Start first-thing-in-the-morning writing

Look, guys. I used to feel really good about myself in terms of writing. I wasn’t the kind of writer who skipped meals or hobbies or sleep because of the pull-to-the-page, but I got it done. I was good at showing up, at sitting down.

I feel like if I ever want to write anything again, I need to recapture that. Thanks to my new-found coffee skills, last semester I did a good job of getting up early enough to be productive. This year, I will redirect my morning attentions to writing something. Writing anything. Even for just fifteen minutes.

Read 12 new YA releases this year

I hate feeling so behind the loop all the time, but it’s hard for me to keep up with new books when I’m beholden to the syllabus. This year, my syllabus consists of ALL!BRAND!NEW!BOOKS!, I might be able to get my hands on ARCs at my internship, and I will be out of school in May (gag), so this year I will try to read a new release every month. I will consider a book “new” if it was published in either 2012 or Fall/Winter 2011.

Immediately looking forward to…

• The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
• The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson
• Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
• Beneath a Meth Moon by Jacqueline Woodson
• The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour
• Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Continue to pursue a mostly sugar & grain-free lifestyle

In 2011, I started experimenting with a Paleo-ish diet. I won’t bore you with the details of my eating habits – if that interests you, I post about it occasionally on my food blog – but in September I dove in all the way and was pleased with my results. Over three months, I lost about 10 pounds, enjoyed steadier energy levels across the day, less feeling-sick, less food cravings/moments of extreme starvation, and I think an improved mood.

Seriously on that last one. I fell of the wagon around the holidays and started indulging in all sorts of cookies and sweets and such, and at the same time started feeling really grumpy about life, the world, other people, my boyfriend, my family etc. I think I would be stupid not to assume a relationship between the two. It’s hard for me to stay motivated, positive, and productive when I’m in a bad mood, so this one was a big realization.

This year, I hope to continue to cultivate this sugar & grain & junk food free life. It’s really not half as bad as you are imagining, and I think 95% of people will seriously enjoy the benefits.

Run two 5Ks

In 2010, I taught myself how to run short distances regularly. In 2011, I increased my distances somewhat, but more importantly, I crossed the line from feeling like “I hate this I hate this I hate this I’m so glad it’s over” to “Hey, that wasn’t so bad! Look how far you ran! How far can you run tomorrow?”

However, I’m still running less than 3 miles. I’d like to be able to run a 5K by the end of the year, but I felt like that was a semi-lame goal since it would probably only take me a month or so of dedicated running to actually achieve that goal. So I’ll run two.

This goal probably makes me the most nervous. But I think I can do it. I will focus on increasing my distance (which, in the winter, may involve dedicating more time to visit the gym), and once I can run 3 miles without excessive walking-breaks, I will sign up for a race.

Writing that made me feel like puking. Why does this scare me so much!!??

Be ballsy.

Even without a New Year’s Resolution, this year I will have a lot going on, career-wise. I graduate in May. I have a fairly detailed Job Hunt Schedule that starts… oh… right now. I am not concerned about following through with my job-searching-goals. They will happen, no resolution needed.

But I am concerned with being bold. I want to make sure that I am not making decisions based on fear. I want to make sure I take any opportunities that come my way, even if they are goofy. I want to apply for jobs I don’t think I’m qualified for, in places I never thought I’d want to live. I don’t want to let my introverted nature keep me from networking opportunities. I don’t want to ignore an opportunity because I’m being deliberately short-sighted.

I want to keep “Be Ballsy” as a manifesto while I job-hunt this year, to remind me to look around, to consider my own career and personal trajectories instead of focusing on “the job,” and to aim high.

Work on a cleaning schedule

I realize that this might be a futile endeavor, what with the inevitable Moving & Packing and the accompanying Assessment Of All The Shit I Have Accumulated In My Life, but I would like to focus on shifting my cleaning strategy. Right now, I have more of a Clean When You Can’t Go A Second Longer thing going on. In 2011, I did make some subtle changes to my daily habits that keep things a little more under control (putting clothes in the hamper, unloading the dishwasher while I make breakfast, etc), but I’d like to set up a schedule to keep the rest of it under control.