Kelly’s 2012 To-Do List

Even the kittens will help, not hinder, the New Productivity of 2012.

I feel like Erik really threw down a challenge with his mammoth resolution list, so here’s my to-do list for 2012. It’s much less ambitious. I think I’ll schedule the concrete activities for certain weeks and months, and post a calender to keep me on track:

-No lingering over breakfast, no excuses such as “just one more cup of tea” or “I’ll just check one more blog” orΒ  “the cat needs my lap”,Β  i.e. a new striving for morning productivity. This means 1/2 hour to eat and defog, then I must do things.

-Related to the above–stick to my designated daily schedule, as if I had a real job and boss looking over my shoulder.

-Accomplish my “yucky list” this month:Β  switching banks, upgrading my RAM, getting a new passport, and making appointments for a physical, a dental exam and an eye exam. (In terms of engaging with the medical establishment, I prefer to behave as if though the zombie apocalypse has already occurred, thus I’m well overdue for a complete overhaul.)

-Organize the labels or tags on Root Simple so our dear, somewhat abused readers can find information when they want it.

-No processed sugar for the month of January. Or beer.Β  (sigh)

-White flour, crackers, tortillas, pasta & etc. are designated as “treats” this year, as opposed to “staples.”

-No internet surfing until after supper. No email in the morning. Email at noon and in the evening.

-Repaint the living room, hall, two bedrooms and the breakfast nook.

-Spend more time outside loving the garden–just being with it, regarding it with joy instead of judgement.

-Learn to identify trees.

-Take up archery again. This means starting with practice in the back yard once or twice a week, until I have the chops back enough to visit the range without embarrassment.

-Purge the closets. To do this, I’m going to have to either pretend we’re moving and have to pay to ship every object, or if I’m in a more morbid mood, I’ll imagine what what would happen if Erik and I were hit by a bus and people had to come in and clean out our closets. I don’t want to be remembered posthumously as a giant, acquisitive hamster of questionable taste and strange habits.

-Make a dress. (This will make Erik laugh because he will remember the last dress I made. I’ve had 15 years to recover, though.)

-Make a pair of shoes. Or perhaps just tall spats to start.

-Start a gratitude journal. I’m so cynical, really, that the very phrase “gratitude journal” grates on me. Which is exactly why I have to keep one.

-Get fit. To be more concrete, my goal is to be able to keep up with Erik on his masochistic hikes.

-One date night a week with my very ambitious but rather sweet husband.

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20 Comments

  1. I like your list a lot; maybe that’s because we’re both women and see things similarly. I’m afraid that Erik’s list left me breathless – and I’m often accused of being a zealous, organized, and efficient person. (Mostly it’s my husband who says this when I’ve threatened to clean out his closet.)

    I use the “we’re moving” idea whenever I tackle a closet or the attic and I’m pretty ruthless because I cannot stand clutter. That’s not to say that Mr. Pack Rat won’t fill it up again eventually. I think it is a life spent in construction: he can find a nifty new use for the most ridiculous crap: an old screw (it’s self-tapping! it’s stainless steel!) . . .I caught him pulling a small piece of a plastic onion bag out of the garbage can. Not the whole bag, mind you – I’d already set that aside in the greenhouse for use in the garden – this was only the inch or so from the top. God knows what he was going to use that on. I threw it away again. Unfortunately, these little thingys pile up much faster than he has time to find them a new job.

    O.K. my New Year’s rant is over. This year, I resolve to hold my tongue the next time he brings home a broken lawn mower and try to remember that he did, indeed, build a working lawnmower (dubbed “Frankenmower” by our kids) from discarded parts.

    I’m willing to loan him out. Any takers?

  2. Which range do you go to in the L.A. area? I used to shoot at school, though I imagine the cost of getting a gym membership at UCLA is probably a lot more than just visiting a local archery range..

