Apparently, New Years Resolutions are so nineteen ninety-eight, and if you make one you are just proving that you're older than Taylor Swift (but maybe not older than Babs). Instead, everyone's making "Happiness Project" lists, and I haven't read the book because I'm pretty sure I'll read half and not have time to finish the rest and then I'll have to explain at a dinner party* that I "sort of" read that book — but the idea sounds rad.
I don't think I have the time to map out goals for each and every month or the time to focus on each month separately because let's face it, it's January already and I barely knew it was December. But I've got a few happiness goals of my own for 2013. You already know about my resolution to not say "sorry" — but what about everything else? Lately, I'm all about efficiency and streamlining. The days literally go at warp speed, so efficiency isn't just my middle name, it's my first name and my zodiac sign and my religion. My hope is that if I'm efficient enough, and I weed out all the "stuff" that I used to spend time on pre-baby that was, well, stupid, I'll carve out enough time to really accomplish my writing goals.
In 2012, which was for sure the hardest year of my life, I made a few changes that are helping me reach higher efficiency levels (yes, I sound like a corporate HR person right now). 1) I only shop online (except for food). Unless I just happen to be in a clothing/furniture/other store and I just happen to have ten free minutes,** my browsing all happens, well, on my browser. 2) I try to get most of my exercise with Baby in tow (saves on babysitting and Ethan-sitting***). And here's the biggest/most important one: 3) I try to use my "in-between everything else" minutes to write, even when it's hard. That's the one that I need to laser focus on because it's just that important. And that's why I may scribble something down and stick a post-it on my arm. It happens.
Can efficiency equal happiness? Maybe — maybe not. Either way, I think efficiency just might give me the breathing room to finish that novel and write that damn blog. What are your "happiness" plans for 2013? I'd love to hear!
PHOTO CAPTION: I got super excited by what I thought was installation art on Bernal Hill but turned out to be a run-of-the-mill (okay, still pretty neat-o) music video shoot. I dragged Leo back outside with my camera to capture it and he was definitely like, Mom, why are we watching a weird glow-in-the-dark-tree, I want milk.
*What dinner party? Good point.
**I don't.
***Ethan-sitting is NOT a thing because he is Leo's dad and so he is IN NO WAY BABYSITTING HIS OWN CHILD. I do not ever want to hear the word babysit come out of his or anyone else's mouth in reference to a father watching his own child. "Ethan-sitting" just sounded cute in that sentence so I used it but YOU CAN'T.
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