New Year Resolutions for 2011

It's that time of the year when we want to forget all things we did last year and give ourselves a fresh start for the new one.

To be honest, I don't really believe in making a resolutions list because not everyone has the discipline to achieve them and we start making excuses to ourselves on why we didn't make them and then when the new year comes, we just do it all over again.

So for this year's 'resolutions', I'm inclined to call them changes that I like to make for the new year. Nothing ambitious and mostly intended to be abstract and vague so that I won't have to give myself too much pressure (as I already have at work) to attain anything this year.

Work

1. Work Harder: I'll admit that I've been slacking off at work, punching out the first moment I get when I'm done with my stories and heading straight out for the door. Reporting really isn't a 9 to 5 job, there's a lot more that can be done other than just attending functions and writing the story.
   
   So for this year, I'm planning to stay in the office to do some research, planning for potential features or stories and keeping tabs for follow-ups after normal office hours (as long as I make it home for dinner) on ordinary days.
   
   I also need to be more proactive in finding stories and be more daring in asking questions.
2. Write A Feature: I'll admit that part of the reason why I have only done a feature since I joined the company is because I have been lazy (by calling it 'busy with other work').
   
   So for this year, I should expand my reporting horizons and do at least one feature this year which is important if I want to win anything in the next Shell Press Awards (and also.....err....my career...yeah).

Finances

1. Have A Proper Financial Plan and Budget and STICK TO IT!: Since having my own income, I've been having trouble trying to budget my expenditures and savings. I just don't know how much I should spend and how much should be kept in the bank and for other long-term savings and investments. I also find myself making budgets that I don't stick to which puts all my financial planning to shits without knowing how much money goes where.
   
   So for this year, I would try to draw up a financial plan and a budget and try to STICK TO IT for once! Spend what is meant for spending and save what is meant for saving. I know my life would be better with a balance between the two but I don't know why it's so hard to it.
   
   Also I'm saving for my retirement........so yeah.
2. Overcoming Spending Fears: This is sort of tied to the previous one. I have been telling myself that I need to get some stuff to work better but haven't really dared to take out the money to actually spend it.
   
   I think I have spending anxieties because when I'm looking at something that I need to buy, my head rings all sorts of alarms that makes it hard to even put the money down and just buy the damn thing. Am I paying a reasonable price? Am I getting the right product for my needs? Should I wait for a promotion? Do I really need this? Yeah, you get the idea.
   
   Then again, this could also be because I have some kind of pat rack mentality and want to hoard up all my money so that I can be like Scrooge McDuck.
   
   So for this year, I'm going to learn how to splurge, pampering myself and actually using my own money to pat myself in the back once in a while.

Personal

1. Get A Makeover: It really doesn't mean as drastic as it sounds but this was something I tried to do while I was in a relationship but it didn't quiet worked out (so as the relationship).
   
   So for this year, I'm thinking of changing a bit of my usual style. Maybe new hairstyle, new clothes, new glasses etc. I know I don't have the greatest fashion sense but we'll see how this goes...
2. Start Some Personal Projects: I've been having ideas brewing at the back of my head for the past year that I hoped would turn into a new avenue for income and for fun. Then again, I haven't been really able to get into my passions since I started working so I haven't been able to dedicate myself full-time into turning those ideas into reality.
   
   But with the right time management, I think I should be able to pull something off and do it just for the fun of it before I can find ways to monetize it. So for this year, I should plan and launch at least one of my personal projects and make some time to run it.
3. Cut Down on the Procrastination: I always put off doing many things because I don't feel like doing them and gluing my butt to chair but I've learned that just getting it over with and striking while the iron is hot is one great way to boost your confidence, reduce your stress level and lessen one worry at the back of your mind.
   
   So for this year, I'll just need to stand up and doing whatever that I feel like doing and cut down from procrastinating. I'm no longer young enough to let things wait anymore.
   

Okay, that's all I had in mind at the moment. Maybe I update on these as the year goes along so wish me good luck!