Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Hope you've all had a good Christmas. I thought I would post today as I am back to work tomorrow. I haven't got any pictures to upload this time as I am working on a number of projects and have not finished any. Instead I thought I would share my resolutions for 2020. I was going to go simple, and take a photo every day (2020 vision and all that) but instead I am going to do 20 things in 2020.

1. Save at least 20% of wages - a fifth of my wages will be the minimum I save each month. I'm hoping it will be a lot more. 
2. Go for a walk 20 times a month - should be an easy one for me seeing as how I walk to work, but I want to do more than that. I want to go for walks, either on my days off or during my lunch break, weather permitting.
3. Row or weight 20 times a month - I have a rowing machine and a kettle bell and currently I am using neither of them. That needs to change. I have spent a large portion of this year worrying about my health yet I have done nothing about it. I need to change. 
4. Listen to TED talks 20 times a month -  I have recently downloaded the app for this and I am finding the talks very interesting, and far better than watching TV repeats but it is hard to break out of bad habits. 
5. Read and review 20 fictional books - the key to this is to go to the library, rather than buy new books. Should be quite easy to read them, but not so easy to review. 
6. Read and review 20 factual books - this will be harder I think, as factual books tend to be more in depth than the average fictional book. 
7. 20 takeaways in the whole year - this will be hard! That's less than two a month, when this year I have been having two a week on average. I'll have to plan carefully and avoid temptation at work. 
8. Write 20,000 words a month - writing is another thing I have stopped doing. I successfully did Nanowrimo in 2018 but outside of November I didn't write anything. 20,000 words a month means a consistent approach, and is doable as it is only 700 words a day. 
9. Take 20 photographs a month - had to get the 2020 vision in there somewhere! 
10. Meal plan for 20 weeks of work - this is another thing that I have been flaking out on this year. I've been meal dealing on the way to work a lot as I can't be bothered to plan ahead or make lunch in the morning. This needs to change. 
11. Donate to 20 charities/Go fund me pages - this can be clothes, unwanted items, even time, but it is most likely to be money. I'm going to keep an eye out to see if my friends are doing anything to raise money for charity. 
12. Complete 20 unfinished craft projects -  I have pieces half done, jewellery making kits I haven't touched, not to mention cross stitch kits. I've got some projects I am working on at the moment, and aside from essentials and my craft kit subscription, I can't buy any craft stuff next year till I have completed this one.
13. Watch 20 new-to-me films - If I just said new films I would have to go to the cinema 20 times, which doesn't go with the trying to save money. So I will keep an eye out on the TV and Netflix, and Sky Store sales if necessary. 
14. 20 mental health days - 20 days devoted to anything that will make me happy or less stressful, without judgement. If I want to stay in my PJ's all day and eat nothing but ice cream I will do it. If I want to dress up to the nines for no reason I will do that. It's my choice what I want to do, as long as it involves some self-care. Hell, I can even spend the day crying my heart out if I think I need it. 
15. Declutter 20 items - I know it is a small amount but I am not a declutter so even this will be a challenge. Sorry Kondo fans!
16. Drink 20 glasses of water a week - I know people say you should drink between 5 and 8 glasses a day but I can't go from drinking none to drinking all that. 
17. Wear 20 items of clothing not worn in a while - I've got an overflowing chest of drawers, not to mention a wardrobe. There are items I have not worn in a long time, and some I don't think I have ever worn. 
18. No mindless internet surfing after 20:20 - this is another one that is not so easy. I think I've become a little addicted to mindless scrolling; it's almost an anxious tic. So as soon as it hits twenty past eight the internet is off. 
19. 20 no meat days - another hard one I think. I'm struggling at the moment to think of ideas for this, as I am very much the typical meat and veg person. I'm thinking of doing this when I have late shifts at work but I am not sure yet. 
20. Devote 20 minutes a day to journal writing - this includes budget planning, to do lists for the week ahead, and thoughts of the day. I have always done a five positive things of the day entry, but this year I have struggled to find positive things, and I have also made the mistake of leaving it until a week has gone by, and suddenly having to try to recall 35 positive things that have happened rather than 5 at a time. Same with the budget; it's much easier to save if you keep a daily record rather than catch up halfway through the month and realise you have spent more than you had thought. 

So those are my 20 things to do in 2020. Obviously they are not the only things I am going to do, but they are the ones I want to stick with. Basically it encompasses what I like to do (crafting) and what I want to like to do again (writing), getting rid of some bad habits or at least cutting them down (meal plan, takeaway, mindless surfing), and trying to better my health (exercising, walking, water drinking, journal) . 

Until next time,

Ems