8 Things I Will Do in 2016
I’m not calling them New Year’s resolutions, as this seems to be a bad omen. But I’m a big believer in telling the whole world that I’m going to do something, so that the potential embarrassment of not doing it would keep me on the right track. Great motivator, embarrassment. I have not set very specific deadlines (with the exception of no 3, obviously), but some progress should be made on every single one in the coming weeks.
1. I will read longer books. Like most people, I always feel that I don’t read enough, but objectively speaking I do read quite a bit – 75 books in 2015, according to my Goodreads account. What is problematic, however, is that I have started to struggle with books that have over 500 pages. It’s not that I want to drop them because they are bad or boring, I just find it hard to concentrate on something for so long. I’ve become even more impatient than I used to be and constantly demand variety. So I’m giving myself permission to read less (in terms of the number of books), if I make sure to finish some of the weightier books on my list.
2. I will listen to good music. Music is great. I love it. I used to sing in a choir and play the flute and listen to music constantly. For some reason, I’m not really doing the latter any more (I know the reasons for not doing the first two). We have music on in the house most of the time, but it’s been ages since I sought out anything new to listen to and I have no idea what’s going on in the modern music scene. This must change.
3. I will not buy any beauty stuff in January. This one is obviously already happening, in a negative sense – I have not bought any skincare, make-up or perfume this month and plan to continue like this. It’s not meant to sound like a huge sacrifice or a worthy lifestyle change, I simply want to examine my spending habits and get them under control. I’ll do a longer post about the reasons and results of this later.
4. I will start learning French. The most difficult action on the list and the one longest overdue. I’ve lived in Brussels for more than two years now and still don’t speak almost any French. I have several good excuses, but enough is enough. It’s unrealistic to expect that I’ll actually SPEAK French by the end of the year, but I need to start studying.
5. I will exercise again. It’s not that I’m incapable of going to the gym or moving on a regular basis, I have done it in the past, for surprisingly long periods of time. But I’ve been too lazy – and occasionally honestly too busy – to figure out what and when and how I want to do in Brussels. Even increasing my daily walking distance and doing some planking at home would be helpful.
6. I will eat breakfast. Yes, I know. Again. This one seems almost as difficult for me as learning French. I’m always late in the morning and when this happens, I will skip breakfast without any hesitation. In the future, I will hesitate. And if I really don’t have time to eat at home, I’ll need to take something with me to work and eat there. I had some yoghurt with banana and maple syrup this morning (at home!), btw. Not very exciting, but definitely breakfast!
7. I will sort my samples. I’m afraid that I own something like 200 perfume samples, many of them untested and most of them stored in a very disorganized manner. I’m committed to sorting, organizing and testing them this year. I can see this being especially helpful in January when I am not allowed to buy any new fragrances (or samples/decants).
8. I will shop my kitchen cupboard. I haven’t had much time to cook lately, so there is a large variety of interesting ingredients languishing in my drawers. I need to take a look at what I have and figure out how to work dried limes, mace or sorghum into my dishes. And hope that work allows me to cook one or two times during the week (weekends are my shift in any case).
Oh, and I’ll get a facial at least once every quarter. Tough one, that!
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Breakfast no longer considered an absolute necessity 🙂 skipped that deliverately already a year ago and feeling superb. Hate any kind of dieting deeply but this works very well. http://jamesclear.com/the-beginners-guide-to-intermittent-fasting
Whatever works 🙂 I’m not qualified to argue with James, but it seems highly selective to say that the only argument for eating more frequently is the fact that the activity itself burns calories. My personal trainer used to recommend eating every 4 or 3 hours, but the reasons were completely different. Eating small portions and often actually seems to work well for me, but I struggle with making it work in practical terms.
I second Kristi’s comment, although I have not been a paragon of health, I am quite informed about health and lifestyle insights based on sanity and science. If you are not hungry you can skip breakfast and the short fast you do because of it is really good for you (a.k.a. intermittent fasting). And, please remove the link if inappropriate, but we now offer 3 places in Brussels to do our 20 minutes a week no fad High Intensity fitness, fit20.be
That is one thing to do off your list (breakfast) and one (exercise) made as feasible and time efficient as possible (no changing, no shower, no gymbag, no discipline because appointment). More time for good music, sample sorting and cupboard shopping!
Don’t worry about the link, I’m happy for people to have the info – I’m seriously considering checking it out.
Regarding the breakfast, the problem is not the missed breakfast per se and I’m indeed not horribly hungry first thing in the morning. The issue is, however, that I WILL get hungry at some point later in the morning and if I haven’t eaten anything at home or brought something with me, I’ll end up surviving on coffee and chocolates and random crap. We have a midday briefing every day at noon, which means that having lunch before 1 PM is not an option and sometimes lunch can be much later (Not to mention the days when there’s no lunch, but that’s a separate issue and less frequent these days).
I understand your breakfast dilemma completely. I have not wanted breakfast my entire life, but I do get hungry around 11am. It can be difficult to eat a small amount at the right time(s) during a work day. Often the well-thought out little meals languish in the fridge at work because you just don’t have the time and it would feel rushed and unpleasant. Some sort of soup sipped out of a mug instead of tea or coffee works for me on occasion. You’ll find your own groove.
