New Year Resolutions 2020

2019 wasn’t a great year all told. For me, it was a tough one too, with lots of things that didn’t go to plan. There are things I’d like to achieve, and so while I won’t be tagging them under New Year’s Resolutions I do want to at least make notes of them. I suppose it’s easy to blame lack of focus and letting oneself go on being busy, but there are far busier people out there who manage to stick to the things that matter.

As with any goal, each one should be smart. That is, Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound. At this point, I’m adding as much detail as I can to each one so if I should wane, I’ve got something to read and remember why I’m doing each one.

I’m using technology to help me on the journey. All exercise is being logged with my watch.

1 – Smoking

Rationale	I’m now not far off being 32. I’d like to be a part of Jasper’s life, and ultimately his own kids’ lives for a long time. There’s only one way to almost certainly make sure that doesn’t happen, and that’s by continuing to smoke.
Specific	Give up smoking entirely. Not use social events as gateways to starting again.
Measurable	Every day, have precisely zero cigarettes.
Achievable	I’ve done it before, given I’ve got a fresh decade to go at this time. Stick to it.
Relevant	It ties in with some of the other goals I’m wanting to achieve, and also is quite relevant to living a long life.
Time-bound	I must recognise that breaking any habit will likely have moments of weakness. I can help these moments by committing to never buying cigarettes again.

2 – Drinking

Rationale	It ties in with goal number 1. They go hand in hand, and part of forming new habits is breaking old ones. I don’t get drunk anymore, but I still drink a lot. This is me committing to my overall improvements.
Specific	I will only drink on Fridays and Saturdays. I’m already good at not drinking at all on a Sunday but must now carry this over to the rest of the week.
Measurable	Only drink on Fridays and Saturdays. Record all drinks on My Fitness Pal.
Achievable	I already manage to not drink on a Sunday, so it’s just a case of extending this.
Relevant	Using the same reasoning as for not drinking on a Sunday in that it’ll make me more productive, make me feel better and be generally more healthy which is the theme for this year.
Time-bound	Ongoing throughout the year. All these targets will be continuous.

3 – Excercise

Rationale	Over Christmas, we went to a trampolining park. Despite it being downright dangerous, I was very very aware of how unfit I was. I had a viral cold at the time, so really struggled, but even with that considered I was downright knackered after only a few jumps. I will not be a parent that can’t keep up with Jasper, not when I’m still in my 30s at least!
Specific	This one is harder to be specific about and sat here writing this, I don’t want to make it up on the spot. I think without getting into training schedules and the like, I must do one active thing per day.
Measurable	Every day, I will record on my watch. Be that steps, any runs or something I’d now like to do more of – go out cycling!
Achievable	I want to make sure that all these new goals are stuck to. Therefore I won’t be setting large and difficult targets that are hard to stick to. Small incremental steps that are easy to do every day.
Relevant	Like the goals before, these are all relevant to health. I should see compounding benefits realise if I manage to stick to all of these new targets.
Time-bound	It’s a simple one – every day, do one bit of exercise.

4 – Creativity

Rationale	I’m a creative person, and it’s the creative things I do that keep me sane. I enjoy these things, so wanted to set a goal that will hold me to account on making sure I make progress creatively. Also, if every week I can improve by only 1%, the gains realised over a year would be incredible.
Specific	Writing. If I have more time on any given day, start writing again. Saxophone. At the very least, pick my saxophone up every day. Even if I play only one note, do it every day.
Measurable	One sentence per day. At least one note played every day.
Achievable	Very low goal length. One note? That doesn’t take long. I can help by leaving my saxophone in my study for the rest of the time.
Relevant	Wellbeing is a wide concept. Not just physical health. I really enjoy the only hobby that I’ve stayed at for a long time. It feels like it’s time to get better at it.
Time-bound	Very short amounts of time required to keep this up to date. All told, I think everything on this list will take no more than an hour every day. Not a lot of time required for this one, the importance is in forming a new habit.

5 – Well-being

Rationale	This is a broad goal that I’m going to break down into manageable sections. If all other goals are met, this will likely improve of its own accord. However, there are things that I’d like to be specific about.
Specific	Eating. We now eat well as a family, but I’d like to continue to be better. Especially when I travel or when I forget lunch. TV / Screen-time. The TV is a time-sink, and I need to find a balance between relaxing and watching it too much. Quality time with the family.
Measurable	No meat. No McDonald’s breakfasts or lunches in normal working hours. Bring healthy lunch every day. Do more research on healthy lunches that are easy to prep. Keep it to one TV programme per day. No phone in bed at all. A short diary entry on Garmin Connect.
Achievable	Very achievable. Just need to stay organised, and when that breaks down be better with quick food. Break the sofa habit. Once that’s done we’ll be away. Easy to document, and the act of documenting should improve mindfulness.
Relevant	Each of the three is very closely tied with general well-being. Healthy eating, reducing the amount of time in front of screens and having a great relationship with my family.
Time-bound	Small incremental improvements each day.