I like to say I “don’t really do new year resolutions,” but in truth I effectively do.
In the typically slower couple of weeks around the time when you take one calendar down and put up another, I tend to think about habits. Habits I formed in the elapsing year and habits I’d like to form in the coming one.
Looking back (and not having to turn my head all that much) to 2023, I am most proud of my new commuting routine of cycling to work. Come March 2024 I’ll have been riding to work for a full year, missing only a handful of days here and there due to weather or midday commitments requiring a combustion engine. One hour of elevated heart-rate each weekday, twelve miles round-trip.
As accomplished as my new cycling habit makes me feel, it was not a habit I set out to establish at the end of 2022. In fact, I only really consciously took two goals for the now-rearview year, as documented in my January 2023 post here. What’s more, I was 100% successful on both. I managed all our vehicle oil changes as well as last year’s taxes.
So cycling was a bonus. It wasn’t the only one, I also made conscious efforts to cook more, to share our performance-to-budget with the family at least 3x/year, and to have at least one date-night with Sharaun each month. While not grand goals in any sense, I’m happy that I was successful establishing those habits as well.
This year, then, I am aiming similarly low (read: achievable), writing down three smaller habits I hope to develop for the year:
- Stretch for at least 5min at least 3 days/week, focusing on hips/core
- Get back to regularly reading for fun, with a goal to finish minimum 6 books
- Cook dinner for the family at least 3 days/month
I expect the last two bullets to come fairly easily, but the first one will be tough. Tough for all the reasons I’ve written about why exercise/physical habits are hard for me here before.
But, gotta try.
Also written on this day...
- pop a hands-free wheelie - 2011
- room for small luxury - 2010
- lamentations - 2009
- it all happened at the wolf parade show - 2006
- thanks for taking bullets - 2005
- meth-bread - 2004