So 2024 is upon us. I'll admit that, unlike my birthday this year, I'm actually quite happy for us to be starting a new year. I never quite trust odd-numbered years, and '23 definitely wasn't one of my faves, so, I'm glad to be done with that.
I'm not really one for making New Year's resolutions, however, recently I've been trying to get into the practice of stating and giving my previously-vague "what I want to do"s an actual name and goal. It seems to helping me, so I've been looking at what has been working and would like to continue & improve upon, what I'm not happy about and want to do away with, and setting some "where I want to be"s. I thought it might be fun to share with you, stating them publicly may help keep me on track!
More Journaling
Lately, I've been trying to get into the habit of getting things out of my head and onto paper. I started with a simple Bullet Journal to help me actually do the things I know I need to do. I found this super useful. But then I dropped off doing it and found myself back in my unorganised state.
I've realised lately (better late than never, I guess) that if something isn't directly in front of me, I will forget about it. Not just a to-do list, it's birthday cards, it's phoning friends & family, it's hobbies (which now means I've got comfortable with a messy desk - it may look messy to you, but it's 'life' to me!). So I got to leaving my notebook right in front of my keyboard. Like, I have to move it to do anything - thereby forcing me to think about it before I start work. And boom, I'm doing daily Bullet Journaling again.
And that led to me starting to write more actual thoughts, not just to-do lists. This is good. I want to write more about this at some point, but suffice to say, I'm finding it super helpful.
More Meditation
This sorta leads on from journaling. Meditation was recommended to me by a friend who had been going through some bad stuff and found it really helped him. So, I gave it a go using the Headspace app, recommended by him.
I'm not sure I'm ready to talk much about this yet, but I have found that over time I'm also finding this super helpful. I was sceptical at first, but the more I do it, the more I'm feeling the benefits. I want to continue and see where it goes.
Release Things!
This feels like the big one for me for '24. I used to be in the habit of building things, talking about them and putting them out into the world. As I've got older, I seem to have got more concerned about only releasing "when it's ready". I must have built 10-15 little projects over the past couple of years that never saw the light of day because they weren't finished. Where's the fun in that? I need to stop being so precious.
Along with that, I want to resurrect the Phoenix LiveView newsletter that I was running. I started it without a good plan, just writing when I remembered. And then I forgot. I enjoyed doing it and got some great feedback. Time to bring it back!
I'd also like to start writing some guides for new Rails developers. I wrote one of the first Rails books, back in 2007 and I really enjoyed writing it - and learned a huge amount too. Now that Rails seems to be having a bit of a renaissance, I'd love to do something similar, but different. I don't know exactly what or how I want to do this yet, but giving it some brain-time.
Along with my amazing business partners, I plan to grow my business AgendaScope. It's a tough nut to crack, but I feel we are most definitely onto something amazing, just need to put in the work.
This all goes alongside doing the best work of my career for my wonderful clients across the world. They are the best.
Less Complaining about Japan
I know this is something I need to Just Do (it). I find living in Japan... challenging. Yes, there are some wonderful aspects to it, but it is also incredibly frustrating and I often let those frustrations overflow into the rest of my life. For reasons, I'm going to be living here for a while, so I just need to suck it up, find some way to let those frustrations go, live with them, and get on with my life.
Part of that, I hope, is helped by me being more intentional about what I want and do. We will see. Suggestions welcome!
More Travel & Socialising
Some of the most pleasant, rewarding, productive and fun times this past year have been when I've left the city and met up with people. The previous few years had none of that. I hadn't realised just how much I'd missed that. More please.
More Non-Work Time
I'm terrible at actually giving myself permission to relax and do things for fun. I miss sketching. I miss reading for fun. I started learning to make electronic music. But then I feel guilty about doing these things. This is stupid. Doing these things is what life is about. Learn to not feel guilty.
Exercise
A list of New Year's resolutions would be incomplete without 'more exercise'. But really, I need to. I have gone through periods of regular exercise and then, um, I forget (I'm feeling there's a pattern somewhere). I just turned 50 - this isn't optional any longer. Again, my hope is simply being much more organised & focused on actually Doing The Things and less of just assuming the things will be done should help.
Phew. That was longer than I intended. Sorry!
So here's to an intentional, positive and physically & mentally healthy 2024. Cheers!
