mistressofmuses: Image of nebulae in the colors of the bi pride flag: pink, purple, and blue (Default)
mistressofmuses ([personal profile] mistressofmuses) wrote2022-01-01 10:55 am

2022 - Habit Tracking + Some Tentative Goals/Hopes for the New Year

I've never been big on New Year's Resolutions, to be honest. Last year, the main goals I had were fairly open-ended, and that's the way I like them for the most part. I want the flexibility to adjust as I need, or ditch something entirely if I want to, without feeling like I "failed."

But one of the things I decided to start at the beginning of last year was habit tracking.


This was the third time I'd seriously given it a go, and the first time it stuck for more than a couple months. But honestly, I really enjoyed it. I like being able to look back at the things I've done, especially when I do hit a rough spot where I'm struggling. It also helps me to have somewhere I consistently list the things I'm aiming to do, so it doesn't fall entirely out of sight/out of mind. I also try to keep it all positive - no feeling bad or guilty for not getting something done. Not getting something done that I'd wanted to just means I put more time and energy toward it next time.

It's a bit of a hybrid between the "functional" and the "aesthetic" bullet journal in style. I definitely want it to be functional for me above all else, and I'm certainly not making wildly fancy decorative stuff that should be framed, lol. But getting to make it at least a little pretty or cute is part of what makes me want to use it. And Alex bought me some new pens for Christmas, so now I can be utterly obnoxious with new color schemes, lol.

So... definitely planning to continue with it. I am keeping the 10 habits I tracked last year, while also adding two categories, for a new total of 12.

Habit Tracking for 2022

Work: Pretty self-explanatory. Days when I go to work, that takes up the majority of my time.

Household Maintenance: This is for cooking/cleaning/shopping/chores and all the other stuff that goes into just... maintaining the household. Alex does the vast majority of it, but I don't want to take that for granted. I usually also check this off for things like doctor's appointments or other "adulting."

Physical Activity: Pretty lenient on what qualifies, but basically anything that gets me moving around more than usual, even if it's just walking. In the summer we try to do a fair number of walks and hikes, but it's harder to find things to do in the winter.

Wrote 500/1000+ Words: Same as I'd hoped last year, I'd like to write 500 words per day more days than not. 1000 words would be better!

Wrote on 2nd+ Draft: A new category! I'll count the words the same way as I do for first drafts, and count both toward daily/weekly/monthly totals, but I'm curious to see how my progress on first vs. subsequent drafts compares.

Meta Work: All the non-writing parts of writing. Research, outlining, editing (that isn't rewriting), planning, etc.

Personal Writing: Mostly journaling, mostly here. Day to day stuff, or more in-depth stuff, if it isn't fiction, it goes here.

Other Creative Things: Non-writing creativity. Drawing, painting models, making moodboards, taking pictures, etc.

Reading: Any type of reading - fiction, nonfiction, ebooks, fanfic, etc. - as long as I'm doing it on purpose. (As in, not just scrolling through tumblr.)

Attention to Media: The other new category! Okay, so we watch probably at least 2-3 (usually bad, usually horror) movies per night, but they're just on in the background while I do other things. I want to actually try to more often WATCH a movie, instead of just having it as background noise. This is probably mostly for watching movies or TV shows, but could apply to music, too.

Video Games: Can I even call this a hobby at this point? Ostensibly, I enjoy video games. But honestly, I only played them a handful of times over the entirety of 2021. It's something it's hard for me to set out time to do, because I always feel like there's something I *should* be doing instead, and I just don't feel like I have enough free time to do everything I want to do. But I'm keeping the category, because I still WANT to do it more than I do.

Social Interaction: It can be in-person or online, as long as it isn't passive. (Commenting counts, "liking" a post on FB or reblogging on tumblr doesn't.)

My Goals and Hopes For 2022

Unsurprisingly, my most concrete goals are writing-related.

