22 in 22

What gets written down, gets done. I believe that. Whether at work or at home, I live by To-Do lists. I also have a white board at work and at home which I use to keep priority items front and center. Things can easily fall off my radar if I don’t have a prompt.

I love a clean page, a new calendar, and a fresh start.  I’ve written about New Year’s resolutions previously, and generally speaking, I think they get a bad rap.  Some management tools are required to make them effective. More on that later.

This year, I’m taking a page from happiness guru, Gretchen Ruben.  I’ve read a couple of her books and I’ve mentioned her in some past blogs.  I like her concept of creating a list of 22 things to do in 2022.  Those 22 things can be anything you’d like to accomplish in the upcoming year. 

They can be things that are easy or ambitious, things that are one and done (like a medical procedure you keep putting off), or something you want to do repeatedly (see a movie with a friend).  It’s great to put some fun things on the list.  You’ll look forward to doing them and won’t be sorry later that you ‘didn’t get a chance’ to see family or go on a trip.

Ms. Rubin has also chosen an item that she intends to do every day for 22 minutes.  In 2020 she (and some of her blog/podcast followers) walked for 20 minutes every day.  In 2021, they read for 21 minutes each day.  This year, they will be resting for 22 minutes a day.  I love the spirit of this year’s challenge.  There aren’t many things that I think I could commit to do EVERY day, but I think resting is a shoe in.

When I started my list, 22 things sounded like a lot.  I had a couple things that I knew I would probably do anyway, like write 24 blogs and read 48 books, but I put them on the list to remind myself that these are priorities to me and I shouldn’t neglect them or get out of that habit when I get busy.

My list expanded after I finished the book Remember by Lisa Genova.   Being mindful, getting 7 – 9 hours of sleep a night, eating healthy, and exercising all impact your memory – as well as your overall health.  I certainly need to add some of those items to my 22 in 22 list.

And what about my new journal I discussed in November’s blog, Don’t I Know You?  I intend to answer all 1000 questions – 1000 Things You Don’t Know About Me.  I’ll make it less overwhelming by breaking down the questions into a manageable number of weekly chunks.

And that brings me back to strategy.  In order to accomplish the things I want to do this year – or anytime really – I need to set myself up for success. 

1. Write down the things I want to accomplish.  Make that To-Do list.
2. Be specific.  Having ‘eat healthier’ on my list won’t be as helpful as ‘replace your weekly fast food burger with a salad.’
3. Share my list with a friend.  I find I am certainly more accountable when I share with others than if I am only accountable to myself.
4. Plan interval check-ins.  I plan to check in on my list at the end of March, June, September, and December.

My list isn’t finished yet, but I’ll have a mix of things that are one and done (I only have to do one time) and some things that I want to do regularly.  I’m not sure yet if ‘Figure out what the hell you’re doing with your hair’ is a one and done or a long-term project.  Unfortunately, probably the latter.