I don’t make New Year’s resolutions. I suppose this is partly because I’m highly resistant to anything that looks like it wants to force me to do anything. I suppose other reasons include my preference for short-term goals, my suspicion that resolutions are superstitious, and the fact that I know almost no one who has achieved a goal set as a resolution.
The New Year never really feels to me like it’s my fresh start. I suppose that’s because I have spent the vast majority of my life living on a school schedule. Thirteen years of public school, college, work as a school nurse, a marriage with a teacher, and parenting school-age children have left me with the permanent dysfunction of making all my fresh starts in September, not January.
As a blogger, there has been a distinct shift in perspective for me. I don’t stop writing or setting smaller goals in the summer; it’s not an extended time away from my work. So here I sit, on January 3rd, contemplating the year ahead.
I don’t really know what this year has in store, for me personally or for this blog (even though I have control over the latter). I do know that I don’t feel a need to make empty promises to myself about what I will do this year, but I also know that I need to make some changes in order to avoid becoming overbaked and stressed.
One of the big changes I’m making is that I’m sharing my space. A couple of weeks ago, I created a tab for this blog where you can find information about writing a guest post. Submissions are always welcome. In the next week or so, I will be featuring guest posts by some of my fellow writers. Not only does this give me a chance to introduce you to some wonderful people, it also gives me the opportunity to finish at least one of the three projects I have going at the moment.
Another change I need to consider is what I want and need as a writer. My time is limited, and I must split it between reading and writing. Not only that, I have to make choices every day about whether I’m going to blog or work on the fiction I have going and whether I will read books or blogs. The limitations are not permanent; they are a function of having a young family and homeschooling a child. However, those restrictions on my work hours do mean that I have to consider how I can make the most of the time I do have.
I’m not going to make any long-term commitments to myself or to my writing. At this point, I will take what I can get when I can get it. Instead, I’m beginning 2013 with a few short-term goals: Finishing the book reviews I’m working on, hosting guest posts, and completing a non-blog work-in-progress. I hope to be able to share the good news that I’ve completed these tasks by the end of the month.
What about you? Do you make New Year’s resolutions, or do you prefer to let the year unfold as it will? I would love to hear from you.
I made a BIG change, but I did it several days before Xmas. It just seemed like the right time. I have never been successful at NY resolutions and wasn’t going to bother with that kind of pressure.
Yeah, it often feels really high-pressure to me when I try to make a commitment on January 1. I also find it’s better to make changes when they feel right.
BTW, Amy, today makes TWO WEEKS! 😀
Great thoughts here, and I identify with running on a school year schedule! Honest struggles with time. There’s only so much. Thanks!
“Honest struggles with time.” Yep, that’s me! I find it hard just to figure out how I’m going to do everything in a given day, let alone a whole year.
I tend to check in with myself and think about goals on New Year’s, my birthday (in March), the beginning of summer, and the beginning of the fall semester. (I’m in grad school, so my life also seems to be permanently dominated by the academic calendar.) This roughly divides the year into fourths and gives me several opportunities to make sure I’m headed where I want to be.
That makes a lot of sense. It’s a way of breaking things into smaller chunks. And I remember being in grad school and feeling like my whole life was dominated by my schedule. I wish you the best in your studies.