Resolutions for the New Year

Happy New Year!  Did you make some resolutions?  I don’t usually bother, but this year I decided to officially make a couple.  Here they are:

1. I will continue to purge my house of unnecessary things.  We’ve already made some progress over the last few months, but with three kids we still have a long way to go.  I keep telling myself that if it’s going to live in my house, it will be used for a purpose or it will need to find a new home.  For example, we have a complete set of China and a bunch of crystal glassware for the formal dinner parties that we never have.  I told my wife that we’re either going to start using it all or get rid of it.  Our other huge challenge to get through is all of the kids’ clothes and toys.  We receive a lot of hand-me-downs, which we have been very grateful for, but have been literally left holding the bag when it becomes too much for us to keep up with as the kids grow.  
2. I will learn to play piano and guitar.  Growing up, I played percussion in the school band, but that mostly consisted of snare drum and occasionally timpani.  Now, my oldest son plays viola, piano, and percussion (bells mostly) while my daughter is learning piano at a seemingly impossible pace.  I have had some interest in learning something over the past few years but have never put in the time or effort.
3. I will write more.  I started this blog as a hobby, and like most hobbies, I started off with grand visions and lots of enthusiasm.  I still have the enthusiasm, but the holidays and other commitments have made it difficult to make time to write.  I can keep coming up with excuses, but every time I click the Publish button for a new post, it feels good.  I want to write more and need to make time for it.​

How am I going to accomplish these resolutions? Without a plan of some kind, it’ll never happen.  As far as decluttering the house, it’s a never-ending process but we are making it a priority to spend a little time each weekend looking through closets and toys.  In order to actually get things out of the house, we are currently making use of a local Facebook group of people posting things for sale.  We listed our toddler bed on it and had a response within a couple hours.  For other ideas, watch for my next post on suggestions for where to actually get rid of things.

I already own an electric guitar that I haven’t really made the time to play and in a previous post I mentioned how we recently purchased a piano and still have an old Hammond organ.  Last weekend, after my daughter finished practicing piano, I asked her to teach me.  She was so excited, it was great.  She dug out her beginner piano books and pulled up a chair next to the piano bench.  It was fun and she laughed at how bad I was at first, but I’m going to keep practicing.  Their piano teachers require them to keep a practice log, so I guess I should start one myself.  I am also ordering a beginning guitar book and bought a small headphone amp so I can practice without disturbing anyone else in the house.

Finally, I need to just make writing a priority.  If I really thought about how much time I spend each day on the internet reading pointless news stories, shopping, and reading through email and social media, I’m pretty sure it’s more than I realize.  That time can definitely be better spent on an activity like writing.  The main advice I keep seeing about how to become a better writer is to just write more.  Practice makes better.  Also, I would like to start getting up earlier in the morning.  The problem is I don’t get enough sleep as it is and I’m a natural night owl.  One of the blogs I like to follow is Zen Habits by Leo Babauta.  He has a post with some nice and simple tips on learning how to get up earlier.  Never mind that at this moment I’m violating several of his suggestions!  Check it out here but before you go there, subscribe to my blog with the RSS Reader or sign up for weekly updates via email.  You can also follow me on Twitter and LinkedIn.  Good luck with your own resolutions.