Colleen Wainwright shares a good idea:

December in January: Goal-setting around the web | communicatrix

Just before the end of the past year, I decided to forgo my usual habit of cramming my annual planning into the most riotously busy time of the year. Hence, “December in January,” where I spend the first month of the chronological new year planning my own, to begin in February.

I’m deeply enmeshed in unpacking Dan Owen’s staggeringly thought-provoking comment of a few days ago; more on that soon, possibly as soon as Monday. But for now, while the rest of the Internet has moved on and is attacking 2010 with glorious gusto, I thought it might be nice to share some of the best posts, ideas and resources I’ve collected for woodwork-squeaks-and-out-come-us-freaks types who said “Hell!” to all that, and are enjoying December in January. Or hey—if you’re like that, you can always bookmark it for consumption later this year!

This is part of the comment she is talking about (read the whole thing):

I loved your S.M.A.R.T. goal approach to marketing and have followed those posts closely. Girl, they’re incredibly inspiring. I’d like to see exactly the same thing here. You undoubtedly have that in mind, because that seems to be how you roll.

Our lives have so much momentum. Neurosis is self-sustaining. Change is so disruptive, and carries such a cost, and the benefits come so slowly and in such small increments before the snowball grows into something big enough to flatten the obstacles it comes across. This is the world most people live in.

I have endured a massive amount of change in the past year, and I have quite a bit more to look forward to in 2010. Dan’s comment struck a chord with me in another way, as I have had a ton of trouble maintaining hobbies myself, which is why I started thinking about learning watercolor painting this year. If I treat it like a project, I will probably fail, but if I turn it into something relaxing and fun it just might become a passion. I know that I have always enjoyed doing artsy, creative stuff with my hands, now I am going to treasure it.

And continue to work very hard at keeping to my schedule and claiming back some of the time that my “job” takes out of my day.

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