Let's look back at last year's goals, shall we?
Knitting plan
I forgot I had a knitting plan until I looked back and saw this post.
The only goal really was to finish the three languishing projects on my needles at the time and I'm happy to say that I did. I've been wearing the Whisper cardigan and Glynis socks a lot, though I haven't used the Bramble Stitch Shawl. Maybe I'm just not a shawl person, though maybe I'd wear a shawl with a different size or shape. This one covers my shoulders, but then comes to a point before really covering any of my back.
This year I feel sort of the same way about my knitting as last year. I've been working on the Coraline Cardigan, Milo Socks, and Cascade Ribbed Socks for what seems like ages now and feel ridiculous that none of them are done yet. Mind you, I just paused everything for a bit to knit a pair of baby booties for a shower, and also a ribbon scarf (which I haven't posted yet - will do soon!) But I'd still like to get back to these projects before so much time has passed that my gauge changes or I can't figure out where I left off.
However, I think my theme for this year is no pressure. If I don't feel like working on something I'm not going to force myself. It's pointless to work on something I'm not in the mood for when I really want to knitting something else. I'd like to let myself be more spontaneous with my projects, which may be better for creativity. Or perhaps I'll just end up with 25 stalled projects and nothing finished.
Reading Plan
Last year my goal was to learn more about US history. I didn't do as much of this as I'd hoped (and I still haven't walked the Freedom Trail in Boston) but I did read a handful of books about U.S. history, more than I normally would have. Some of the books I mentioned in my post I didn't get to, but I did read two of them- The Civil War: A Concise History and American Uprising. I'm not sure how much I retained, which is my real problem.
I had planned to read at least one non-fiction book each month, and although there were months in which I read no non-fiction, my total count for the year was 14. That's a win! Now, some of my non-fiction books were things like Bossypants and Wishful Drinking, but I never said they all had to be scholarly.
As with the knitting, I'm not going to set any reading goals this year except to try and let go of the pressure I keep putting on myself to read particular things. Aside from my book groups (I now have my regular book group and one for work) I'm going to try and read more serendipitously and hopefully ignore my To Read list unless I need to use it for ideas. In an essay from Nick Hornby's Shakespeare Wrote for Money he says "reading begets reading - that's sort of the point of it, surely?" and that's true. I don't want to feel like I need to hold off on something I'm suddenly inspired to read in favor of books that just came in for me at the library. I mean, I work there - I can just order those books again later.
So there are my anti-goals for this year. I wonder if it will make me want to set firm goals again next year.
How did you do with your goals for last year? And what are you focusing on for 2012?
Showing posts with label goals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label goals. Show all posts
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Reading Plan
As I've mentioned, one of my goals for this year is to learn more about U.S. History. Last year when I was learning about art I watched a lecture series from Great Courses which I got at the library and it was so good, I may try their series on U.S. history. It is daunting though – 84 lectures! They are only a half hour each, but even the 48-lecture series on European Art seemed like it took a long time to get through. But traditionally, I learn better through classes than unstructured reading, so a DVD series is probably the way to go. I am also supplementing with documentaries from PBS and National Georgraphic through the magic of Netflix.
Of course I will also be reading some books on U.S. history. About a month ago, I started Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States which I’ve had for years, but by chapter 3 I realized that it assumes a lot of basic knowledge that I don’t possess. So I put it aside for now in favor of a couple of basic, general books. Right now I’m about halfway through U.S. History for Dummies – don’t laugh! This is actually a good, readable series which in the past has helped me learn about various computer topics and I’m enjoying this one as well, stained though it is by the beverages of countless library patrons. (I will keep telling myself those stains are from beverages.) I’m also reading A History of the United States by Philip Jenkins which is also good, but requires more concentration.
Once I finish these two books, I plan to tackle some that are more in depth. A few that I’ve added to my “to read” list recently include: 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus, and A Voyage Long and Strange: Rediscovering the New World, both of which my friend Kevin mention on his blog recently; American Uprising: The Untold Story of America’s Largest Slave Revolt; and The Civil War: A Concise History, a forthcoming book that I am excited about because it's only 160 pages.
My plan for this year is to try and read at least one non-fiction book a month. If you know me, you are probably laughing right now but I am, in fact, reading two non-fiction books at the moment. I’m not going to push myself to finish books that aren’t interesting to me but I will commit to at least try some of the books on my list above. I have non-fiction books on other topics I want to read as well, but hopefully I will read at least six books about American history this year. Have you read any of the books above? Or do you have other must-read suggestions?
Of course I will also be reading some books on U.S. history. About a month ago, I started Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States which I’ve had for years, but by chapter 3 I realized that it assumes a lot of basic knowledge that I don’t possess. So I put it aside for now in favor of a couple of basic, general books. Right now I’m about halfway through U.S. History for Dummies – don’t laugh! This is actually a good, readable series which in the past has helped me learn about various computer topics and I’m enjoying this one as well, stained though it is by the beverages of countless library patrons. (I will keep telling myself those stains are from beverages.) I’m also reading A History of the United States by Philip Jenkins which is also good, but requires more concentration.
Once I finish these two books, I plan to tackle some that are more in depth. A few that I’ve added to my “to read” list recently include: 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus, and A Voyage Long and Strange: Rediscovering the New World, both of which my friend Kevin mention on his blog recently; American Uprising: The Untold Story of America’s Largest Slave Revolt; and The Civil War: A Concise History, a forthcoming book that I am excited about because it's only 160 pages.
