I’m excited for 2009. The New Year is just the landmark I (we?) need to shake off the malaise of 2008 and start fresh. New.
My goal for the year is clarity.
Clarity of priorities, clarity of mind, clarity of spirit.
To achieve this clarity, I’ve identified a handful of small (easily measurable) and big (less measurable, more directional) ideas.
SMALL IDEAS
- Take a walk, outside, daily.
- Inbox Zero daily (including notecards).
- ‘Respond To’ Zero weekly.
- Review Project list weekly.
- No more To-Do lists
Just schedule it in 2-hour time blocks (in my early tests, 2 hours is the minimum time it takes to switch contexts and accomplish one small thing). This means my stack of notecards will be strictly for capture. Next actions will be scheduled on the calendar. Should make weekly reviews easier. - Publish a new podcast monthly.
- Release a new code sample monthly.
- Release 1 small project quarterly.
- Release 1 new, revenue-generating project every 6 months.
BIG IDEAS
Spend more time…
- …with actual people.
- …writing (code, blog posts here, etc).
- …making (podcasts, code, etc).
- …reading books.
- …reading /Important in my Cullect reading lists.
- …at Eastside Co-op and local farmer’s markets.
- …with people that make me feel good about humanity.
Spend less time…
- …with characters (movies, etc).
- …reading /Lastest in my Cullect reading lists.
- …reading real-time services like Twitter, Facebook, and Friendfeed.
- …with ad-supported publications (including MPR & NPR).
- …with people that say we’re going to hell in a handcart.
- …at Rainbow, Cub, Target.
Indeed. We.
Just found an old printed copy of this post I had saved for myself at the time of its original publication. Without actually referring to that sheet of paper, I’ve been slowly working toward accomplishing some of my own goals similar to these.
Upon rediscovering this, consider those efforts renewed.
Mike – March forth! Thanks for reminding me of this post. I’m still on this quest myself – and found it quite satisfying.