Well, kids, I’m feeling a bit better, I think. Entering this next week with a positive outlook, we’ll see if it’s work stress or family stress that’s been dragging me down.
That said, I’m still working on planning out my 2010, a la Monsieur Guillebeau. I’m doing some personal research into Remember the Milk – everything I hear is that its the bee’s knees, but the last time I tried to use it I wasn’t devoted, and I let it slide. Now I see it integrates with Google Calendar, and that’s what I’m trying to use to keep track of my finances (or at least when bills are due), and that gives me hope. I’m going to give it another shot, and hope that it will create successful recurring tasks that I can access on my iPod Touch.
I sketched out a list of things I would like to do in 2010 – no holds barred, and no accomplishment is too far out of reach. Here are a few of those things:
- Complete 200 Sit-Ups and 100 Push Ups programs (and now I see there’s a 200 squats program as well – I’m so there!)
- Read all the books I have that I have yet to read (lots of Seth Godin, organization, and entrepreneur stuff, not much fiction, which is very surprising to me)
- Create one website template per month
- Finish my NaNo novel by Feb, edit it, and publish it
- Learn to use my sewing machine and sew new curtains for the house
- Get rid of all my stray paper – no more stray paper anywhere, ever
- Sell books I no longer need
- Get holiday cards out before Thanksgiving
- Send mid-year update letter to family in Iowa
- Create and stick to my budget
I left out some of the stuff that’s only interesting to me, so don’t worry – you didn’t miss anything. One of the things I didn’t add on my paper but I should is that I want to just generally get my damn life in order. That means ordinary stuff like cleaning the house (dusting, sweeping, sorting, washing) gets done on a regular basis, without being some huge ordeal that I have to suffer through. That’s where the automated task lists will come in very handy. What should I do on what night, and in such a way that I can still maintain my f*ing sanity.
I realized today, by the way, that I am not cut out to be a soccer mom. I can not handle events every single night of the week, taking D to cub scouts and V to band practice on the same day as the baseball tournament and the presentation at church, and oh, don’t forget the doctor’s appointments! No way. I think part of the reason that November was so hard for me is that I had so many personal responsibilities right on top of my kid’s activities, as well as trying to write a novel. It was just too much. I’m more laid back, and I desperately need to remember that when I start creating my lists.
So I’m trying to do a 2010 plan, with Remember the Milk tasks involved, and I may even find the time to read GTD (which I actually don’t own, but would really love to get my hands on) to help even more.
I’m gonna Nickify it.