Welcome 2016!

While half the world is busy desperately clinging onto their NYR’s and the other half is busy removing every evidence of having commited to them, I ambusy creating my own with desperate optimism.  I call that the late mover advantage!

Here are what I will work towards this year.

1. Declutter:
At any point of time, I am busy juggling the many things that I love to do. Read, write, travel, sleep, work off those extra calories, etc. Throw in social engagements (obligations?) and a 9-6 job and you have an explosive mix :)
One of my focus this year will be on what I call "declutter", essentially, try to limit multi-tasking and focus only on a couple of things at a time. Pick out 1-2 things that I want to do for a short period of time (1-2 months) and focus energies and enjoy doing them.
I did try it a couple of times last year when I felt I was doing things mechanically, rather than enjoying them. After a month long break from yoga, I went back rejuvenated and with a lot more enthusiasm than before the break.
The break from reading came as a surprise, but was a quick one when i realised I was just picking up random books (because I did not give a book enough thought before picking it up) and leaving them unfinished! And now, a month later, I am craving for books, waiting for my "subscription holiday" to end.

2. Health:
Maintaining a routine has been always a challenge, because I am innately lazy! I have been practicing yoga for the last year or more, but have never been able to stick to a routine. While I committed to 5 days a week, I am more than happy (not to mention proud) to make it 3-4 times a week! I did buy a cycle last year, with a commitment (that I made to myself) that the cycle would be used atleast twice a week. I fell short on that by 1. And I never stopped feeling guilty about it either.
But this year, I plan to reach a balance and add variety (walking, running, playing a sport regularly) and commit, rather than overcommit. I am rather proud that I haven't used the lift at office for a long long time :)

3. Be environmentally responsible: 
I started thinking about this seriously a couple of years back and started with saying no to bottled water. I started carrying a water bottle that I would fill with potable water wherever I could. Last year, I started avoiding bottled water at social engagements and reusing the same plate everytime I went for a refill at  buffets. Started using local transport, even on short family vacations. Started carrying back trash and giving a conscious thought on how we dispose of it. Must say, my family has never once complained of the water or transport and we are rather proud of it :)  
While this does sound like a lot of good things, I am sure there are many more ways in which we can reduce burdening the environment, which I plan to find out and incorporate in our daily life. 

4. Take more pics:
Being an introvert, it has never been easy for me to just take out my mobile or camera and click photographs of ordinary things that I found interesting (read: the helpful coconut vendor, a very inviting tea stall on a cold winter morning, etc). As a consequence, I usually don't take the pic and regret it later. Doing away with that and taking pics has to happen! I was rather proud of myself, when recently on a trip to Rajasthan, I took pictures of all that I ate :)

These, for once, seem more reasonable and are about things that really matter to me. Guess age has really made me wiser ;)

These are mine, what are yours?

1 comment:

Vijay said...

Nice to see that being environmentally conscious figures on your list :)