Ten Rules for 2017
Here’s a January 1st post for the second year in what just might become an annual routine. After Ten Rules for 2016 and my recent year-in review, Ten Rules for 2016, Revisited, it’s time to look forward at 2017. If 2016 was about perspective and attitude shift, my 2017 list wound up a bit more focused on specific tactical plans to achieve goals and reinforce routines. Perhaps some border on resolutions more than life rules, but again, hopefully these things are somewhat universal and can inspire you to take some on yourself.
Just like last year, this post gives me a point of reference to check in on throughout the year, and doing so in a public forum increases my desire to follow through. On to the list!
#1 —Align Time and Passions
AKA spend more time on causes you care about.
There’s plenty of personal growth potential that comes from the sudden nasty surprise of waking up on November 8th to a president elect who you don’t trust to generally look out for your best interests. I’ve been left feeling misaligned, so in 2017 I want to figure out how to devote more of my time and attention to important causes that I care about. Top priorities are renewable energy, climate change, and related environmental causes.
#2 — Get Behind the Lens
AKA level up my photography work once again.
The latter half of 2016 left me feeling like I’d finally outgrown my camera body. I pushed my crop sensor Canon 7D to its limits, even installing Magic Lantern open source firmware for non-standard features such as ETTR and Dual-ISO exposure, but I think it’s now time to go full-frame. I have my eyes on a Canon 5D Mark III or IV in 2017, however first my goal is to make this expensive hobby pay for itself. In that spirit, a recent project has been to revisit my some of my best work, and I’m now ready to start selling prints online! I get asked about prints every month or two, so this will streamline the ability for direct fulfillment while allowing me to do quickly one-offs for other photos. Check it out and share it with friends!
http://photography.adamedgerton.com/
One other item of note here — in putting together the photography site, I noted that little to none of my favorite landscape work comes from Oregon, yet Oregon is where we do much of our adventuring. So my goal for 2017 is to pull the camera out more on short trips near home and up my game when it comes to Oregon photography specifically.
#3 — Move Every Day
AKA work out in some way/shape/form.
This one is a 2016 carry-over. It’s too important to fall off the list, and while I highly doubt not restating it here would cause me to suddenly become sedentary, I instead want to plan to do more… a better climbing routine, training for Cascade Lakes Relay, etc. A little more structure in 2017 could go a long way towards something more than where I’m at now, which I’d consider my comfortable base level of fitness.
#4 — Drink More Water
AKA hydration is important. Duh.
Dehydration is rarely an issue for me, but I had a span of a number of years where I was much better at drinking 50–100% more water than I am today, and my body thanked me for it. Time to get back to that!
#5 — Read More
AKA less online article perusing, more paperbacks.
It’s not that I didn’t read in 2016, but the quantity and substance was somewhat lacking; I just barely got through the 4 or so books received from family last Christmas! I feel sharper and more creative when I’m reading frequently, so this year’s goal is a minimum of 1 book each month.
#6 — Write More Too
AKA put pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard, or ink quill to parchment…
This one comes sequentially after “Read More” because without fail I feel more inspired to write (and generally write more eloquently) when I’m also taking the time to read regularly. The amount I’ve written any given year has varied quite dramatically, but 2016 was what I’d consider a mild writing drought, what with the time required for ramp-up at a new job and planning a wedding. The thing is, writing is one of my favorite learning exercises, as putting words to paper forces me to validate my assumptions, back up my assertions, and spend healthy time lost in thought. Whether it’s personal or professional blogging, technical documentation for work, or kicking off a new career writing sci-fi/viking crossover romance novels, I will be getting back to more regular writing.
#7 — Grow the Network
AKA invest time in friends, old and new.
In 2017, it’s time to reconnect a bit! I feel fortunate to have both a close-knit group of friends and a broad social circle, but with everything going on in 2016, I didn’t devote as much time as I’d like to spending more time with friends (both personal and professional), and making new connections along the way.
Related, in 2016 I put the Digital PM Meetup a bit on the back burner, with only 5-6 events in the year rather than the prior 11–12 annually. I even went as far as offering to have someone take over the lead organization role (no bites). The good news is that going into 2017 I feel more refreshed, engaged around digital PM, and interested in investing time in the meetup this year. We already have two great events coming together for late January and early March.
#8 — Eat Well
AKA eat healthy, and have a little fun.
Another 2016 carry-over! This combined with #3 feels like the necessary fuel for the rest of the list. I have few glaring weaknesses in my diet, but also some specific objectives:
- Further reduce my use of supplements
- Keep focusing on bumping up cholesterol levels slightly
- Even more greens
- Even less simple carbs
If I can manage those, continue to find ways to inject some creativity into cooking, and mix it up a bit with new ingredients, flavors, and dishes, that’s a success!
#9 —Leave the Phone Alone
AKA Diminish your phone’s influence on home routines.
I got a good start on this one in 2016 by taking Facebook off my phone and deleting some other time-waster apps. I also began the practice of leaving my phone behind when going out for social events or errands where no directions were necessary (maybe as much as 50% of the time).
In 2017, I want to focus more on improving my in-home use of my phone. No phone in bed should be a good starter to break myself of the tendency to check my phone first-thing in the morning. And while I generally think my use of Instagram is healthy, I could stand to do without browsing photos last thing before bed.
#10 — Have Less Rules
AKA I cheated and there are only 9 rules this year.
Seriously, why stick to norms and round numbers? Here’s a reminder that rules are meant to be broken, going with the flow feels great, and everything in life should be about finding healthy balance.
That makes ten… sort of! What are your rules for 2017?
