I have a running list I call my ultimate list, with things I want (or need) to do. Not the things that need doing immediately, but all those other things. When I add something I put the year next to it. When it’s done I mark it complete and put the year next to when it was complete. Periodically I check it to work out what I might put on my more immediate list of things to do or what might need to be removed.

Daily Routines: The start of the year is one of those times to look at the list and work out what I want to tackle in the coming year. Since 2020 we have had a lot of changes in our lives. We’ve moved to a new part of town into a rental then our own place. Our two youngest finished high school, and our two eldest moved out. I’ve finished studying, started and completed a major project at work and am now working reduced hours. We spent 263 days in lockdown in 2020 and 2021. All of this has trashed my routines, so this year, one of my major goals is to develop and maintain new habit stacks. As I move through the year I’ll be testing out some habits and keeping the ones that stick. First up is making sure I start the day with the Lectio365 devotion. Once I’ve bedded that down I’ll add something else.

Three times a week is a Habit: Three activities I want to include in my life this year, but not daily are gardening, photography and blogging. These three I’ll aim to do three times a week.

Read 52 books. I read 38 books this year but I think I picked up momentum towards the end of the year. Join the theological library.

Travel: We have four trips already booked. Wilson’s Prom for four days. Queensland for 5 weeks. We’ll drive and see some of the NSW coast on our way. Israel with a group from church and New York for the marathon (Hubby, not me). I also want to look at booking our son’s year 11 trip with us to Germany, which was cancelled in 2020. I also have on my list to visit all of Victoria’s National Parks and will progress toward this goal.

Home: Organise the kitchen and laundry cupboards. Hang the photos and paintings. Start our gallery of travel photos. Finish planting the garden.

Photography: Do a project (not sure what yet). Finish 5 photobooks. Sort through the kid’s boxes of photos and memorabilia. Put together the video of our trip to Tasmania.

Round the Neighbourhood: Learn the names of the staff at our local cafe. Make progress on walking/running all the streets within a 5km radius. Learn about our neighbourhood.

Sustainability: Get a bike. Reduce our waste. We don’t have council bins anymore so we don’t have FOGO which makes a difference.

Run: 2500km for the year. Make progress towards my goal of a sub 1:50 half-marathon. I’ll aim to take a few minutes of my PB this year. Ultimately I’m not sure whether a sub 1:50 will be possible, I’m not getting any younger.

Swim in the ocean at least five times this summer. Last year I didn’t swim once in the ocean. I didn’t take advantage of the warm days we did have, and then summer was over.

Entertain more. Friends and family at our new place.

Find a new dentist I can walk to.