Despite being a fan of year-round self improvement, I’ve come around to see the new year as nice jumping off point for making new habits and plans. This year I have a few ideas for how to live better in the coming year.
- Start maintaining a personal website: I’ll be honest, this one is mostly so I can look a little better for internship applications, and then only because I can’t show off the code in the research I work on because it hasn’t been publicly released yet. Although, I do see learning CSS and HTML as valuable skills. I am sure I will inevitably be involved with building other websites for various projects and organizations.
- Exercise for a half hour each morning: I had a good habit with running this past summer, but that broke down when I got sick and the weather turned cold at the same time. This year I’m attempting to revive the habit with a more general focus than just running. Strong body, strong mind.
- Cut down on sugar: Having recently seen several articles on the negative effects sugar has, combined with my existing displeasure with typical American cuisine, I decided that it’s time to cut down on my sugar intake. As delicious as the deserts at the Grinnell dining hall are, they are just too sugary. During the next semester, I hope to eat no dining hall deserts with one preplanned exception (I just can’t say no to the gooey butter cake, which is exactly as unhealthy as it sounds). For next year, when I have an apartment and can shop and cook for myself, I hope to try a month where I cut all added sugar out of my diet and after that severely reduce the sugar I consume.
- Read 50 books: I read about 30 books this past year, so I think 50 is a plausible goal.