2019 New Year's Resolutions

Anyone else thinking through their New Year's resolutions? I'm going to do it differently this year and break mine into three buckets:

Do Less

• Procrastination
• Swearing
• Social Media
• Eating Meat

Keep Doing

• Physically active
• Making music
• Abstaining (porn, ogling, sexual day-dreams)
  
• Reading lots

Do More

• Fish tank water changes
• Weight loss
  
• Sight singing
• Snappier dressing

What are yours?

 

So, @Castielle, how's it going? Apart from 'Sight Singing' I think I am progressing well in mine, but I'm at that point in the year where I can feel my resolve slipping: I'd rather eat cake than diet, I'd rather watch TV than play the violin, I'd rather stay in bed a bit longer than go to yoga class. But I will renew my resolve!

 

Checking in again, as we're now three-quarters of the way through 2019.

Do Less

• Procrastination. This one is doing well. It is far from fixed but I am making progress and I am putting in the work I need to do in order to understand what and why, and develop the techniques I need. It's similar (but less scary!) to the process of quitting porn.
  
• Swearing. I have sworn occasionally, but I am more aware of this and have reduced swearing at work, almost to zero.
  
• Social Media. I am now in my second social media detox. I'm not sure that's the best way to reduce obsessive consumption, but it is a good experiment.
  
• Eating Meat. Our vegan son has been back at home so this one is going really well. I do still eat meat (haggis and black pudding on my birthday!) but only very occasionally.

Keep Doing

• Physically active. This one's gone really well. On the morning of my 54th birthday I went on a hilly run and did my longest run ever, 9 1/4 miles! Lots of great yoga too, and a new bicycle for my daily commute and some occasional longer rides (including a 50 miler with our son).
  
• Making music. I'm still doing weekly violin lessons, play in an orchestra, do monthly singing lessons, and sing in a local choir! It's been a hectic summer at work, so there have been times I couldn't make rehearsals or lessons, but making music is still a vibrant part of my life.
  
• Abstaining (porn, ogling, sexual day-dreams). My porn-free streak is still going well (now over three years!) and I am still doing the work I need to do so that I stay porn free: reading and posting here, staying vigilant, having monthly therapy. I have changed tack on the other two—ogling and sexual day-dreams. I've taken these off my banned list. I'm relieved about that, policing my own thoughts was really doing me in. It is much more healthy for me to just decide in the moment whether to curtail a thought or glance (or not). I still abstain, but it's a moment-by-moment decision rather than a rule.
  
• Reading lots. Tick/Check. There have been a few books I have had to put to one side (e.g. Anna Karenina was disappointing, first time I read Anna Karenina it became one of my favourite books, this time I was bored bored bored). Currently reading A Little Life. It's harrowing (and huge) but an amazing book.

Do More

• Fish tank water changes. I've written about this in my journal. Sometimes it is the little things, micro-trusts, that help keep a relationship healthy. Me taking an active role in looking after our fish tank has changed it for my wife from a chore back into a joy. That's great.
  
• Weight loss. Oh dear. Maximum 12 stone 10.4 lbs (178.4 lbs), minimum 11 stone 10.1 lbs (164.1 lbs), and current 12 stone 2.1 lbs (170.1) so it is a bit of a yo-yo year
  
• Sight singing. I am still awful at this, but I love my lessons, and they are (slowly) helping. I wish I could afford to do them more than monthly (time and money) but I am improving.
  
• Snappier dressing. I don't know if this is a mistake, but I am holding off rebooting my wardrobe until I hit my target weight. I do think more about what to wear when I get dressed in the morning, so that's a positive.

@Castielle, how are you doing with yours?

 

Checking in again, as we're now done with 2019!

Do Less

• Procrastination. Not fixed but I am making progress and I am getting better. Definitely be back on my New Year's Resolutions for 2020
  
• Swearing. Not cut out completely but nearly so. I'm pleased.
  
• Social Media. I am about to start another month long social-media detox. Each one really helps me step back from mindless scrolling and getting drawn into arguments I don't really care about. This coming decade I am going to work at putting my energy and my time into things my heart cares about.
  
• Eating Meat. We've both been doing some adventurous cooking, mostly meat free but with some meat, and I feel good about this.

Keep Doing

• Physically active. I have had a physically active year. My only worry is that I seemed to lose motivation for yoga in the last few months. I'm going to dive back in for 2020. I'l end the 2020s nearing retirement and (fingers crossed, you never know) a grandad. It's important I stay fit and healthy through this decade, it is so easy to lose that as one gets older.
  
• Making music. I'm still doing weekly violin lessons, play in an orchestra, do monthly singing lessons, and sing in a local choir. And now a friend and I get together for monthly fiddle sessions and I've a singing workshop weekend planned for June. So a big tick for this resolution.
  
• Abstaining (porn, ogling, sexual day-dreams). All going very well, Day 1,186 without porn!
  
• Reading lots. Hit my 28 book target on Goodreads, and have 4 more on the go now!

Do More

• Fish tank water changes. This was such a good idea, it has made a real difference to my wife's enjoyment of our fish tank.
  
• Weight loss. Great and then not great. I am good at getting down to nearly my target weight, and then putting it all on again. I'll fix that next year.
  
• Sight singing. I am improving.Still awful but I am improving. I love my lessons too.
  
• Snappier dressing. Some progress, but not revamping my wardrobe until I lose some weight..

@Castielle, you were doing amazingly well at the 3/4 mark, so I'm guessing you've had a successful year?