Looking Back On My “Goals” For 2011

This time last year I wrote some lists; the eleven things I want more of in 2011 and also eleven things I could do without. Now, as the year draws to a close, it makes sense to look back on that list and see how things panned out. Looking back, here’s the eleven things I wanted more of in my life,

Radio
Mono-Tasking
Turnaround
Printing
Hong Kong
Blogging
Films
Paper
Seasons
Health
Space

I feel pretty good looking at that list. I’ve managed well over 150 blogposts and seen more than 150 films this year, which reflects my 150 theme (I’ve made another 150 list for 2012). I’ve brought paper back to the centre of my reading and writing process and I love having my whole book collection out of storage and in one room. I managed to appear twice on the radio in February, am regularly tuning into digital broadcasts and primed to make my own, small contribution to the podcast world in 2012. Overall, life had a better rhythm in 2011, despite the interruptions of relocating to Singapore.

Of course, part of the attraction in moving was the chance to live in a bigger space, which helped me sort through a lot of belongings and manage my stuff better.

In fact, the big move, from Hong Kong to Singapore had an inevitable effect on everything in the list. It motivated me to make the most of my last months in Hong Kong. Moreover, my new home in Singapore is fairly comfortable, making it easier to mono-task (spaces for different commitments) and there is room for a large colour printer, which will push me further into print and turning around photo projects.

However, my health has been an issue. An injury in February, while working out, meant I spent most of the first half of the year in pain. Since moving to Singapore I’ve had three bad colds and the constant rain in recent weeks has affected my outlook. Right now I’m not exercising regularly or cooking at home as often as I normally do.

The (less serious) list of eleven things I wanted less of in 2011 included,

Luxury
Foie Gras and Truffles
Lists
Expats
Newspapers
Pop-up Stores
Binary Oppositions
Twitter
Monocle
Gadgets
Hyperbole

Foie Gras, truffles and in fact most things on that list played very little part in my 2011. It’s clear, looking back that I was fatigued by the luxury-oriented, technology-obsessed expat culture of Hong Kong. My tolerance for pretentiousness, in food, fashion or language was at an all-time low.

But, that list also reminds of some areas where I had a change of heart in 2011. I did put Twitter back on my phone and wrote more, rather than fewer list-oriented blog posts during the year. And, I’m still stuck in a dysfunctional love-affair with high-tech gadgets.

Of course, navel-gazing like this is only useful if it inspires ideas about how to move into the future. So, tomorrow I’ll post a new, rather different list, for 2012.