What I Resolve Not To Do in 2013

The interwebs are full of grandiose plans and goals for the New Year, just as they are every year. Maybe I’m jaded, maybe my impending birthday has made me grumpier than normal but it is more my personality to look at 2013 and just hope I don’t make as many mistakes as I did in 2012. There were a lot of them, no doubt, but here are a few things I resolve not to do in 2013.

 

Go on so many tours. This is a total flip flop; a few years ago I didn’t take advantage of enough walking tours and missed out on a lot. Now I take too many and I’m missing out on a lot when I travel. A balance needs to be struck in 2013.

Drinking so much Diet Coke overseas. I refuse to tally how much I spent on Coke products when I was last in Europe because I think the number would both shock and depress me. Spending 3 Euro on a 20 ounce bottle a couple of times a day just isn’t smart.

Watching MSNBC all day long. When I was a nonprofit lobbyist I felt it important to keep up with the political events of the day. I still love politics, but I don’t think I can handle 12 hours of it a day for very much longer. Soap operas here I come!

Staying within my culinary comfort zone. Although I had a few moments of food related bravery in 2012 (hello olives and sardines) I usually stay within my very comfortable and somewhat limited comfort zone when eating overseas. This will change in 2013, although I’m still not eating seafood. Sorry.

Agonize over schedules. I’ve said this a million times, but this time I mean it. (Sorta) I plan too much, both in my daily life and my travel life. Lists abound and they’re starting to become all consuming. I absolutely have to allow for more spontaneity in my life, when at home and on the road.

Being so reactive. For the last six months or so I haven’t been very forward thinking. Losing my job seems to cost me the ability to plan for the future growth of LandLopers and my own career. That must change now.

Listening to Top 40 radio. It’s mostly all crap and every time I hear something overly digitized I get angry. That being said, I discovered the Lumineers on a Top 40 station and really love their soulful vocals.

Wasting time. I was playing Angry Birds the other day while waiting to board a flight and a pop up appeared telling me how many collective hours I had spent playing the game. It was depressing. Being successful does not involve playing Angry Birds for hours on end, and so it must stop.

Being disappointed and angry at the things I can’t change. The past year has been a hard one and I find myself thinking about what would life be like had certain events unfolded differently. This isn’t healthy; I can’t affect what has already happened and I need to instead focus on the future.

Sugary cereals, they just aren’t healthy. Well except for Cap’n Crunch because it’s damn good.

Being a bad couple traveler. I used to be great traveling with my partner but as I take more and more solo trips I get stuck in my travel ways. I need to be more accommodating of my partner and how he wants to travel. Some people actually like to relax on vacation and I need to remember that.

Impulse shopping on Amazon.com. I have Prime Membership which means I never have to pay for shipping and it’s always shipped via two-day delivery. That also means I can order things quickly and easily without worrying about minimum amounts, which of course has led to gross overspending. Also, 1-click ordering of e-books is the work of the devil.

Saying yes too often. I have never been one to shirk away from hard work, but lately requests and demands on my time have become too much. Yet, I always say yes and end up stressed out and unable to do anything properly. This year I will only take on things I can actually finish and finish well.

Writing posts that seem to go on forever with no real purpose or end in sight, like this one.

What do you resolve NOT to do in 2013?