I joined two year-long writing challenges for 2022:

- [community profile] getyourwordsout with a goal of 150k words
- [community profile] inkingitout with a goal of 100k (so if I can't hit 150k, I still have a shot at hitting the smaller goal!)

Last year, I was very proud of how much I wrote - over 200k! - but less thrilled that it translated to very little that was completed and shared.

So this year, in addition to the yearly word totals that I'm aiming for, my main focus is going to be finishing some of my WIPs:

- Connections of the Heart - This was my 2021 entry for [community profile] unconventionalcourtship, but is still not done. I have two chapters posted, two written in rough draft, and two yet to be written. My goal is to finish the unwritten chapters in a month (hopefully less!) each; so finish Chapter 5 by the end of January, and finish Chapter 6 by the end of February. (Again, hoping for sooner!) Then I hope to get second (postable!) drafts of Chapters 3/4/5/6 completed in about a week each, meaning second draft is done in March. After all the chapters have their second drafts completed, I'll start posting them, either weekly or biweekly, so it should be completely posted by either the end of April or in May.
(This means my posting hiatus will be longer, BUT means that after that, I'll be posting these while working on the next WIP, so there shouldn't be any future gaps to the tune of... six+ months.)

- Island Territory - my Vampire AU. It has one chapter posted, and three unwritten. This fic was historically a bit easier to write, so I'm hoping for one rough draft chapter every two weeks, then one second draft chapter every week. If the tentative schedule above holds, then by the time I'm done posting CotH, this one will be ready to post, and again, I can post either weekly or biweekly, and it should be completely shared by May/June.

- Part 3 of Bodyguard AU? - A bit afraid this one isn't going to happen. I wrote two connected oneshots back in 2020 for an AU challenge, but the overarching plotline wasn't really concluded. While I do remember where I was going with it, vaguely, I'm not sure how to wrap it up satisfyingly, and wouldn't want it to be more than another oneshot or maybe two. I MAY still try to make this happen, just because I feel bad it feels unfinished, but at the same time... I'd never actually intended there to be more, heh.

- All Strange Wonders - This one is a reward to myself for getting the others finished. Its second draft is done, so I'll just give each chapter an editing pass before posting. It's a Howl's Moving Castle fusion, and I actually really really like it. Once I start posting it, I'll probably post chapters weekly.

- Outbreak - The Silent Hill fic about a horrible illness. I actually wrote this back in 2016, then never posted it in the hopes that Taylor would beta it for me, but they just never had the time. Then Covid happened, and posting a fanfic about a horrific, mystery illness seemed in poor taste. As Covid has not gone away, and shows no sign of going away anytime soon, it's seemed less like a topic that's completely off-limits. Having talked about it here a few times, a couple friends have mentioned that it might be a useful way to process some things about living through Covid. I'm not sure how much rewriting will need to happen - I don't want to change it to parallel Covid more or anything, but it's true that I may have some new feelings about it, ha.

AFTER Connections of the Heart and Island Territory are done, and I start posting All Strange Wonders, only THEN do I get to write anything new, lol.


- I still have a plot bunny for a Sparrow Hill Road/Alice Isn't Dead crossover, though it's really just kind of a "what if everyone has a weird day meeting each other, even if it doesn't really impact the canon plots much" story.
- It was supposed to be a joke, but I had a stupid idea for a holiday rom-com for my favorite OT3, and now I kind of want to write it to post in December.
- There's another Silent Hill fic (more of the traditional "throw my own characters into the town" type) that I'd still like to write.
- I have the massive fairytale worldhopping KH monstrosity that's been in progress for 12+ years. So much idea debt in that one, but I just can't quite give up on it.
- And I'd *still* actually really like to find a new fandom! I haven't even played a KH game in a decade, so it seems weird that writing AUs for one ship is just about all I ever do, but here we are.
- Plus I'm sure there will be tempting fests and challenges happening all year, as there usually are! I have to resist, at least for a few months!

