A New Start for 2009

January has been a tough month out West, which has not been greatly inspiring of blog posts. 2009 started out hopeful and good, but pay cuts, sick cats and general mild depression induced malaise have not been conducive to diligent posting. Even my January post-a-day project (which I've usually done with enthusiasm, but this year feels choretastic) on my other blog has been limping along. All of this makes it seem like a good time for some change.

While Anne has been cooking away on her goals (go Anne!), I have been reformulating (and working on) mine without actually posting anything about it. The challenge I encountered with this project last year was that some of my goals were either too big or too general. This year, I've tried to break them down into categories and then manageable chunks within those categories that will hopefully drive me closer to my bigger goals, which at this point are: 1) lose weight, be healthy and feel good about myself, 2) develop creativity and take ownership of it, 3) enjoy and find purpose in life, 4) cultivate those qualities that make me the kind of person I would want to have as a friend.

So, I have been doing a lot of thinking and categorizing and here is my new list. In some cases (light weight loss, which I have broken into small, manageable pieces), I have a specific goal and timeline in mind, but have left it general, because it makes me more comfortable. As with all things in life, these are subject to change. They are, however, at least a good place to start.

# Goal Category
1 Do a cleanse Health
2 Weight Goal 1 Health
3 Weight Goal 2 Health
4 Weight Goal 3 Health
5 Weight Goal 4 Health
6 Weight Goal 5 Health
7 Set up an exercise schedule Health
8 Create an eating plan/menu Health
9 Research which vitamins I need Health
10 Buy and TAKE a daily vitamin Health
11 Lower blood pressure to a healthy average Health
12 Buy wii fit Health
13 Cancel LA Fitness Health/Finances
14 Find new doctor and go for a check up Health
15 Go to the eye doctor Health
16 See the lady doctor Health
17 Kick diet coke/caffeine Health (as of Jan 25 09 it's been about a month, completed)
18 Work up to exercising 5x a week - Feb 3x Health
19 Work up to exercising 5x a week - Mar 4x Health
20 Work up to exercising 5x a week - Apr 5x Health
21 Incorporate my health goals into my blog Health
22 Buy a calendar for the sticker plan Health (completed Jan 09)
23 Take friends on their tennis/work out offers Health
24 Go for a hike Health
25 Go for a neighborhood walk Health
26 Go for a walk downtown Health
27 Take mom for a walk on Eastbank Esplanade Health
28 Buy a new NW hiking book Health
29 Look into organic grocery delivery vs.
foodshare vs. farmer's market Health
30 Run the whole way around the track Health
31 Plant a vegetable/herb garden Health
32 Buy a timer (for writing) Creativity
33 Create a writing schedule Creativity
34 January blogstravaganza Creativity
35 Take a photo jaunt every other weekend Creativity
36 Create a plan for my blog Creativity
37 Make something with my own hands once
a month (ideas: dress, collage, quilt, etc.) Creativity
38 Write a ghost story Creativity
39 Write a poem Creativity
40 Write a short story Creativity
41 Write an essay Creativity
42 Take a weekly artist's date Creativity
43 Write a monthly book review Creativity
44 Take a creative/beach weekend Creativity
45 Create a writing space Creativity
46 Create a notebook for existing writing Creativity
47 Create a character/plot collage
for mystery novel Creativity
48 Reread Charlotte Stieglitz' journals Creativity
49 Buy a train case for makeup Home
50 Organize hair stuff (clips, bands, etc.) Home
51 Paint bedroom Home
52 Pull up carpet in bedroom Home
53 Make curtains for bedroom Home
54 Organize/get rid of books Home
55 Organize/get rid of cds Home
56 Organize/get rid of clothes Home
57 Organize/get rid of shoes Home
58 Organize/get rid of stuff in garage Home
59 Organize/get rid of stuff in spare room Home
60 Have a good picture of everyone who is
important to me and display it somewhere Home
61 Organize Recipes Home
62 Paint front porch Home
63 Paint deck Home
64 Paint dresser Home
65 Pay off my car Finances
66 Create a budget Finances
67 Set up direct debit for savings Finances
68 Apply for a credit card Finances
69 Suspend 401k until company matching
resumes and reevaluate my investments Finances
70 Plan a picnic at the beach Soul/happiness
71 Plan and take a trip Soul/happiness
72 Learn about wine Soul/happiness
73 Make preserves Soul/happiness
74 Try a new recipe each month Soul/happiness
75 Try a new restaurant each month Soul/happiness
76 Take 3 trips to the beach this summer Soul/happiness
77 Plan/take a retreat Soul/happiness
78 Take a meditation trip to the Japanese gardens Soul/happiness
79 Join Amnesty International Soul/happiness
80 Join The Humane Society (or some other
animal organization) Soul/happiness
81 Do something nice for someone once a week Soul/happiness Jan: cplt
82 Do something with a friend once a week Soul/happiness
83 Attend an event (theater, concert, lecture,
museum) once a month Soul/happiness
84 Have a historical (ren/medieval?) dinner party Soul/happiness
85 Have a summer bbq Soul/happiness
86 Go to the Oregon Country Fair Soul/happiness
87 Get the schedule for movies in the park Soul/happiness
88 Spend a weekend at Timberline Lodge Soul/happiness
89 Take a research trip to Astoria Soul/happiness
90 Take risks and do new things regularly Soul/happiness
91 Renew my passport Misc. tasks
92 Buy a new laptop Misc. tasks (completed 1/24/09)
93 Buy a new desktop Misc. tasks (completed 1/24/09)
94 Go to a neighborhood association meeting Misc. tasks
95 Buy a new BBQ Misc. tasks
96 Buy a new freezer Misc. tasks
97 Lily spay Misc. tasks
98 Cleo spay Misc. tasks
99 Isis spay Misc. tasks
100 Learn about publishing and marketing MOTAS
101 Translate MOTAS into German MOTAS
102 Create brochure MOTAS
103 Create a reader guide for MOTAS MOTAS
104 Write Contract MOTAS
105 Meet with the boys to discuss the business plan MOTAS
106 Get a facial Rewards/feel good stuff
107 Get a massage Rewards/feel good stuff
108 Buy a good moisturizer Rewards/feel good stuff
109 Clean out old and buy new, GOOD make-up Rewards/feel good stuff
110 Buy new boots Rewards/feel good stuff

complete