My 19 for 2019 List

Instead of New Year’s Resolutions, I’m taking a new approach to goal-setting for the year: a “19 for 2019” list.

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Gretchen Rubin and her sister, Liz Craft, have a fun podcast called “Happier,” and for the second year in a row, they’ve encouraged listeners to create a list of important accomplishments they want to achieve or at least attempt in the new year. Whimsically, they’ve suggested the number of items on your list correlate to the year, so this year it’s “19 for 2019.” 

They suggest the list combine some easy-to finish tasks along with goals that are a stretch and pull you out of your comfort zone. I was intrigued by the idea last year but never sat down to create my list, but I decided to give it a whirl this year to see if it is, indeed, a motivator for me. I should confess that in Gretchen Rubin’s “Four Tendencies” test, I am an Obliger, which means that I’m likely to do better if I have some outer accountability. Well, tag, you’re it, dear readers. 

Want to know if you’re an Obliger, an Upholder, a Questioner, or a Rebel? Here’s her free quiz. Or you can buy her book, The Four Tendencies: The Indispensable Personality Profiles That Reveal How to Make Your Life Better (and Other People’s Lives Better, Too). 

With no further ado—with no significance to the order—here are my 19 for 2019:

1. Polish and publish my 40-day devotional called Stepping Stones to God
2. Visit at least two of my four siblings at their home
3. Get at least 4 weeks ahead in writing blog content and try to stay ahead
4. Visit local home-bound friends (a private list)
5. Meditate at least 5 days a week
6. Learn more about contemplative prayer (Fr. Richard Rohr and Thomas Merton)
7. Schedule my writing time so it’s more likely to get done
8. Take J. to a major league baseball park he’s never been to
9. Write at least two Noteworthy notes a month
10. Write letters to grandsons once a month and save copies to give them when they’re older
11. Write letters to children at least quarterly
12. Declutter one room in the house per month
13. Invite friends for dinner once a month
14. Create an outline and timeline for writing my book Heartspoken: How To Write Notes That Comfort, Encourage, and Inspire
15. Read Aunt Alice and Uncle Wesley’s WWII letters to see if they should be shared
16. Expand Dad’s “Life Lessons” article into an eBook
17. Add some video content to my blog
18. Pitch articles to AARP, Forward Day by Day, Sixty & Me
19. Track recurring expenses more carefully by checking bank statement, credit card bill, and PayPal activity

I’m printing this out and posting it near my desk. I’m putting a review note on my calendar to review this at the beginning of each month. I’ll report back to you Heartspoken readers at the six-month mark and again at the end of the year. 

I will NOT make myself miserable with this list but use it to stay focused and keep me moving in the right direction. 

If you make your own “19 for 2019” list and are willing to share it, I’d love to see it! And if you’d like me to be your accountability partner, let me know so I can check back with you later in the year. 

Happy New Year!