Last year I made a sketchnote of goals for 2016. It was a quick thing to do - I didn’t put hours of thought into it, but probably for the first time I’ve made some sort of ‘resolution’, I found myself looking back at the photo of it time and again and valued having a mental reminder.
I don’t consider this a list of resolutions, just a list of things to be mindful about. And in fact I don’t think I did a great job with all the goals.
I want to do it again for 2017. Here’s how I think things turned out for my aims.
Visit home
I’m going to write about travel here. I didn’t go to Ireland in 2016 - That’s a thing to change in 2017.
I travelled a lot. Probably too much, taking almost all the opportunities that I was offered, and I’m grateful for them all - but I’ve realized that traveling takes a toll on you.
In fact in the final couple of months of the year, I hit a creative wall, and have needed this time over Christmas to rest more than ever before.
Lose 2kg
Traveling also made it hard to keep a great running routine, so I still need to lose a couple of kilos! Running is one thing that I want to do more of in 2017.
PB in a half marathon
My times have gotten longer this year - still around the 2 hour mark ( and the army run was much hotter than usual this time ).
Traveling affected my running routine, and although it allowed me to run ( shorter distances ) in a few different cities, I ran less km, and ran less often.
My data shows that I ran
470 km in 2014
462 km in 2015
393 km in 2016
So - that’s a big thing for me to be mindful of this year. I’ve already signed of for two half marathons and I’d like to add a couple more.
Sleep more
I need to figure out a way to keep data on this. But I don’t feel that I slept any more or any less in 2016. Again - travel took a toll on me with jet lag - I’m super sensitive to time zones.
Maybe my goal for 2017 is to start keeping data on this.
See Coldplay
I saw them twice. I’ve seen lots of great outdoor concerts over the years - U2, Bowie, Sting, One Republic, Simple Minds, Oasis and thought they couldn’t be topped, but the xylobands and the energy and songs are like a drug. So uplifting, so engagaing.
I want to see them again. They’re touring next year if anyone is interested ;)
Play More
I’ve certainly been playing my guitar more, but not with other people, which I’m sad about. I need to do that more this year.
I will say that one of the things I identify with being at home when I travel, is being able to lose myself playing my guitar when I return.
Speak Spanish Every Day, or Listen
So - I used Duo Lingo for 336 days in 2016, and spent almost a month in Spanish speaking countries where I spoke and translated as best I could.
I also watched at least one game or review show on the Spanish soccer channel each weekend of the season.
In 2017 I want to do this more … Duolingo works, so I want to do that more. I have a small pile of Spanish books and magazines that I want to read. I want to find a way to converse more, and I want to spend at least a week in Spain.
Write more, draw more
I wrote a lot for work.
https://www.ibm.com/blogs/bluemix/author/antonmca-ibm-com/
And I’ve been drawing sketchnotes and working on designs - I drew all the David Bowies for my Ziggy project, icons, line drawings for instance.
https://dribbble.com/antonmc
I have a few ideas for 2017 - but I have to decide if I mean more hand sketches or digital ones, or if I care.
Program in R
Started but didn’t get very far. Shelved for now, because there are other tech goals that I have.
Read More
I didn’t read as many books as I wanted. Read a lot for work though. I want to stop reading articles online, and read more novels.
Go camping
Didn’t do that either. Need to make a definite plan here.
Make an apple watch app
I started one, and will chip away at it in 2017.
Garden more
I put a lot of effort into my vegetable garden, and the weather cooperated, but sadly nature didn’t - predators took a lot of what I grew.
I love gardening - and have deeply strong memories of our vegetable garden when I was a child. I’m vegetarian, and feel invested and connected in eating food that was in the soil 30 minutes before it was served! I grow herbs and chili peppers all year around.
In 2017, I think I’ll focus more on containers in my suburban home. I live in a place called Bridlewood and there is an actual wood/belt of trees around me that house rabbits, deer, skunk, porcupines, raccoons, squirrels as well as no end of insects. So, I’m giving up - the gate doesn’t keep them out. I can probably manage containers more easily.
We also have a farmers market on Saturdays. My dad used to say to me that there wasn’t a lot of need for me to grow my own vegetables, when I could get such great stuff there.
Cycle to work
Not as much as I wanted to. Now I work further away, so it’ll be interesting to see if I can do that this summer, although I’m liking the idea of it as I write this.
Now … I need to work on a new sketch note for 2017.