“Small change, small wonders–these are the currency of my endurance and ultimately of my life. It’s a workable economy.”
— Barbara Kingsolver, Small Wonder
New Year’s Day for me this year fell on January 16th.
Let me explain. Home for me — and that’s my home in Virginia where family is together and the pantry always full — is a kind of productivity quicksand. I have a hard time doing anything other than simply being with those that I love.
So rather than attempt any kind of radical resolution whilst still at home, I decided to wait until my first Monday back in London to implement any changes. This post isn’t about huge adjustments — rather, what I’ve included here are the little changes to my routine each day, the baby steps that I hope will add up to an overall killer 2012.
1. A sketch a day…
…keeps the doctor away, right? Okay maybe not, but I’m hoping so. Some of you know I really got into travel sketching last year, and I want to keep it up.
Thanks to an awesome Christmas present from my mother, I just might: One Sketch a Day: A Visual Journal from Chronicle Books. The space for each day’s sketch is slightly bigger than a playing card, meaning I don’t get overwhelmed and might actually keep this goal.
2. Read for an [entire] hour a day.
I say I’m a reader in the same way that some people say, “I’m a hugger.” It’s just what I do. And I’m really good at doing it in spurts — ten minutes on the train here, fifteen minutes while eating lunch there.
But what I want to do this year is make a conscious effort to sit down and read for a long enough period of time for the flow of words to really sink in, for me to absorb the authors’ techniques and heck, maybe even integrate some of them into my own writing.
3. Engage online more.
Yes, that is me. On Twitter. Oh, how I love to hate that little blue bird. But I know deep down — much in the same way that I know broccoli is good for me and I shouldn’t bite my nails — that I should be more active online in a more consistent way.
Social media can be used productively to connect with other bloggers/writers, discover new sites and reading material, and share great content. And that is what I am to do this year — be productive on Twitter, not just fritter an hour away (any rhyming may be intentional).
4. Write for fifteen minutes a day.
I have shamelessly stolen this goal from my best friend Jen. While fifteen minutes doesn’t sound like a lot, I liked her approach–she said that once she sits down to write, she usually goes well beyond the 15-minute mark. It’s the getting-started part that’s often the hardest.
The goal of 1,000 words a day is pretty standard in writing circles, but I’m the first to admit it sounds scary. Daunting. Unachievable. So I’m switching away from a word-count limit this year in the hopes that I won’t feel obliged to check my word count after every new prepositional phrase.
5. Get moving.
What’s with the boots? I donned this pair of wellies today and headed to the Royal Landscape of Virginia Water with my friend Gaby and her dog Thoko. Our seven or so kilometer walk around the lake is part of my greater goal of just being more active this year.
The writing life is often a sedentary one, so whether it’s with a walk, a set of twenty crunches, or a ten-minute Youtube exercise video that makes me feel like a fool, I’m determined to get moving more often. Hey, it might even lead me to views like this…
I often set goals that are too vague (work smarter, not harder). Yours seem specific, and realistic. I just may adopt some myself. Loving your posts!
Thanks, Heather! I was definitely aiming for goals that wouldn’t overwhelm me, and that would be within my grasp to achieve. You’ll have to let me know which ones you try out yourself 🙂 Thanks for saying hello and I’m just off to check out your blog now!
I love these resolutions! I am in the process of trying to do all of them, but mostly failing, apart from the reading one. I like your friend’s idea of writing for 15 minutes a day though. Will be trying that!
Good luck with all your resolutions and I’m looking forward to seeing more of your sketches!
Thanks so much, Natalie! Yes, I really liked the idea of the 15-minute writing goal once Jen told me about it. I often put off writing until “tomorrow,” only to continue that cycle throughout the week. I’m hoping this will change things 🙂 Good luck with your own little changes in 2012–and I look forward to our paths crossing at some point!
Thanks for sharing your small goals, I too thought I would be more sucessful if I took baby steps this year. Instead of lose 30 pounds of baby fat, I have eliminated bread and have comitted to excercise 2-3 times week. Instead of be a better mommy, I will read to my kids every time they ask no matter what I am in the middle of. I would like to write in my journal more, maybe I will try the daily sketch or a 5 minute committment(I’m pressed for time)…… love to you and your fabulous life!
Those are such great ideas, Dawn. The company that makes the sketch journal also makes one called, “One Line a Day: A Five-Year Memory Book” (http://www.amazon.com/One-Line-Day-Five-Year-Memory/dp/0811870197). Instead of one sketch a day, the goal here is just to write down a couple of lines–maybe that could help get you journalling more, taking off the pressure of writing a whole entry? 🙂 Good luck with your other resolutions this year, and hopefully I’ll see you again when I’m home in May!
