2023 resolutions. Here's my plan
You won't believe what I plan to do with #9
I am sure by now you went with a fine tooth comb through my 2022 resolution results. If not, I will summarize it here as below expectations. I could spend the next few paragraphs explaining that I had a baby, and overcommited but the truth is I blew it. That’s life. Sometimes you trip up. But you have to get back on the metaphorical horse and keep riding. New years offer fresh starts. Therefore; I present to you my 2023 plan.
Health
No food before 12pm - I’m usually done eating dinner by 8pm. That creates a 16 hour window of intermittent fasting. I will usually have a black coffee (or two) in the morning but since it is calorie free, it does not count.
Work out 108 times this year - That works out to exactly 2 times a week. It’s a concrete, actionable and measurable way to include exercise in my resolutions. I keep track of this number in my Oura ring app.
Eat out less than once a week - This will be a challenging one. We like to eat out quite frequently. I think I will give myself a break and count only full meals. Buying coffee does not count.
Weigh in once a week - I’d like to keep track of my health metrics. Weight is an easy one with a smart scale. I just need to replace those batteries.
Measure blood pressure once a week - Should be easy to do as well. I have a smart cuff that records the measurement in an app.
Try hot yoga - I added this one last minute. It’s not a continuous action like the other goals so it is hard to rate. I will likely change it to something more specific during the year.
Mindfulness
Read a book before browsing the net at night - This is a habit I’ve been struggling with for a long time. I cannot figure out how to break it. I’ve tried this action last year and failed. Maybe this year will be different. For some reason I keep doing the same thing expecting different results.
Don’t use the phone around other people - I do reasonably well here but slip up sometimes. I also find it extremely rude when people do it in front of me. I should have higher expectations of myself.
Take short walks during work - We recently moved to a nice suburban neighborhood with great parks around the house. I’d really like to take short walks there during lunch.
Avoid using the phone in the bathroom - I know everyone does it. I’d like to stop. I think I can just be with myself for a few minutes without distractions.
Learning
Read 18 books this year - That’s roughly a book every 3 weeks. That’s just 12 pages a day for a book of 250 pages. Doesn’t seem too hard.
Listen to podcasts in another language when feeding my daughter - I’ve started doing this last year and it has worked quite well for me. It’s an easy and fun opportunity to work on my language skills. Hopefully this trend continues in 2023.
Complete a Udacity course - This action is similar to hot yoga in the sense that it isn’t continuous so it isn’t gradeable. I will need to rethink the details of these actions but I wanted to capture the spirit here.
Personal
Every night write the top things I want to accomplish the next day - I cannot emphasize how powerful this one small habit is. It’s just incredible. I started doing this a few weeks ago and love how intentional each day is.
Get ready for bed by 9:30 - I’ve wanted to be an early riser for a round a decade now. I would always go to sleep far too late. The day never felt long enough - especially after a day in the office. Thankfully, my daughter fixed that for me. Her wake up is 6:30am no matter when I go to sleep. I go to sleep early now.
Target being 10 minutes early - I hate being late. Why am I always late? I want to be on time.
Do a monthly review of my goals - This is my lowest priority goal because missing a review (or two) isn’t a big deal. But it’s incredibly important to review your actions and resolutions occasionally to remind yourself what you set out to do.
Connection
Call parents 3 times a week - Easy and important. Keeping good relationship with my parents has always been a top priority. They won’t be around forever.
Call 2 friends a week to chat - I’m still working out how this goal will be tracked. But the true goal here is to create a habit of calling people. Texting is just so superficial.
Reach out to acquaintances once every 3 months - As I’ve written before, all good friends started as distant friends. Having more good friends can’t hurt.
Look people in the eye when you say thanks - That sounds like an easy one. But I’m always in a rush. I grab my coffee from the barista or the receipt from the cashier, say thanks and run out. I’d like to slow down and look people in the eye when I say thanks. I want it to be meaningful.
That’s it for me for 2023. Happy new year everyone!