Non-writing Goals:

- I still haven't found a real form of exercise that I enjoy. We used to go out clubbing a lot, and dancing was great... but that's a terrible idea in an uncontrolled pandemic. I'm hoping this year to maybe try and start stretching at the very least. I've noticed loss of flexibility now that I have a desk job, and it seems like something that would at least help with some of the back pain that I have.

- Keep up with Dreamwidth. It may not be every day this year (that was a semi-accident last year, but then I got stubborn about it.) I don't really want to make a post if I don't have anything to say.
Along with that, I'd kinda like to at least occasionally write something a little deeper than whinging about work. I have a lot of ~feelings~ about things, and that's really what I wanted to return to journaling for! I like the daily record stuff too, but I should share some of the other stuff too.

- Find more fandom connection? Great timing, because [community profile] snowflake_challenge is happening! But there's been a lot of talk (at least on tumblr) about what will happen to fandom if tumblr goes away, and the general consensus is "probably move to more private spaces." Twitter is where the critical mass has gone, but there are plenty of people (maybe especially Olds Like Me) who don't have any desire to deal with that toxic mess. Discord is popular, but it can be hard to access if you don't know people already, because you have to find servers/get invites to them/etc. Dreamwidth is probably never going to have the critical mass the way LJ did back in the day, or that twitter and tumblr have now. But it DOES have the type of interaction I've missed, and I wish more people WOULD come here, because it seems like the type of interaction that SO MANY people either miss having or haven't had but wish they did. I've had a better relationship with fandom (even though mostly with people who don't share my same fandoms!) in 2021 than I have in YEARS, because there are a lot of great, supportive communities here. In the past I've largely been a lurker, but... be the change you want to see, right?

- Read more! My TBR pile is growing way faster than I'm reading! It's a problem! Tentatively aiming for 25 books this year? I'd hoped for 20 last year and got closer than I'd realized. (10.5 read on my own, but 5 more read with other people, and later also realized I hadn't counted any ebooks, of which I read a few.) But roughly a book every other week should be doable if I just carve out time more reliably.

- Actually pay attention to more movies/TV shows, instead of solely using them as background noise. This is now a tracked habit!

Sorry for the real long post, lol. Had more to say than I thought!

[personal profile] windowsmillennialed 2022-01-04 03:22 am (UTC)(link)
Your habit tracking habit(?) sounds brilliant and incredibly useful!

Best of luck on your goals for 2022 and I hope you positively kill the 150k word count with ease!

Whoa - you wrote over 200k words?! A quick google search just confirmed that that's about ~2 average novels worth of writing; that's amazing and beyond dedicated! I apologize I'm a bit lost on most of the fandoms/descriptions you provide above but I'd definitely be interested in reading Outbreak if or when you feel comfortable sharing it! For that matter, I wholeheartedly agree with the input you've received about it. I too think dystopian fiction or fiction tackling difficult subject matter can be a great outlet for exploring a subject matter in a contained mental space and to enable one to process various bits before (hopefully not!) encountering the IRL scenario. Hell, it's often the premise behind all manner of disaster training and preparedness anyhow.

Oof, yeah, I feel you on trying to finding a physical activity with this ongoing pandemic. I've never been this sedentary before and activities I used to partake in have become untenable/impractical in the meantime (ie - yoga in a now-permanently closed studio due to COVID, horseback riding at a distant-to-me stable that I just don't have the time to dedicate to a minimum half-lease with 2 lessons/week requirement to be allowed on premises when they close off and on due to COVID, etc.) Hopefully this year will bring about less "Death by Zoom" for us all and you'll find something you enjoy! (Gotta prod myself to get on the hamster wheel more frequently on that note haha.)

Lastly, LOL at the TBR pile! I used to call mine the "intention pile" but it's since gotten so bad, I've broken it up into several piles lmfao. xD

[personal profile] windowsmillennialed 2022-01-04 08:30 pm (UTC)(link)
As someone who struggles with time management, I can absolutely see the utility and helpfulness of it no doubt.

