2011: Getting Things Done Edition.

I’ve never been a huge fan of new years resolutions; to me, they always seemed so pointless. I’ve always been a person who likes the idea of a ‘getting things done’ lifestyle; no procrastinating, no lazying about. If something needs to get done, do it. Towards the end of 2009 I set myself exactly that goal for 2010; simply get things done. 

Frankly, I failed. There’s no drivers license in my wallet. Learning to surf and wind surf are still dreams to come true. I have zero knowledge about rock climbing. My skateboard and snowboard are still tucked away in my cellar. I can sum up my 2010 achievements on one hand; 2011 needs a change.

Here’s what I know about 2011:

• I have my Computing Science course at the University of Aberdeen to finish (Honours Project and Professional Topics in Computing).

Here’s what I don’t know about 2011:

• Whether I’ll graduate or go into a Masters course.
• Where I will live. If I graduate, will I stay in Aberdeen? Move to Munich? Apply for a green card and try my luck at moving to San Francisco?
• Who I’ll spend my time with (if I move away, will I know anyone?). 

With that in mind, let’s start a new chapter of my life! There’s a blank canvas eagerly waiting to be drawn on and there’s nothing that can stop me enjoying a beautiful year 🙂

• Build Core Strength. 2010 was a complete downfall as far as exercise goes. I lost 6 stone throughout the start of my second year of university (2008 – 2009) and once I got to a healthy body weight, I completely stopped exercising. Although I never gained weight in 2010, I have completely lost all the body muscle I previously built up. I hope to build my core strength in two parts: The Hundred Push Ups Training Programand then Rock Climbing. 
• Maintain a Healthy Weight. Along with the exercise regime mentioned above, I want to maintain a healthy weight. 
• Experience Adrenaline. It’s been far too long since I’ve had a good adrenaline rush and it’s about time I experience some again. Bungee jumping or Skydiving are possibilities, but a simple snowboarding holiday could also suffice.
• Learn to Meditate. Along with wanting to build core strength and general wellbeing I want to understand and control my inner peace. I know meditating, or rather learning and understanding meditation, will take time, but I know in the long it will be extremely beneficial to me.
• Learn to Drive. Actually, this should read get a drivers license. My dad taught me driving years ago, but having lived in cities I’ve never had the need to have a drivers license. However, I can’t predict where I’ll be towards the second half of 2011 so having a drivers license should open up more possibilities as I’d be able to commute and travel.
• Maintain a good fluid intake. In previous years I’ve easily let healthy drinking slip my mind and I could often feel the effects of dehydration towards the end of a day: extreme tiredness and dizziness. I don’t want to let that happen as often and simply carrying a water bottle around with me shall solve this. 
• Continue Drinking Green Tea. I’ve recently switched to green tea and I’ve started to notice the health benefits. Green tea is a great healthy warm drink and replacing constant hot chocolates has really made my body feel better.
• Healthy Snacking. I do enjoy the occasional treat here and there, who doesn’t?! But snacking on cup cakes, brownies and Haribo needs to stop. I’ve recently signed up for Graze and I plan to cut out all unhealthy snacks completely by replacing them with healthy, natural portions of nibbles I hope to have more consistent body energy. 
• Solder, Build Things and Hack Away! As a kid, I loved being technical with my hands. I helped out the art studio at my school by putting the finishing touches to people’s pottery and preparing them for the furnace thing. I honestly can’t remember the pottery vocabulary and what I did, but I remember my teacher saying I had very steady hands and I should apply them more. I got into soldering after a physics practical in which we built our own random die generator. I started hacking away on my Xbox soon after that, installing mod chips and custom hardware/software. I really miss those days and I hope to slowly bring back hobbies which include technical know-how and using my hands. Read below about my knitting experience!
• Learn the Basics of Sign Language. I know I won’t be a professional sign linguist, but I am extremely eager to start exploring the world of sign language. I find it extremely interesting and think it’s one of the most beautiful languages around. 
• Keep a Journal. In 2010 I tried hard at keeping journals; I had a dream journal, normal journal and a journey journal. All my journals were forgotten about and only ever had few entries in them. My dream journal is probably the one with most pieces in it; I had fun psycho-analysing my dreams and writing them down. It’s a month into 2011 and I’ve started a new journal. It’s a combination of a journal, dream diary, motivational pieces and todo lists and so far I’ve been good at writing in it. It’s not a daily activity I plan to do, but as long as I have an entry a week and my dreams written down, I’m happy. I also have another journal for my university work; it’s got ideas, tasks and notes as I work through my Honours Project and other personal software projects. It too has been used and I hope it will continue to be used throughout the year.
• Write More Letters. 2010 was the first year I ever wrote someone a post-card, and I absolutely loved it. I hope to send out more mail, letters and post-cards as I experience 2011.
• Get More Involved. Throughout school I had to be involved; it was part of the Duke of Edinburgh and International Baccalaureate to stack up hours of activities, whether creative ones, sporting ones or service ones. I actually enjoyed it too; I never stopped when I reached the required hours. I’ve let that passion of being involved slip and have hope to bring it back this year. As mentioned below, I’ve joined a knitting group and already learnt a new skill. I want to be more involved with charity, promoting events, helping others and generally ‘being out there’.
• Surf / Wind Surf. I failed at attempting either in 2010. Let’s change that!

So, nothing huge here. No life changing goals or anything, just a few positive uplifting goals to keep the rest of 2011 interesting.

Already completed at time of writing:

• Stop Bad Habits. My worst habit is picking skin on my fingers. I woke up on New Years and spontaneously decided to never ever be OCD and simply stop picking on them. It’s a month into 2011 and I’ve completed this goal so far. Most habits/addictions take two weeks to adjust to, to get over that ‘urge’. I’ve been good and can say I have completed this goal. Other habits have also been taken care of and I’m extremely glad to have had such a positive start to the year!
• Learn to Knit. I’ve always loved technical ‘puzzles’ and as mentioned above, I want to be more technical with my hands. I’ve been to a few knitting group sessions and have really enjoyed it so far and have already completed my first knit! I can definitely say I’ve learnt something new in 2011.