New Year

New year. So much energy, so many new hopes and great enthusiasm around this holiday. It makes me think of the evenings spent at the gift shops finding the perfect greeting card for every friend I could accommodate within the budget. The colorful rangolis in front of the house and wishing friends along the street at 12am. Reading the year-end review articles in the newspapers, watching similar programs on the TV. And of course, the new calenders and diaries. I would wait for Dad to bring home his diaries from LIC, SBI and other such places and grab my pick for the year. Oh, lovely times!

I don’t exactly remember when and how but resolutions gradually entered the equation. And slowly, New Year became a sort of introspective period than just fun. This year is no exception. We had fun meeting friends during the weekend and now the introspection that’s been going on at the back of my mind should take the form of a list. I have my traditional yearly goals, improvised versions of the previous years’ resolutions and one or two new ones this year. This time I really want to make them measurable (M from SMART goals) and set up systems to actually gauge my progress.

Here goes the list:

1. Early bedtime. Somewhere around 11.30pm. I know it isn’t super early but at least it is better than sleeping at 2.30am. The sleep-tracker on my Mi watch would help me gauge my progress.
2. Stepping out of the house everyday. Can this be a goal? For an indoor-person like me, yes. I have a high inertia to step out casually and I usually find ways to avoid if I can. But I usually enjoy time spent outside if I do overcome that. So this year I want to work on that inertia and make it a part of my day to just go out and take a stroll.
3. Control my sugar intake. I eat the lion’s share of cakes, sweets and chocolates in my home. And I really want to work on that because I am afraid it would lead to diabetes in no time. This is going to be the hardest to follow and also the most beneficial of all. The easiest way would be to just cut off the supply i.e., not bring sweets / cakes into the house. It usually works well for us but I am not sure how well it works this time when we are constantly in need of snacks with two little kids.
4. Not take up any new hobbies: This might sound like the opposite of what everyone usually does around the New Year. But for me, I feel like I have enough hobbies already. I really want to advance in a few areas than be a beginner in many. To be honest, being a beginner is easy and may be the fear of going big is stopping me from investing more time in them. So this year I just want to nurture the hobbies I already have and try to move towards bigger and meaningful projects. I want to fall back on a select few everytime I crave some creative time and not look for a new hobby.
5. Diversify my reading: This is a recurring goal every year. I want to read a good amount of memoirs and pop-science books this year besides general fiction. And hopefully write personal reviews for each of them too.
6. 365 somethings: I found about this project last year and I think I might try it this time. It is a goal to do 365 of something in a year. It can be as simple as learning 365 words or as complex as writing 365 poems. I still haven’t figured out what my 365 things would be or even if it would even be 365 or 200 or any other doable number. I just liked the intentional consistency in this goal and would like to explore that, within my limits. May be I can progress in one of those hobbies using this as a tool.
7. Call/ chat with friends regularly: This one’s a no-brainer but one can get lost in the business of their own life to often forget such simple things as calling friends / extended family every once in a while. I don’t want to miss out on friendships and the joy they bring to life. I will probably set reminders or agree upon scheduled zoom calls with friends that are far away.
8. Learn at least 10 one-pot meals: I have heard from many about the great benefits and ease of cooking in an instant pot (dump and go style), so I would like to at least learn 10 such meals this year.

That’s all. This list would surely evolve as the year progresses and I will probably share my journey here. So, what are your resolutions for the year ahead? Please share in the comments.

Also, here are some interesting articles/ podcasts you might want to check out:

1. Life Kit recent episode – https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510338/all-guides
2. https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/guide/best-movies-2022/
3. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/05/arts/best-comedy-specials-2022.html
4. 365 Things Project: https://www.google.com/amp/s/daisyyellowart.com/vividlife/365%3Fformat=amp