11 things I don't need in 2011

I stole this idea from my good friend Natalie (who can be found here), who stole it from someone else, who stole it from some other person, I'm sure. It's a good thing to make lists sometimes. Order isn't a key component here, but putting them in writing as a form of accountability is.

So here it goes, 11 things that I want to try and do without in 2011

1) Biting my nails - the toughest and most immediate thing I need to do without. It's a long-standing bad habit done for a variety of reasons, none of them good enough to justify doing something. As a former nail-biting cohort said recently, "a GQ man wouldn't do this shit," and he's right. I suppose if I'm going to be an adult I should let go of such an unbecoming habit. So fingers, look forward to being a little less slobbery next year.

2) Procrastination - another long-standing bad habit that probably arose around the same time I stopped using nail clippers. Procrastination is a cruel friend to have. He makes you put off the things you know you need to do when you have a leisurely amount of time to do it, until you reach a point of panic. Then, somewhat miraculously, he squeezes you to extrude work that is not only passable, but sometimes laudable, a perfect plate of Play-doh spaghetti. This technique has worked well for me in the past, allowing me to write long papers in narrow time frames that receive better than average grades. But this isn't a viable way to work in the real world. Good work habits are.

3) Clutter - I'm pretty sure I made a post at one point that mentioned my pack rat tendencies. I made a conscious effort to minimize the non-essentials I brought to New York when I moved because I realized when I moved from Boston that I keep a lot of unnecessary junk around. So, in a pseudo-zen, Thoreau-esque move, I've moved away from keeping things for the sake of keeping them towards a minimalist approach. It's taken a bit of effort, to cease attaching unsubstantiated value to items I acquire here and there, but I'm sure my tiny room and limited wall space appreciates the space to breathe. I do too.

4) Frivolous dining out - I like cooking. I really do. I get a lot of satisfaction out of making a good meal for myself. But I also like not having to put forth effort to eat. I also like to eat a lot of things I don't know how to make or have the patience to make. To top it all off, I live in New York City, which offers more dining options available most any hour of the day than are good for a person. This combination of things has me spending far more money than I'm comfortable to admit on a blog dining out and a paltry amount on groceries. Of course, lunches will be forgotten to be made, groceries will run out, and sometimes sushi will sound too good to pass up, but at the very least I should even out the spread.

5) Losing touch - I'm not very good at keeping in contact with people outside my most immediate spheres of friendship. I'm sorry friends. I'll try and do better.

6) Not-creating - Writing, drawing, building. Things I like to do and have done with fair consistency in the past. 2010 was an off year, with complicated life issues, moves, new jobs, no jobs, then new jobs again, apartment searches, and a bevy of other things. All in all, creating got relegated to an occasional hobby, rather than a constant effort. There are many ideas waiting to see themselves be born into the world. Fortunately, I live with people who take time every day to be creative, so I'm planning on letting them rub off on me.

7) Creative hermitism - coinciding with #6, I've spent many years not putting my work out in public arenas. Many completed things are collecting dust in notebooks and harddrives. I need to be proactive and clear house a bit.

8) Not-reading - like #6 and #7, I spent too much time not reading this past year. In fact, I think I only read 4 books this year, which is far below my average. Recommendations are always nice, by the way.

9) Social Inactivity - the loftiest goal for myself. I've done little in terms of volunteering and helping society at large since my MS Walk days in early high school. I'm starting to realize there are too many problems with our world to sit idly and hope for someone else to take care of them. Too much ice is being melted (with too many politicians refusing to recognize the immediate reality of this), too many people don't have basic necessities like potable water, too many animals being driven to unnatural extinction, and so on. The effort of one person is minuscule compared to the overwhelming size of these problems, but it's an effort nonetheless.

10) Coffee - coffee and I go way back, all the way to 5th grade. It's a personal thing. She does so much for me and never asks for anything in return. But I'm on track to have a 4 cup a day habit by this time next year, and that's taking it a little too far. This isn't giving it up, it's just good management.

11) Bad whiskey - just 'cause.