A Look Back at 2008

Every year for about 4 years on New Year's Day I have written out my New Year's To Do List/Goals/Resolutions. It takes about 5 notebook pages (most of it is the to do list for the year) and a few hours to do. A lot carries over from the previous year. When I am done I keep in it in a binder labeled "Lists". I don't frequently look back at at after about February, but I pull it out at the end of the year and see what kind of progress I have made...

A couple of big ones on the 2008 list that I accomplished were...

~teach the Tumbleweed to use the potty
~teach the Dandilion to sleep (although we still need to teach him to sleep in places other than his own room)
~create a blog to record thoughts on life
~get several old projects completed (not really caught up, but getting closer!)
~create a more peaceful bedroom (we donated lots of extra clothes & turned our bed diagonally over the summer!)

A couple that will go back on the list in 2009...

~organize papers, mail, filing, etc better
~use internet banking more
~cook fancier meals more often/plan meals before going to the store
~make time to exercise on a regular basis

I guess I better get to making that list, but I do know that step one of the "January Clean Sweep" is to shed the excess paper (no, not scrapbooking paper!). To get that going I will be starting to read "When Organizing Isn't Enough, Shed Stuff, Change Your Life" by Julie Morgenstern. When I finish with the papers, I will move on to read "Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat?" by Peter Walsh (TLC's Clean Sweep). Both have been on my bookshelf since July...hmmm... I guess make time to read more will also be on the resolutions list.