I tried the UFO concept with
Judy at Patchwork Times; but, I was an utter failure with that effort. I think it's because it focused only on the crafty/quilting part of my life. The Word of the Year, which replaces a list of resolutions, was a better effort for me. The word is often a concept that we desire to embrace, a quality we wish to embody, or something we wish to have more of in our lives.
My word of the year for 2011 was “
do”. I accomplished more than I ever did before. There is always room for improvement though. I decided to make “
finish” my word of the year for 2012 and extend the word “do”. They complement one another, don’t you think?
But, I still need something more than just a Word of the Year. I’m a list person. I need something to shoot for. Most of the time, making resolutions never worked for me and I think I know why. They tend to be too general and need to be a little more specific to work.
Jon Acuff turned on the light for me with his
”Finish Year” concept. He is doing a series of posts to help us set up our lists. I think this concept may just work because the focus is on efforts not results, which may be the biggest bane to my existence.
{Start from the last link I provided above and work your way through his newer posts to get the gist of what “Finish Year” is all about.}
So, I listed items in the car on the way up to the Dallas area to see family before the New Year. Dan wanted to know what I was doing; so, I explained the concept to him and how it is done. He kind of joined in with his own list.
Here is my original list:
- finish the Layer Cake Quilt. In the process, learn to machine quilt.
- read at least six books
- hand quilt Dan’s quilt
- clean / purge the office
- clean / purge the Master Bedroom
- make meal plans (every two weeks)
- save up for “new” car
- make flying geese blocks using charm squares and special ruler
- take a stitch on Tuesdays
- add money to house fund
- walk a mile (two miles is ultimate goal)
- either relearn to play piano or learn to play a mandolin
- establish an etsy shop for crafts
- write down thoughts frequently – once or twice a week
- design a quilt
- learn to swallow a pill
- organize my fabrics onto “bolts” – 2 or 3 a day should get me there eventually
- finish the cross-stitch project that is half done
- take a picture once a week
Here is Dan’s list:
- finish the mustang!
- relearn/play the banjo.
- finish the desk/nightstand
- learn custom framing and matting.
- finish professional photography – at least establish a SmugMug account and even get some business cards
We are supposed to wean the list to five. Dan is fine. However, I am not! Ha! So, on the way home from the Dallas area, I weaned down the list. Let me tell you, I had a difficult time weaning the list down. I noticed that there were several small items that could be done every day until the task is completed. So, I weaned my list down to five keeping the original list separate so that I can add to the new list whenever one is eliminated. I also created a separate list that could be worked on in a routine manner (aka
Flylady).
Here is my five:
- I am going to finish learning how to swallow a pill. I may not ever learn how; but, I am determined to try.
- I am going to finish the Layer Cake Quilt. In the process, learn to machine quilt.
- I am going to finish saving up for “new” car. We only need a couple more thousand.
- I am going to finish walking a mile (two miles is the ultimate goal)
- I am going to finish cleaning / purging the office. I can only do this if Dan helps the process as half the stuff in there is his. I hate to nag him; but, this is important to me.
Here is my secondary list (in no particular order):
- I am going to finish making meal plans (every two weeks).
{I started and completed the first plan on 1/2/12.}
- I am going to finish writing down thoughts frequently – once or twice a week – journal style.
- I am going to finish organizing my fabrics onto “bolts” – 2 or 3 a day should get me there eventually.
{I started this on 1/4/12.}
- I am going to finish taking a picture at least once a week
(I started this on 1/2/12.)
I've placed my #FinishYear list inside my calendar organizer for safekeeping and easy reference. Here's to hoping for a more successful year!
