Dear Mike,
I like this new format! I expect the reduced frequency will increase the chances of success (even though I'm already pushing the deadline). I'm also looking forward to the feedback and conversations that develop.
For 2022, I'm trying out the idea of "themes" instead of resolutions. I first heard about this idea on the podcast Cortex. One of the hosts, CGP Grey, has been using this idea for a while, and published a video explaining the concept. The thrust is that traditional resolutions or goals tend to be binary: you either accomplish them or not, and usually not, so it's easy to fail. A theme, though, serves as a guiding principle that you can use to help make decisions throughout the year. Themes are less about the result and more about the process.
I'm cribbing my theme from a blog post I read a few months ago, "The habit of adequacy".
An example application is Fitness.
Rather than set specific goals, such as run x miles or gain/lose y pounds, I've set up a few tests as a proxy for "fitness." Once a month, I'll do the tests and record the results to measure my progress. So one habit is the monthly test.
The "habit of adequacy" comes via regular workouts. I've been using the Apple Fitness+ service here, as there are workouts as short as five minutes, so even one of those small sessions can be an adequate workout for a day.
Another area I am working on relates to your Airtable for organizing work. I've struggled with setting up the perfect system for as long as I can remember, rotating through task managers and notes apps thinking that one of them will magically click, but that's not the way it works.
So, in accordance with the habit of adequacy, I'm aiming to stick to a few tools, use them regularly (habit) without having to have a perfect system (adequacy). I expect that consistently using the same tools will make me more proficient in applying them toward what I want to accomplish.
I look forward to hearing about the small (or big) improvements you make as you adjust to having a full-time job again. I'm also going through a big change to start the year: My family is in the midst of a move from North Carolina to Atlanta, Georgia. The sale of our house closed last week and we're in temporary quarters while we look for a new place to live.
Onward into 2022!
Your brother,
Curt