New Year's Resolutions

Shin-nen no houfu

1. Clean desk at work

My 8th grade English teacher used to have this sign that said "a clean desk is a sign of a sick mind." Which may be true, but a cluttered desk devoid of flat surfaces is not very productive. Which leads us to...

2. Write something on it.

Obviously, I don't mean write something like "I heart Alex O'Loughlin." I would like to write something technical that would help others with their work, and I can put on my CV, because...

3. Reassess career plan.

I am on the career track I wanted for myself right after graduation, before I understood the Dark Side of this job. Right now, staying with the Dark Side is the lesser evil available to me. I'd like to see if there is something less sinister I can realistically attain. If not, I'll stick to the Dark Side as long as they will have me. It's not like we're sucking the blood out of babies (though we hang with people that do...kidding, but not 100%...)

4. Continue to get up early every morning.

About a year ago, my BFF mentioned she got up at 5:30 every morning to run. So I tried it. While I am not a runner, getting up early gives me time to do a short Pilates workout, or do little things around the house, or, (gasp!) research work stuff. It takes effort, though. I have to fight and conquer the desire to stay in bed (otherwise I just play alarm clock tag for an hour), remember to have all my clothes laid out the night before (otherwise I just stand in the closet in a kind of daze for an hour), and stay away from the computer (I get sucked in by e-mail and Facebook checking) to get anything out of it. But worth the effort.

5. Limit late night lapses into junk food to once a week.

This is a carry over from last year. It has become a habit, probably like the way others smoke.

I can think of so many other things, but these five are probably what is realistic for the time being.