[Fethbita]

Last year even though I didn’t have a theme, I made small changes in the way I live, tried to complete my 15 book goodreads challenge, started doing sports and improve myself professionally on my free time.

This year started with pretty fundamental questions in the way I live and uncertainties about my future so deciding on a theme is very difficult. I can’t answer those questions and don’t know what I really want. I will try to put an effort into keeping the good habits I gained last year though.

[txbrown]

What I did this year was draft all the things I wanted to achieve, check roughly how long it takes to achieve them - some have deadlines, like driver license test, which has a specific date - split them by quarters (Q1,Q2, and so on), some are more about consistency and repeated practice that culminates into being able to perform something at a higher level of execution - e.g. bass guitar and music theory. During each quarter I focus on what is there and try to limit my time around those things. I adjusted my calendar, reminders, etc to help me stay on track. I thik focusing on a few things every 3 months and tracking time/sessions/effort put into can be helpful. I think something good happens regardless and you know for sure you did your best.

[ehnto]

I am in a similar boat. I guess I am fortunate, in that there are many interesting paths forward. But I don't know which to take, and there are so many uncertainties in the fundamentals.

I am leaning toward taking Patton Oswald's advice, and executing any plan now, rather than the perfect plan later. But I am getting older, so it feels like I only get a few more "pivots" in life, especially with financial stability in mind.

[johnisgood]

Yeah, executing ANY plan is better than waiting to come up with the perfect plan, IMO. I had no idea it was tied to a single person.

[ianmcgowan]

There's a long list of historical quotes about planning, but I think this reference might be to a different Patton:

"A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week." - George S. Patton

* "Those who are victorious plan effectively and change decisively. They are like a great river that maintains its course but adjusts its flow." ~ Sun Tzu

* "In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable." ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

* "Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe." ~ Abraham Lincoln

[jayrot]

"No plan survives contact with the enemy". --Helmuth von Moltke

or, if you prefer,

"Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth" --Mike Tyson.

[ErigmolCt]

I don't always like the pressure of the "New Year" to come up with a "goal"... Maintaining the habits you already have isn't easy either! And I think a goal can emerge along the way.