Although one blogger I read recommends making your resolutions on Groundhog Day, there’s just something about the turning of the year that makes you look over your shoulder at the year that just ended and strengthen your resolve to do things differently the year ahead. Over at 12 to Midnight I wrote a summary of the company’s previous year, warts and all. Here I’ll talk about my personal goals for 2008.
Get Focused.
I’ve got too many irons in the fire to waste time screwing around. It’s time to apply the Franklin-Covey advice of putting first things first. I’ve worked off a paper "to do" list for a couple years now, but this year I’m going to try to put more emphasis on 1) staying on the list, and 2) working on the items that are most important first, instead of what’s easiest. I’ve also got to make sure my family stays a priority when I have so many other projects yanking on my sleeve for attention.
Run Games Better.
In the next couple of weeks I plan on starting an ETU campaign. I’ll be running it for my wife and a couple of friends. I know I’m not a strong game master, and I know I’m not good at thinking on my feet. This is the perfect opportunity to loosen up as a GM by 1) learning the rules inside and out, and 2) working on my ability to improv as the game dictates. I think doing those two things will make me a much better GM. If I’m more comfortable in my ability to improvise, I won’t feel so compelled to plan out ever detail in advance and consequently get stressed out when the players don’t do what I expect.
Write More.
This is the year I’m going to spend more time writing. There are ways I want to help 12 to Midnight become more profitable, but I don’t want to lose focus of my creativity. Writing is going to become one of the items on my "to do" list, and it’s going to be ranked just as importantly as my other tasks. I’ll be re-applying myself to writing my chapters of ETU in the next few months. I’m also working on a collaborative fiction project with some friends. If that really gets off the ground then I’ll link to it. After I finish ETU, I think I’ll try the Novel in 90 method to write a book. It’ll probably be something set in Pinebox, since that’s where my brain is at. We’ll see.
Be Healthy
Yeah, I know. Everyone makes this pledge. Still, last year I did pretty well. I lost enough weight to drop a size in my slacks, I exercised a couple times a week, and generally avoided eating the stuff that’s really bad for you… at least until November. The last two months of the year I decided that I wasn’t going to be miserable avoiding all the holiday snacks, so I pretty must indulged myself. I also got sick and fell out of the exercise routine. Now the pants are too tight and it’s time to head back to the gym. I have little doubt that I’ll get this under control again, but it’s worth saying. I’m also working on fixing some persistent lower back problems, and once I get that under control I’ll probably look into patterns readjusted. I don’t really talk about this, but I sleep very poorly. I’m such a light sleeper that any little noise–such as the ones our pets make–wakes me, which leads to very poor rest.
These are the things I intend to do this year. Hopefully next year I can report that all missions were accomplished. Happy New Year.
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