My 2021 to-do list
Given the available tools, what will you create? (Image by Pexels)
With the holidays over and some changes to my day-to-day schedule as of next week, I’m in the perfect position to set some intentions for what I’d like to accomplish. Oh yeah, and it’s a fresh new year, too.
Daily blogging has shown me that even with the world falling apart, I can make a commitment and stick to it. Even better, the commitment itself creates a foundation for my days that I can build on. I’m ready to do that. Apparently, I’m ready to do it publicly. Here we go.
Projects I intend to undertake in 2021:
Publish videos to YouTube. I don’t have the wherewithal to commit to a particular frequency yet, but I would like to publish the first one sometime this month. I estimate that it will take two hours to write the script, four hours to set up and shoot, and four hours to edit.
Complete the first three volumes of my piano book. I’ll be setting aside two hours each weekday to work on this. I’ll also be writing a ukulele method and a guitar method this year.
Grow vegetables. I haven’t had a proper vegetable garden since I was a child. We have the perfect space for it.
Practices I intend to begin in 2021:
Meditate daily. I picked up this habit when I was younger, but stopped after 9/11 happened and I couldn’t stop seeing the burning towers every time I closed my eyes. I figure now that it’s been almost twenty years, I can probably get back to it, ya think?
Play music daily. Just for fun, or for study — depends on the day. I’d like to actually compose music every day, but that sounds a bit scarier to commit to. But if I get back into playing every day, it’s highly likely that I’ll do some writing, too.
Clean the kitchen before bed every night. A gift for my future self each morning.
Lights out by 10 PM on “school nights.” This is the discipline I need in order to manage a 5 AM wakeup time. This time is meant to be something realistic that I can stick to. Although I’m so slow at these types of routines that I really need to start getting ready for bed at around 8:30 PM. For better or worse, during the time of covid, that’s probably doable.
Things I hope I will be able to do in 2021:
Expand our family. This will likely require saving up to adopt, which is the part we have control over to a degree.
Get the COVID-19 vaccine. Vaccines are a modern miracle. Vaccines save lives. Everyone who is able to should get the coronavirus vaccine and all other recommended vaccines.
See all of my nieces and nephews. I can’t wait until it’s safe to do so again.
Travel internationally. I’m not sure when or if it will be possible, but I’ll be planning a trip in the meantime. Maybe I’ll brush up on my French.
Sell my car. My poor car got stuck in Atlanta when we moved. I either need to get it fixed and registered and drive it home or get it fixed and sell it.
The practices and projects of the first two lists are entirely within my control; the third list depends more on external factors but gives me something to aim toward.
These lists are by no means complete, but a year is a long time. I’ll also be working on on some quarterly and weekly plans that will allow me to be bolder in dabbling in practices that I might not want to keep up all year but could yield interesting results, as well as projects that are more short-term and experimental in nature.
I don’t know what kind of year it’s going to be, but this is my starting point. And now that I’ve shared it with you, I feel an even greater responsibility to follow through. I’ll do my best.
And now it’s your turn. What projects do you intend to undertake this year? What are the practices and routines that will help support you as you move forward? And what do you hope for? I invite you to share in the comments or send me an email.
Happy New Year!
