I've created a list of 20 things to do in 2020, and I'm going to post them somewhere in the house so they are visible and more likely to be accomplished. Some of these are carried over from 2019, and I've tried to make them more measurable and specific than I have in past years.
20 Things-To-Do in 2020
1) Try floating in a sensory deprivation tank.
2) Go on a double date with another couple to a new restaurant in town that we want to try, at least four times in the year - weeknight, weekend, whenever it works!
3) Host a minimum of three low-key get-togethers with friends/family over the year (games night, order-in and visit, just come over for coffee and dessert, etc.).
4) Read a minimum of 25 books this year, and keep track of all of them, along with my ratings, etc., and do a recap post at the end of the year of my top reads.
5) Go on a weekend road trip to a small town near us that we've never spent any time in before.
6) Canoe on Wascana Lake.
7) Do something to commemorate my 20-year high school reunion, even if it's as simple as getting together with friends that I graduated with at our old watering hole, or retaking a photo from grad, and doing a side-by-side 20 years later (I always find those types of photos fun to look at.)
8) Learn a new skill.
9) Cook a minimum of 20 recipes from cookbooks that we currently own.
10) Go to the Globe Theatre at least twice.
11) Go to at least three concerts, big or small.
12) Listen to all of the vinyl in the basement from start to finish. This was initially a winter plan, but I think it needs to be a 2020 goal, as we have a lot of music!
13) Visit some Little Free Libraries in town, borrowing a few, and leaving as many as will fit.
14) Print and frame a few of our favourite photos. This one for sure:
15) Get two new plants for the living room. We brought in our hot pepper plants from the front step as the weather turned cool this fall, and loved the look of them in our living room. They are outdoor plants, so we want to find a couple to take their place, as they made our house feel cozier.
16) Buy new pillows! We hate our pillows, and sleep is so important. We need to stop talking about this and actually go and do it. I have my eye on a pillow that stays cold.
17) Go to at least one movie in the theatre a month, or a total of 12 throughout the year.
18) Paint something. A canvas. A wall. Anything. This is just something I want to do at home; I have zero interest in those painting classes where everyone paints something similar, or an art class of any type. I can't work like that.
19) Find a really good spot to see the night sky, and do some stargazing.
20) Go on an Internet "Diet". I remember 20 years ago, when I was just starting out as a university student, and we still had dial-up Internet. I'd be trying to research, as the pages loaded so slowly, only to be disconnected as soon as someone upstairs picked up the phone. At that time the Internet was a source of a lot of frustration for me, but it ended up becoming a place where I could connect, become informed, and be creative. After twenty years of watching the World Wide Web grow into what it is today, I've never really had a break from it, and I kind of want to see what it feels like to step away temporarily. So much of what I am seeing online these days is just not resonating with me, and the start of 2020 seems like a good time to pick up the metaphorical phone, and give my brain a refresh. I have some other writing I'd like to do, a bunch of books I want to read, and I want the mental space to do these things without distraction.
I have given some thought as to what this Internet Diet will look like.
What's Staying?
- I'll still be using the Internet for quickly taking care of business such as banking, booking travel, checking the weather, making reservations, or making necessary purchases.
- I will still check my email.
- I will use the Internet when necessary for my job (only while at work).
- I'll research excursions or information needed for the trips we have planned, but I'll set aside limited time on the weekend for this, and not search outside of this time.
- I am not willing to give up videos of our nieces and nephews, so I will watch Instagram stories only, and have set a limit on my phone for 10 minutes per day max, and will only check these once per day, in the evening. Same thing with Snapchat. I have turned off all notifications, except if a family member posts a snap. I will check those quickly and nothing else.
- Blogging
- All unnecessary internet searches that aren't for a specific, time-sensitive purpose, such as for an upcoming trip, or to check if a business is open, or something like that
- Almost all Social media (I have moved all social media apps away from the home screen of my phone, and have turned off nearly all notifications; I will not be posting anything and will stay off these almost completely, other than to watch videos of our nieces and nephews for the time specified above, and only on the two apps mentioned.)
- Online news
- Basically, everything that is not mentioned under "What's Staying"
- 10 weeks, starting today. I'll see you back here on March 14th, and will share my thoughts at that time, and reflect on what life was like for 10 weeks with very limited Internet time. I feel like 10 weeks is a good amount of time to really feel a difference, and to reflect on what is different. I want to see how much more time I have, what books I can read in that time, and if I miss any app or website more than others, and what I miss about it. Basically, I just want some insight.
- I'll catch up on what I missed on the blogs I love the most, and have a look at what some friends and family members have been up to online, so expect some late likes and comments come March 😄 I don't want to miss out on what my friends and family are up to, but I do want to disconnect for a while and just chill.
- I'll still be writing and taking photos when I feel inspired over the next 10 weeks, and will likely share some of what we've been up to around here.
See you back here on March 14th! 𝝅
Do you have any goals, resolutions, to-do list items, etc. for 2020?
3 comments:
Enjoy your break from the internet! It will be a good time to focus on your 20 in 2020 list! It’s so easy to waste lots of time on the phone/social media/etc. I give up Facebook and IG for lent every year and it’s a great break for me. I need to be more mindful about how much I am on my phone now that we have a child as I want to set a good example!!
I kept my goals simple for 2020. I want to workout 3 x’s/week and finish a book challenge put on by a book blogger I love. I just finished the first book for the challenge and am starting a 2nd book for another challenge on my list. My goals are both pretty doable. I might re-frame the 3 x’s/week as 150 workouts in 2020 as there are some weeks where it will be harder to fit in workouts. We will see. We are also hoping to have a 2nd child in 2020 so that might throw off the challenge, too, but I will do my best!
Enjoy your 10 week break!!!
I hope you are enjoying your internet break. I can't wait for you to come back and tell us about this bucket list trip... I'm on the edge of my seat over here!
I went off Instagram and Facebook for almost all of November and a lot of December. I'm now trying to stay off of them from Friday night until Monday morning as well. I am finding that stepping away from social media is putting me in a much much better headspace. I am just one of those people that tends to compare my life to others highlight reels too much and going down that comparison trap can make me feel crappy about my amazing life, so stepping away from it more has been very good for me.
Enjoy your 10 week break and I look forward to hearing from you in March!
Oh, I will miss your writing for the next few months! Enjoy your break! Maybe I'll catch up on some older posts of yours - I am a new reader and curious about your story. Can't wait to hear how it goes!!!
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