My Goals for 2015

No, these are not my new year resolutions. We all know how pointless they turn out to be, and I have given up on far too many new year resolutions to still hang my hopes on them. Therefore, perhaps for the first time in my personal life, I am setting goals that are specific and within my control. I intend to review these on an ongoing basis throughout the year, and revise them as needed. I had shared in an earlier post that I have never been very disciplined when it comes to my personal life, but since the boundaries of my personal and professional life are likely to merge in the coming months, I needed a framework to manage everything well. There are so many great things going on in my life right now, that just going with the flow contradicts the need of the hour.

So, here are my goals for 2015:

1. Write 1000 Words Every Day - It does not matter what I write, but it would be terrific if I can write so many words every day. My mantra here is that “a lot can be achieved by doing a little every day.” Annual target is over 300000 words, because there will be days when I won’t be able to write at all. (It’s 5th of Jan today, and I have only written 865 words so far.)

2. Lose 6 kgs (13 Pounds) of Weight - It may seem like a small target, but this is what I need to lose to reach an ideal weight, and I have been unable to shed any weight in the last one year despite regular exercise. Of course I am doing something wrong, and I will need to fix that. I need to learn more about the subject, work on my diet, as well as continue to exercise. Exercising five days a week has been working fine, and I plan to continue that. I need to include more fruits and vegetables in my diet - that is an important aspect I have been ignoring so far.

3. Start Living Off My Passion - I received my work permit on 1st Jan 2015 - what a wonderful way to begin the new year! So now I can legally earn money in the US. But instead of taking up just about any job, I want to start earning while doing things I love. That’s what my quest has been about in the last three months, and it will be interesting so see how things turn out. I am very excited about the prospect of earning my first dollar, outside of the corporate world.

4. Launch a New Blog, and Post at least 2-3 Times a Week - I have been working on something in the last month or so, and I am very excited about launching it. A bigger challenge would be posting on a regular basis, because that is one area I have been faltering in in the past. But with 1000 words everyday, that should be easy, right?

5. Post at least Once a Week on this Blog - Mostly updates, details about books, ideas, and people that inspire me, and various other thoughts - which is the idea behind Moments of Solitude. Because my other blog will be focused on a specific theme, I will do all the other writing here.

6. Better Planning & Time Management - As shared in my previous post - I really want to get more out of my days, because I am loving all that I am doing these days, and there seems to be not enough time. As a part of this goal, I want to rise early, keep lists, do daily and weekly reviews of my goals, keep a progress tracker, and things like that. Now, to be honest, I am a little wary of this organization zeal that seems to have overpowered me, because I have never been like this. And therefore, if I feel that this stuff is causing me stress, I might tone it down a bit. But for now, I am going all in. More details on the steps I am taking in a separate post.

7. Edit My Book - It has been a month since I finished the first draft, and I have not looked at it even once for two reasons. First, I was exhausted after finishing the novel, and did not feel like going back to it immediately. Second, it always helps me to look at my work after a bit of a gap - it helps me edit better, and I feel less upset as I criticize what I have done. A month was good enough. It is time to get back.

8. Learn About Publishing - Once I finish revising the book, I will need to understand an entirely different subject - the publishing industry. I know very little about it, and though I am not sure if or when there will be any takers for my book, my goal is to learn about the industry, and approach at least ten publishers with a few chapters. That is what I can control. The rest is uncertain.

9. Learn at least One New Word Everyday - A better vocabulary will help me in many ways, and I want to make a conscious effort to learn new words on an ongoing basis.

So this is broadly what I want to achieve in 2015. Like I said, I am a little apprehensive about how this kind of goal setting and discipline will turn out for me, but I will never know without experimenting. And I can always modify these goals as the need be; they will continue to evolve.

That’s it for now. I have just come back from a vacation and am still recovering from the vacation mode; will start work on these with full speed by 6 Jan 2014. Wish me luck...I will need it.