Still, I'm blown away by that much work and progress!

Oh I meant I'm lost fandoms-wise above in that I spend most of my days in "enginuring i leik maths" mode and have utterly forgotten there's an entire WORLD of media, literature, etc. out there haha. Not that your specific fandoms of preference are too vague or obscure. I just inhabit a below-rock dimension haha. I look forward to reading what you share for Outbreak!

It really is. Hiking has become a bit challenging in that I'm no longer of the "rawr 14'ers!" crowd anymore (even with hiking poles on the descent) because it hurts with bitchy knees. :/ But yeah, the added complexities of the pandemic itself have certainly put a dent in activity-ease for sure. As for distant, expensive horseback riding lessons, migrating trainers and barns, that's all too familiar... For now, I'm admittedly much too time poor to indulge in this particular hobby so it works out in that respect. I hope you/Alex's trainer settles or finds a closer, cheaper location though!

*snorts* Sounds eerily familiar lol, as I eye two such "intention piles" within reach of my desk...

Edit: Meant to add that yoga is great on the flexibility/stretching front if you're into that sort of activity? Vinyasa yoga is fantastic as a physically demanding activity as well.
Edited (CRS. I be forgettin' stuff.) 2022-01-04 20:34 (UTC)

[personal profile] windowsmillennialed 2022-01-07 12:14 am (UTC)(link)
Please do pardon my ignorance, but may I inquire what "executive functioning" is? (I presume it's something along the lines of prefrontal cortex task organization/management, or similar?) Even with a probable diagnosis, I hope it's come with help, support, and tools for managing your possible ADHD? (I've known several people who receive an ADD/ADHD diagnosis as an adult and also say everything make sense for them afterward.)

Alas, it certainly is at times haha. Though bloody hell, all joking aside, you're way too young to be having disk issues, I'm sorry to hear that and sincerely hope you're alright/have it well managed? It's all good, I've gotten to a point all these years later (physical therapy, injections, orthopedic surgeons threatening I'll need knee replacements, etc.) I'm thankfully in a pretty good spot managing my "manufacturer defect" knee issues haha. I can still run and do pretty much everything I used to short of the aforementioned jarring/uneven/rocky/steep mountain descents. Though damn, sorry to hear Alex had to go through knee surgery himself - hopefully his knee issues have been largely, if not entirely resolved afterward?

Oh geez, I wish you the best of luck in shopping around for a new training facility then!

When I was getting started in yoga, I came across Erin's/"Bad Yogi" YouTube channel and I personally have found her videos approachable and helpful! Of course, no offense or anything of the sort taken if that's not entirely your vibe haha. But, in case it's of interest: https://www.youtube.com/user/badyogitv

Edit: More on the yoga note, I'm happy to share a SHITTON of yoga book/etc. suggestions if you'd like or need! I forewarn I myself am anything but an "Instagram Yogi" that does batshit poses on cliff edges with beautiful scenic imagery and an annoyingly cliche quote for my 10.5 million followers lmfao. (I also don't own any lululemon yoga pants. Nor can I do anything cool like Hanumanasana...) But, I did take a 200 RYT teacher training back in 2015 for shits and giggles and am always happy to help anyone on their own yoga journey!

#How_to_sound_like_a_yoga_evangelist haha. Sorry!
Edited (Seriously, I be forgettin' stuff. And thinking of stuff immediately after I hit "reply." Ghah.) 2022-01-07 00:27 (UTC)
komadori: Kisa from Fruits Basket with the caption "I'll turn my courage into wings." (Default)

[personal profile] komadori 2022-01-04 04:38 am (UTC)(link)
Yes, flexibility is important, and habit tracking sounds great. Good luck with everything, and happy writing!

I wish that DW would be more active as well. I haven't really gotten into Twitter/discord fandom.