20 for 2020

In my last post I talked about my one word theme for the year: Create. It’s one of the two resolution alternatives I am trying out this year.  The other comes from a favorite podcast of mine, “Happier with Gretchen Rubin.” For the last three years Gretchen and her co-host (and sister) Elizabeth Craft have been compiling a certain kind of “to do” list for the coming year – “18 for 2018”, “19 for 2019”, and now “20 for 2020.” A 20 for 2020 list is a list of twenty things that you want to do before the end of 2020.

The idea behind the list is not to fill it entirely with unpleasant chores for the coming year. Your list can include fun activities that you’ve been wanting to do, pampering activities that you somehow keep putting off, or places you’ve been meaning to visit. If you want to add more fun or whimsy to your life, you could choose 20 things that are just pure fun. If you’ve lived in a place for years but feel like you don’t really know the place, you could choose 20 local attractions to experience during the year. My 20 for 2020, which I’ll share below, contains a nice mix of things that are fun and things I must get done before the end of this year. I’ve even checked some of them off already. What a change to have some things on my “to do” list that I can’t wait to do!

It’s important to note that the goal here is not perfection. There are some items on the list that absolutely must get done (doctor appointments), some that I want to get done most of the time (movement and meditation), and some where most of the fun is in the pursuit if not the actual attainment (charcoal gray trousers). If you want to create your own 20 for 2020 list and need some inspiration, you might enjoy listening to episode 203 (“Plan Your 19 for 2019”) or episode 255 (“We Reveal Our 20 for 2020 Lists”) of the “Happier with Gretchen Rubin” podcast.

Michelle’s 20 for 2020

1. Start blogging
2. Start going to yoga classes
3. Get a pedicure
4. Get a massage
5. Schedule a colonoscopy
6. Schedule appointment with onco-cardiologist
7. Create a mobile desk setup that feels good
8. Find the perfect smoothie recipe that uses broccoli sprouts
9. Transition to glass storage containers for food
10. Send at least 4 snail mail cards or letters per month
11. Daily movement – at least 30 minutes
12. Daily meditation – at least 3 minutes
13. College reunion road trip with my friend Lori
14. Buy the perfect pair of charcoal gray trousers
15. Get to a weight where my clothes feel and look good
16. Help my son learn to cook, create a budget, and drive on the highway 
17. Find a skin care regime that works for me
18. Have fun with my bullet journal
19. Go on a trip with my husband
20. Get a laptop computer

The photo at the top of this post is my first attempt at #7 – “create a mobile desk setup that feels good.” Because I like to do a lot of snail mailing and journaling, I tend to accumulate a certain amount of supplies (colored pencils, pens, cards, stationery, washi tape) that I like to have on hand but which can look pretty sloppy without some structure. Deciding that “done is better than perfect”, I chose not to go down the rabbit hole of researching desk organizers on the internet and instead gathered containers I already had on hand – a rectangular basket and some small canning jars. I’m really pleased with how nicely everything is corralled in the basket, and it’s very possible I’ll stick with this setup for a while. I also like the fact that everything fits perfectly, which discourages me from acquiring more “stuff” than I have space for. 

I could write a paragraph or more on why I chose every item on my list, but it wasn’t until I was typing the list up for this blog post that I realized just how many of the things I chose to add to the list relate to my one word theme of the year. As the British would say, “Result!”