Christmas is finally, irrevocably over. I have taken down the Christmas cards and decorations at home, and am back in the office, with a denuded and forlorn looking tree (right).
And that means my self-imposed social media diet is over. I've made tentative first passes at both my feed readers and my e-mail, and hope to be down to In-Box Zero by tomorrow afternoon.
But I'm not pressuring myself. I made some mistakes last year - I took on too much, I didn't find enough time for myself and I certainly didn't take my alloted amount of holiday. Not this year. I've had a very clear warning in the shape of a couple of friends who burnt-out completely last year, with time off work and medical intervention to recover. I'm not walking that path, and so I'm making some changes:
- Stop using my in-box as a to-do list. Maintain in-box zero and capture tasks elsewhere.
- Read more. Last year I was so busy doing that I almost stopped consuming information. This year I'm going to spend more time in my feed readers, and in books and magazines. Reading is an integral part of blogging and I need to make it a regular (and guilt-free) part of my routine.
- Write more. The corollary of the above. Too many blog posts of all stripes went unwritten last year because they weren't "urgent". I'm one of those people who can best define their thinking by writing it out. I need to do this more.
- Take some breaks from the office. In recent years I've slipped into the habit of being in the office from dawn to dusk. Compare that with this blog in 2004, when it was full of photos and observations from lunchtime walks. I need the break, the exercise and the thinking space.
I'm trying not to think of these as New Years' Resolutions as much as lifestyle changes I want to implement. Let's see how it goes...
Happy New Year, all.