I’m all set with the book reading, but could definitely up my music listening game and be more deliberate and thoughtful about it.
Regarding French, what language do you personally speak in Brussels?
Um, yeah. Exercise. It would be helpful. 😉
Sample sorting doubtful for me, but testing absolutely.
3 & 8 I’m squashing together. I’m not buying anything in January that is not an absolute necessity. I’ve cleaned out my fridge and will only need produce., although really my vast pickle selection could suffice. I’ve gifted/ dumped/donated a lot of beauty products that I have concluded I will not use. In addition, I’ve deleted all the stuff on my computer that I will never, ever get to. The closets are being cleaned out. I need clear space in order to thrive, and all this stuff whether real or virtual is not serving me well.
I’m excited for the year to come, and I hope you are as well!
Yes, this is it exactly! The breakfast thing, I mean. Sometimes I simply forget to eat, even if I did bring something to work…
Regarding languages: in Brussels, I speak Estonian at home and English at work. When I’m in a shop or a restaurant, I tend to also speak English, but I can usually understand the menu pretty well – my culinary and perfume vocabulary is decent 😉 And Brussels is a French-speaking city, mostly. Labels, however, I read in Flemish, as my knowledge of German and Scaninavian languages helps with that.
I’m going to do some sorting and decluttering this weekend and I’m actually looking forward to it. I also gave quite a few of my beauty products to my mother and sisters, and I need to go through my clothes as well.
Enjoyed reading this- I seem to vary about breakfast but all too often forget or seem to miss it- but I adore going for brunch at the weekend. Having recently given up formal exercise until I fancy it again I will cheer you from the sidelines on this- feels good to have a break after some years of really rather intense exercise but equally exercise so definitely generally something worth doing. The book and music ones are lovely and will lead to all sorts of enjoyable discoveries I am sure. Also completely agree re shopping your store cupboards and clothes cupboards too for that matter. Having recently moved back to our renovated house (after a fire) it’s good to take the opportunity to organise stuff and importantly get rid of stuff, whether the charity, friends or resale shops.
If you don’t mind me asking, what kind of excercise did you do? I’m curious, as I’m considering different otpions and trying to figure out what would be feasible AND enjoyable.
Hello I did a lot of running and fairly serious weights with a trainer – initially to strengthen against running injuries and then because he was focussed on strength (I have a long tall and fairly narrow build which is resolutely willowy and I managed at least to get a bit stronger but at the cost of flexibility). Then got bored of that and too many running injuries, and getting too skinny, and moved towards a fairly intense form of Pilates called Heartcore (in London and US only I believe) which I adore but quite frankly I think one needs to have a break from everything, and given it’s in a class format and work is demanding the very act of getting there on time can be pretty stressful! That certainly felt more ‘me’ and allowed greater flexibility. Now just long walks and chilling out, No doubt I am less fit but more relaxed and no doubt this is just for a while. I do thoroughly recommend intense Pilates if you can find it, and look forward to hearing about what you decide on.
This sounds very impressive. I’m scared of yoga and pilates, as I have no flexibility AT ALL.
Yoga and Pilates are practices you have to ease into. Pilates on the Reformer gets great results in improved posture and balance; Vinyasa yoga is great for reducing stress levels and improving flexibility. But you have to be willing to put in time for both.
SWAMPED at work and big brother is always watching so I haven’t had much time to read or comment…but I did want to wish you and Holly and all your readers an auspicious New Year!
and as an aside I don’t eat breakfast either….I was once told that I am so skinny (93lbs) because I eat like a skinny person (basically I eat to live and don’t live to eat)…I am constantly snacking at my desk and prefer to eat this way (versus three large meals a day)….I think everyone has to listen to their own bodies and do what is best for them…
anyway, I will try to pop in whenever I can ( and no one is watching 🙂 !!)
all the best
xxoo
Happy New Year, dear Bardot! And I certainly don’t want you to get into trouble at work for reading my blog… Hopefully it’ll calm down soon.
Thanks bardot and Happy New Year to you as well!
Hi there! (from the Now Smell This blog)
1) More books is a good thing. I remember devoting a summer between jobs, to Anna Karenina when it came out in a new English translation. I had to give bars and movies for part of the summer, but it was wonderful to submerge myself into something that required complete attention.
2) When you can, take a chance and pop into a concert of someone you just don’t know. I have done this and it’s really rewarding!
3) Here, here. I bought some amazing high end cosmetics this year, great stuff that you only need small amounts of so it will last a long time. My insurance covers my Retin- A treatment (so much more effect than skincare from the drugstore) And I have so many perfume samples that I really can stand to just live on what I have for this year. Also in that same frame of mind I have so many gifts with purchase- teensy tiny high end creams and serums and potions- that I am just gonna use them up and feel fancy.