  3. I’ve done the shoe thing before and man, was it addicting! It takes a bit of money for start up supplies, if you don’t already have them, but not too bad. I think my first pair cost $50 to make including the few tools I needed. I recommend the book “Crafting Handmade Shoes,” by Sharon Raymond. Unfortunately it is out of print, but she will send you a photocopied version if you got o her website and order one. I have the link on my blog post about shoe making: http://400squareftliving.blogspot.com/2011/02/crafting-what-to-do-with-old-bike-tires.html
    It’s really a lot of fun to do! Good luck with it!!!

  4. Love your list for the year. There are some hard things on there. Speaking of a gratitude journal you may enjoy reading a book called “one thousand gifts” by ann voskamp. Received it for Christmas this year. Check it out, maybe, maybe not. Have a blessed year.

  5. Only 30 minutes to defog. That seems rather harsh…lol. My journal would have to be “Things that make me happy” or something along those lines. Your list plus his are going to make for a busy and productive year.

  6. I like your list, it’s very practical. I on new years eve I was talking to my husband about goal setting and he said,”Wouldn’t it be more practical to set quarterly goals instead of annual goals. Then you would procrastinate less as your deadline would come up sooner”.

    Dress making is so easy. You are a DIYer, I believe in you!

  7. @Donna: I sympathize.

    @MJLai: Pasadena is a short hop for us, so we joined the Pasadena Roving Archers. They have a beautiful outdoor range in an arroyo. If you’re on the west side, however, this wouldn’t be such a great option.

    @Kris: Thanks for the link. All I have is this funny old hippie book called “Twinkle Toes.” It’s mostly about making cloth shoes out of recycled materials, which I figure is good, inexpensive practice for leather — but it really is the road to fashion perdition.

    @Chateau: Thanks for the rec.

    @Parsimony: I’m fogged til noon no matter what, so I may as well be doing things!

  8. I don’t know if I could drop sugar, white flour, cut to 30 min defog AND do the “yucky list” simultaneously! Yucky list might require chocolate (at least in my house). My hat’s off to you.

  9. This is a great list, quite concrete like I like ’em πŸ˜‰ I struggle in the morning, too…I can walk around in a fog for quite a bit, so I sympathize with your lingering. I like your idea of setting a time frame πŸ™‚

  10. If you’re not adverse to using leather, you can often by scrap leather for very cheap and make “Frankenstine” shoes, too. I guess that is kinda recycling.

  11. You cynical? The first thing I thought about the archery idea was maybe adding to your list “do not shoot the neighbor accidentally.”

    I have found the best ‘wake up’ solution to be reading something not on an electronic device or gadget. So reading something on paper for 30 minutes gets me motivated to go outside.

  12. Hi Kelly,

    This might sound even ickier to you, but having a “gratitude buddy” might keep you on track better than a journal. I’ve been sharing gratitude over e-mail (almost) daily with a friend for almost a year now, and it’s a fantastic exercise. I was very dubious at first, but it’s been great for me, historically an ungrateful person! We usually don’t comment on each other’s gratitude, but the e-mailing to each other keeps us accountable to the practice.

  13. Just a quick hint on the no sugar kick. Try just one day a week for the whole year. It’ll actually be easier to accomplish and you won’t have the ‘binge effect’ around valentine’s day! I give up all sweets every Friday and after 2 years of it, my sweet tooth has definitely been curbed. Not cured, but less.

  14. Oh dear, I feel a massive case of guilt complex coming on! Your first item on the list really described one of my worst problems – that is getting motivated first thing in the morning. Since I had to take very early retirement due to ill health 3 years ago (I was only 49!), I find it quite hard to discipline myself. However, you have inspired me and tomorrow morning will be a new start. I’ll be up early and sorting out my wardrobes/cupboards.
    Oh, and I just love sweet, sugary things too! My favourite is white chocolate and I just can’t keep it in the house.
    Kay, Cornwall,UK

  15. @Karen: A gratitude buddy is a great idea!

    @Anon: Slow and steady gets the job done–it’s true for everything, including sugar cravings! Fortunately I’m not too hooked on sugar so have been okay so far. It’s only one month. When the rule is lifted, though, I’ll have to find someway to keep myself away from visiting the Salvadoran bakery on the corner too often!

    @Kay: Ugh. The guilt is shared. You remind me that I need to put the closet clean-out on my to-do calendar.

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