“Even though I tried, it was never enough for running in the same damn place.” – Haim, Something to Tell You
I haven’t done formal plan making for the year over the last couple. The beginning of 2016 was a time of transition. The beginning of 2017 was about pushing back against the dread of the unfathomable.
Looking to 2018, though, as I’ve made it through the seemingly never-ending onslaught of these past 12 months, I want to get back to moving with intent. There’s a war going on for attention, and I’m determined to win it.
I went back and looked at my series of posts from 2015 about living wisely. My core values haven’t changed much. I still hold compassion and kindness in the highest regard. I might add something about my admiration for moral defiance and civil disobedience now. The running theme for me that year was “Make good shit. Every day.”
At the end of 2016, I was fond of the John Lewis phrase, “Make good trouble.”
This year, what I want is to make time.
The 2018 mission
Do the things that make you feel most connected to the world
After taking an audit of how I spend my time (or would like to be using my time), these are the things that are worth it:
- Meditation
- Working Out
- Time with Tiffany
- Time with Family
- Time with Friends
- Exploring my city
- Exploring the world
- Listening to music
- Reading
- Cooking
- Learning new things
- Volunteering
- Listening to podcasts
- Writing
- Basketball
Here are the things that are not:
- iPad games
- Watching TV
- Eating Out
Currently, mornings are the best-structured parts of my day and evenings are the worst. Heading into 2018, I intend to better plan my nights filling them with the things I care about and leaving less open space for the time-wasters that take my attention but aren’t adding much meaning to my life.
Now, I’m rarely an absolutist, so this is not to suggest that I won’t still be on social media or watching tv or visiting another delicious restaurant. Of course, they will find their way into my schedule. What I’m hungry for, though, is more purpose and intention with my off hours.
Am I going out to eat with loved ones? Is my social media time deepening my connection with people, communities, or issues important to me?
If not, isn’t that time better spent on other things?