Taking stock
The holidays are over, and I'm ready for this new year. The boys have one more week of holidays: the Cat is at soccer camp for four days and the Rabbit is hanging with Ian in his last week before he turns five and starts school. I've booked a Mama–Rabbit day for Friday, so have four days to get myself organised for the year and start working out the patterns and routines that will carry me through. And I should tidy my office. And get things for two birthdays. And weed the garden.
I haven't figured it all out yet, but I've got a fair idea of what the building blocks need to be and mostly need to work out how to fit them all together.
Exercise
Slightly odd choice for my number one concern, but one of my big lessons of 2015 was that regular exercise makes a big difference to my mood and ability to cope with shit. By shit, I don't mean big stuff like deaths and discord and disaster, but more the mundane things like cooking dinner, folding the laundry and getting the kids to bed.
I had a break after Christmas and was a bit nervous about going back this morning, but I survived. We did lots of walking with hills and steps over the holidays, which probably saved me, but it will be 'interesting' to see how I go with resistance work tomorrow. I reckon I need to go three or four times a week and I don't know when to fit that in. My favourite times are in the morning after breakfast, around 4pm, and in the evening. The morning is probably the most practical option most days, but needs to be early enough that it doesn't cut into my work day too much. Am open to suggestions from people with experience in juggling all the things, but please don't suggest early early morning or any time before I've had something to eat. That ain't gonna happen.
I guess the other thing to do more of would be walking to pick the boys up from school and more family adventure outings at weekends. Oh, and we're hoping to walk the Rakiura Track in a year or two, so we'll need to practice with longer day walks and some overnighting in huts.
Work
A few changes this year. I'm done with Critic, so it's back to building up the business and keeping a wee eye out for a dream job. I'm pretty excited about having more time when Rabbit starts school, although not really ready to lose all those extra hours with my baby. But one lot of pick-ups and five clear days a week will be AMAZING. My main aims are learning how to be more productive and focused, running more workshops, finding a few more key clients, doing most of my work during 'work hours' and not in evenings or weekends, and honing my editorial chops.
I kind of wonder whether I might start reading in my thesis area again. I was doing a PhD taking a postcolonial look at contemporary settler writing from Australia and New Zealand when I had the Cat and gave it up to find something that fitted better with family life, but there are days when I miss it bad.
Writing
Yes, well. A bit like the exercise, I'm aiming for regularity here and for gradually building up my skills and capacity. One focused hour a day is my goal, and I guess we'll just have to see how that goes. Sometimes it'll be the blog and sometimes … other stuff.
Family
Look, this one is always the same. I want to be calmer, less grumpy, better at resolving arguments between the boys and to have more time to play, listen and understand. I'm also on a 'reclaim the evening' mission, and it would be great if everyone cleared their dishes and kept their clothes in order.
And that's me. What about you?