4) I speak French, but I have the advantage of being a Spanish speaker, so French was very easy. In addition, I took an immersion course as a kid during the summer with the Capretz method and the French In Action series. I think that of all Americans who can speak French, at least 80% have used this resource in school! Link: http://www.learner.org/resources/series83.html
5) Due to medical issues, I stopped doing sets of exercise. I bike everywhere I can and walk 30 minutes a day, but I stopped doing exercise sets. Now I am ready to pick it up again! I will be doing bodyweights, barre and yoga, and weightlifting. An I will be doing this first thing in the AM, so I can perk up in the morning!
6) For me, having breakfast in two parts keeps me from eating tons of sweet and empty sugary stuff. Which i love but my body hates! So I pack food to work: Yogurt, miso, homemade muesli, oatmeal, fruit, salad greens, tea, almond butter or peanut butter, bread, low sugar jam and keep in my mini fridge at work, along with fixings for lunches. First thing in the AM after exercise all I want is water, but when I get to work I can have my first breakfast, of miso broth with chopped salad greens mixed in and hot tea with milk. My second breakfast can be more substantial: toast with nut butter and jam, or yogurt with muesli and chopped fruit and water. I find this to be helpful in keeping me nourished and focused for the day.
8) I approve of the shop your cupboard. I have so many interesting spices and grains and beans at home, and great produce in the freezer from last summer. I have these great cookbooks by Ottamlenghi and I love trying out the recipes at home. I daresay my cooking is just as good as any casual cafe, and just as economical.
Dear Edie, thank you for this! I tried at first to comment point-by-point, but it would have turned into another post, so let me just say it was all useful and inspiring. One question, though: when would you recommend starting with Retin-A? I know it’s effective and have been thinking about it recently, as the retinol products I use never irritate me – so I presume I’d be able to tolerate presctiption creams relatively well.
PS I like Spanish much better than French. One of my sisters speaks it pretty well and I understand some when I read, but currently it simply makes so much more practical sense to learn French…
HI There!
I am so happy you found my thoughts helpful!
You know, at least here in the States, Retin-A ( generic name: tretinoin) is prescribed to teenagers for acne, so you can definitely start now. I would HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend you start off with the low end of Retina-A products and only a couple of times a week, then work your way up. Since you are very pale , you MUST be sure to use Retin A at night and use sunscreen during the day. (EVen I with dark brown skin, only use Retin-A product only twice a week and wear sunscreen 30 under my makeup). A tube of a tretinoin product here in the States is $120 retail with prescription, but I get it for about $40 with my insurance. Try and get a higher end cream that works as well for that price.
Thank you for this! And Avibon was unfortunately discontinued a couple of years ago, just before I tried to buy it in Paris…
One more thing: there used to be this great cream, it was a French cream, called Avibon. It was vitamin A precursor cream that gave mild effects similar to tretinoin. I don’t know what happened, but I can’t find that now!
Your goals for the year line up quite well with mine! I am trying to get back to the gym and make sure to eat breakfast. For me, the breakfast thing isn’t quite that I believe breakfast is magical or anything, but that it would be nice to have some time in the morning to myself and it will keep me from being famished early in the afternoon when I don’t always have time to eat. I have also kind of stopped seeking out new music, so I have gone through and re-organized my record collection and am listening to things I haven’t in awhile and am trying to find some new music as well. And just last week I went through and organized all of my perfume samples. It was actually really fun to do once I got started, and I got to shop my own samples, which is great. I’m also trying to shop my own closet and pantry this year, so hopefully I can keep it up. Best of luck to you, too! I am sure you will be successful and hopefully have some fun too!
How many samples did you have? I’m also looking forward to going through mine, but I need a storage solution and I don’t quite yet have one. Good luck with all your resolutions!
I have about 300 samples, which I discovered after organizing them all. I used some old hand cream tins and organized them A-K in one tin and K-Z in another. I pulled out any doubles or ones that I felt meh about or already have full bottles of and put them in another tin. I also separated out my favorites/carded samples and put them in a little pouch. It was a lot of fun to do but a bit time consuming. Then I made a list of everything I have and now I need to organize my list. It never ends and you can really go down the rabbit hole with it.
Inspired by you, I organized my samples today – I had close to 500, but some of them evaporated, doubles or without labels. So I think I have something like 350 left now. I still need to do some pruning (and wearing/testing!), but it was a good start.
Oh yay! I did really enjoy it once I got started. Did you find anything good you had forgotten about?
Quite a few things – I realised I had a sample of Omnia, something I had just complained on NST about not having smelled. And I found my Mohur extrait sample: I knew I had that somewhere, but simply could not locate it.
I also decided to not to buy beauty-stuff this month (and possibly February). However yesterday I found myself arranging new make-up brushes in my bathroom. This is very interesting. However, in my defense, Senteurs d’Ailleurs should come with a sign “Abandon hope all ye who enter here” on their door and clearly not let me in. Also, I actually needed new brushes. And they were 40% off.
Plus brushes, really, do they count as beauty products?
I don’t think they count, no. I’ve been good so far, but with the caveat that scented candles (Arquiste) and hand washes (Byredo) don’t count either. Still, I’m impressed with myself for bravely resisting everything else SdA had to offer.