My plan for this year is to try and read at least one non-fiction book a month. If you know me, you are probably laughing right now but I am, in fact, reading two non-fiction books at the moment. I’m not going to push myself to finish books that aren’t interesting to me but I will commit to at least try some of the books on my list above. I have non-fiction books on other topics I want to read as well, but hopefully I will read at least six books about American history this year. Have you read any of the books above? Or do you have other must-read suggestions?
Friday, January 9, 2009
Goals 2009
I'm going to go rogue for a moment and post something completely off-topic and personal. I'm sure I'll regret it immediately, but it's so refreshing to actually have some goals again that I can't help but share them with all 6 of you who read my blog.
These goals are especially exciting because they are all things I've been thinking about for a while and really feel committed to doing, so they are more real than most goals I've had in my life. Plus they are measurable, realistic, and aren't dependent on anyone but me.
Eat real food
I've been trying to eat better for a while now, and I'm more committed than ever to greatly reduce the amount of processed foods in my diet. It's not good for my health or for the environment and it's ridiculous to eat something if I don't even know what's in it. In the past year two members of my immediate family have been diagnosed with breast cancer, and if that's not enough to scare someone into taking charge of their health, I don't know what is. I've gotten into a great exercise routine in the past six months, and now it's time to compliment that by eating better. Michael Pollan and Barbara Kingsolver both have the right ideas and their books have been incredibly inspiring and motivating.
I have a lot of thoughts about how vegetarianism does and doesn't fit in with this goal and my distaste for labor-intensive and time-consuming cooking, but that could be another whole post. Suffice it to say I've started eating some seafood (like the sustainably harvested and mercury tested Dave's Tuna) and I like having the additional variety. I've also started spending more time with my friend the lentil, who I haven't seen in a while. As much as I don't enjoy cooking, I do love food and I have simple tastes. Adding just a few recipes to my tiny repertoire could make a big difference in making cooking more pleasant for me.
Compost and garden
I've been wanting to start a compost since buying my house almost three years ago, and I think it's about time I took some action. I just ordered my copy of The Urban Homestead which has some easy instructions on cheaply building a worm bin. I plan to make this my winter project and hopefully I'll have some compost in a few months when I start thinking about gardening. I have somewhat of a black thumb, but I am committed to growing something this year, even if it's just a few of my favorite vegetables. It's silly to have an entire yard and not use it to grow some food. This should also help aid in my goal of eating better. See? It all fits together!
Get away from chemical cleaners
I was recently choking on fumes while cleaning the shower when I thought, how can such toxicity possibly equal cleanliness? It simply can't. I've already stopped using commercial floor cleaners, and as I use up the last of the other household cleaning products, they won't be replaced. I'll be making my own out of simple ingredients like soap, vinegar, baking soda and lemon juice. It will be cheaper, take up less space, and not damage anyone's health.
It looks like health and sustainability are my themes for 2009. Any advice or words of wisdom?
These goals are especially exciting because they are all things I've been thinking about for a while and really feel committed to doing, so they are more real than most goals I've had in my life. Plus they are measurable, realistic, and aren't dependent on anyone but me.
Eat real food
I've been trying to eat better for a while now, and I'm more committed than ever to greatly reduce the amount of processed foods in my diet. It's not good for my health or for the environment and it's ridiculous to eat something if I don't even know what's in it. In the past year two members of my immediate family have been diagnosed with breast cancer, and if that's not enough to scare someone into taking charge of their health, I don't know what is. I've gotten into a great exercise routine in the past six months, and now it's time to compliment that by eating better. Michael Pollan and Barbara Kingsolver both have the right ideas and their books have been incredibly inspiring and motivating.
I have a lot of thoughts about how vegetarianism does and doesn't fit in with this goal and my distaste for labor-intensive and time-consuming cooking, but that could be another whole post. Suffice it to say I've started eating some seafood (like the sustainably harvested and mercury tested Dave's Tuna) and I like having the additional variety. I've also started spending more time with my friend the lentil, who I haven't seen in a while. As much as I don't enjoy cooking, I do love food and I have simple tastes. Adding just a few recipes to my tiny repertoire could make a big difference in making cooking more pleasant for me.
Compost and garden
I've been wanting to start a compost since buying my house almost three years ago, and I think it's about time I took some action. I just ordered my copy of The Urban Homestead which has some easy instructions on cheaply building a worm bin. I plan to make this my winter project and hopefully I'll have some compost in a few months when I start thinking about gardening. I have somewhat of a black thumb, but I am committed to growing something this year, even if it's just a few of my favorite vegetables. It's silly to have an entire yard and not use it to grow some food. This should also help aid in my goal of eating better. See? It all fits together!
Get away from chemical cleaners
I was recently choking on fumes while cleaning the shower when I thought, how can such toxicity possibly equal cleanliness? It simply can't. I've already stopped using commercial floor cleaners, and as I use up the last of the other household cleaning products, they won't be replaced. I'll be making my own out of simple ingredients like soap, vinegar, baking soda and lemon juice. It will be cheaper, take up less space, and not damage anyone's health.
It looks like health and sustainability are my themes for 2009. Any advice or words of wisdom?
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