Oh you lucky lady with these views of Virginia. I’m officially jealous.
So…I hate to drop a bombshell but I’m back in the U.S….more or less for good! I can’t believe it and it’s still sinking in to be honest. But I have no doubt that our paths will cross again in the near future, either in our beloved Europe, or somewhere else in the world.
I wish you all the best and only regret that we didn’t hang out more often outside of random blogger trips when we had the chance! Can’t wait to continue reading about your adventures and small wonders from around the globe.
Hey! It’s actually Virginia Water in Surrey, but yes–I was obviously drawn to it because of the name 🙂 And that’s not a bombshell, that’s exciting! Especially as I think I remember you telling me your fiance/now-husband wanted to live in the U.S. anyway. Where are you guys based now? And what will you be doing on that side of the Atlantic? While I am sad we didn’t get to hang out more than we did, I look forward to seeing you some day and reminiscing about all our fun travel-blogging-conference memories! Best of luck in our beloved home country and have a wonderful 2012.
I’m also trying to engage online more…we’ll see how that works out 😉 As for this year, I haven’t made any resolutions because they always fail – so instead, I’ve decided to go month-by-month! This month I’ve resolved to move through 5 lessons in my Korean book, to take spend one day a week off-line, one day a month unplugged, and to publish 4 blog posts (because i’m so damn slow!!). So far, it’s working!!
That’s so true, Naomi–I think the whole idea of new year’s resolutions can be a little daunting, so whether it’s with small steps or with your idea of monthly goals, it always helps to break them down a bit 🙂 I love your goals for January, by the way–I might have to try going unplugged myself, it sounds like quite the challenge. Good luck with the rest of January, thanks for the great tips and here’s to 2012!
Daily yoga!!! I have started doing my own yoga stretches in the morning after a very lazy Christmas/New Year period, and I really feel the difference physically and mentally. Even if it’s just for ten minutes, better than nothing. Baby steps hey? Oh and writing every (or every other) day when I’m traveling- at the moment work is just getting in the way!
That’s awesome! Yoga is definitely something I wouldn’t mind doing on a regular basis. I’ve done it off and on, and it really has such a way of centering you, doesn’t it? And yes–I do understand about trying to write on a consistent basis. I’m always so tired at the end of each day on the road, that I really have to talk myself into taking my notebook out 🙂 Here’s to more baby steps in 2012!
Love this! Especially excited about #1. You inspire me!
Aw, and you, my friend! Don’t you love the sketch-a-day book? I told my mom she did good this Christmas 🙂 It’s been so fun taking even just 10 or 15 minutes out of each day to do one. Hope everything’s going okay back at school!
Nice one! Good to know that all you mentioned in your resolutions is your interests, which is quite uncommon! People usually come up with things that they “should” do, rather than what they “like” to do! 😛
I just hope you succeed in everyone of these. 🙂
Take care.
Thanks, Nirmit! Happy new year to you, by the way 🙂 You make a great point…I didn’t really think about the fact that these are all things I already like to do. I suppose I’m just trying to do them all on a more consistent basis, in a way that will really help me improve 🙂 Here’s hoping, haha. How about yourself? Did you make any resolutions for 2012? Take care!
Happy new year to you too! Yeah, hoping forms the basis of every success, haha. And yeah I am doing good! Got a table tennis tournament next week, so practicing a lot! These heavy academic assignments won’t care about that, so finding hard to manage time and stuff!
I hardly get time to think about resolutions, so I prefer to take things day by day! But may be, I shall give it a try.
Bye bye! Take care. 🙂
You never told me you are a ping pong player 🙂 My family loves table tennis–my dad especially! My brother even joined the U.S. junior table tennis association at one point, and they’d drive out to these big practice sessions every week, haha. Where will your tournament be? Good luck with the practices, and I definitely understand how hard it must be to balance that with your regular coursework. You can do it, I’m sure 🙂 Let me know how the tournament goes!
Loved this! Manageable, workable, realistic, and smart! Looking forward to what 2012 holds in store for you, and if your amazing travels in 2011 are any indication, even more awesomeness is in store.
Ah, I like the sound of “even more awesomeness”! And yes, I’m hoping these little steps will help me cover big ground throughout the year. I’m sure 2012 will be full of adventures for you too, in so many different ways 🙂
I’m definitely planning on becoming more active… outside, particularly. No excuses. It might be raining… but that doesn’t really mean I can stay in bed all sunday!
I so hear you on that one. The most I’ve really accomplished in being “active” so far is forcing myself to walk home from the station, rather than catch a bus…but maybe that’ll change once it gets a little warmer 🙂