I said I wasn’t sure if I was going to do it, but here I am, doing it, so…

Happy New Year!

I very much hope this year will be better than the last.

I said this on Twitter, but it feels like 2021 was in some ways worse than 2020. 2020 felt like riding it out, just holding on for one more day until things got better. And then things got better … and worse again. And better … and worse again.

It has started to get disheartening.

But it’s a new year. And “hold on for one more day” has been “hold on for one more week/month/year.” But still: everything comes to an end. The last pandemic did; this one will, too.

And in the meantime, I’m grateful for my family, for my friends, for my home, for my fandoms. And yes, for books and writing, even though I’ve been slacking on both those things lately.

But no more! Begin as you mean to go on, so says Leigh Bardugo.

So here we go. 22 Resolutions for 2022, that I will start today:

1. Enroll my daughter in preschool. Whether that’s in January or it’s postponed again because of the panini, I don’t know yet. But she needs school at some point. (And I need some time back.)
2. Find a new therapist.
3. Stop mindlessly scrolling on social media. Go on when I have something to say. Add a tweet, a post, write something dumb on Tumblr every time I catch myself starting to scroll. Just make it purposeful.
4. Exercise 6 days/week. Even if it’s just a walk, or a quick yoga session. There has never been a time when I regretted exercising.
5. Finish the adult thriller.
6. Finish another WIP depending on which way the wind blows (YA beach thriller? East Village thriller? College thriller? IDK, but completing at least one of these would be nice.)
7. Draft something new.
8. Regarding my growing-too-fast freelance business: raise my rates. Focus on content work. Say no to jobs I don’t want. Stop doing stuff just to please other people.
9. Hang things on the walls of my house.
10. Text a friend every day (and SEE more of them again, God-willing.)
11. Don’t waste time arguing with and judging people on the internet. It brings me no joy.
12. Go outside every day, like we used to.
13. Do something fun or surprising every week.
14. Reacquaint myself with my DSLR.
15. Post to this blog monthly! (Even if no one’s reading it.)
16. Journal weekly, either online or in an actual journal.
17. Do one thing to improve my home every week.
18. Drink 10 glasses of water every day.
19. Write 20 hours per week, for a goal of 1000 hours per year. Accomplish this by cutting back on freelance work I don’t want.
20. Do one act of self-care every day. A walk, a leisurely shower, a moment reading in a comfy chair. Just something.
21. Schedule more one on one time with my partner. Twice a week.
22. And while this is out of my control, I’m putting it out there again: get a book deal.

Okay, there it is. My 2022 goals which will inevitably get derailed in many ways I can’t see yet. But the beauty is in the attempt.

Did you set goals this year? Tell me!

Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash