… is hard. It’s easy to come up with a list of all the things I want to do, change, start, finish, or otherwise commit to. It’s hard to make a list that has a chance at getting done. After all, a year is a long time and who can say how things will move up or down in importance.

Instead, I think I’m going to try to come up with quarterly resolutions. This way, the timeframe is smaller and I can take on more manageable goals. That’s my approach to development projects as well… make a list of components. Prioritize them. Take the top few and break them into tasks. Prioritize those. Get to work. That’s how you eat an elephant.

So here’s my list of goals for Q1 2005:

• Exercise at least 3 times a week — using the bike when I have to be indoors, playing soccer more when the weather’s good.
• Read more fiction, starting with Cryptonomicon.
• Begin development on a side project that’s been kicking around in my head for a while. I’d like to have the database done, the DAL created, and start the framework.
• Take more pictures with our new camera, particularly with the camera in Manual mode.
• Improve this site, including a new layout, a photos section, at least one article, and more useful links.
• Blog more — at least 4 times a week.
• Complete another retrospective video for Allie (I’ve got lots of raw footage).

With luck, I’ll make a good dent on all of these… maybe posting them here will keep me honest.