I typically do not set resolutions for myself. I believe that most resolutions are destined to fail. However, Ashley promptly asked me what my resolutions were for the new year. After a year in which I mostly focused on “hanging on”, I decided it was probably a good idea to set resolutions for myself for 2021. Without further adieu, here are my resolutions for 2021, why I chose them, and how I plan on achieving them.

Read a book a month

I spend most of my day on a computer or wrangling kids. I’ve never been a big reader, but I feel better when I read more often. I typically read 3-6 books a year. This year, I want to read a book a month. My plan to accomplish this is to read in the morning, instead of procrastinating to reading at night when I am too tired to read or even really retain much of what I am reading. I figure I can read a bit in the morning with my morning coffee and a bit in the evening before bed and I should be able to read more than I have in the past.

Be better organized (Take notes)

I am not disorganized, but I would not classify myself as organized either. I spend a not insignificant amount of time every day retracing my steps on where I was yesterday so that I can continue with today’s work. Things have not been falling in-between the cracks, but I believe that I can take small steps to avoid the extra time and brain power involved with retracing my steps, which will incrementally make my life better. My idea is to take notes, almost keeping a journal. One thing I realized when I was in college was that I retained information better after writing it down. This led to me rewriting my notes while studying. I believe that writing down what I have been doing will help me retain that information. Additionally, if I do not retain it, I can spend a few minutes reading through the previous day’s notes and I should be ready to go.

Mail birthday cards to close relatives

I have done a pretty good job of adding birthdays to my contacts. However, I usually just end up sending a text message on their birthday. Instead, I would rather take the time to send them a birthday card. I plan on buying a box of birthday cards. Then I plan on taking some time to look at my upcoming birthday calendar for the next week at the beginning of every week. Then I will make out cards for family and friends with upcoming birthdays. I might write a small script to query contacts for upcoming birthdays and compile a list to help speed up this process.

Restore the Macintosh Classic

This is a bit of a fun one. I saved a Macintosh Classic from the trash heap a few years ago. It has been an office adornment ever since. However, I recently received an iFixit tool kit for Christmas and was able to open the Classic. The PRAM battery had burst and a capacitor has popped off the analog board. The metal chassis is completely wrecked with rust. However, the boards seem to, somehow, be fine. I plan on replacing the capacitors on both boards, then I plan on seeing if it will boot up. If I can get it to boot, I will then look into acquiring a metal chassis to replace the rusted one. Then if everything goes well, I plan on retrobrighting the case and completely restoring it.