines under $5: You don't even want to know how much I pay in library fines. Let's just say it generally amazes librarians whenever I come down and write a check. My major blemish on my credit record is a collection item from the Maricopa County Library because they assessed $30 in fees related to a lost book that I had returned. They wouldn't waive it and so I said, "Screw 'em!" In the end, they screwed me.
- Go the entire year without a traffic ticket: I got one in September and I really don't want to have another one until I'm eligible for traffic school again.
So that's it, off the top of my head. I think I'll write up progress reports throughout the year. That will help in checking my re-focusing. I hope that you can use the beginning of the year as a reflection point as well.
[UPDATE (1/2/2007): Added numbers 11, 12, and 13. I had resolved to do them but forgotten to add them to the list. I think that's all I've got.]
[UPDATE 2 (1/2/2007): Added IDs to the elements for easy reference.]