![2017Wrap.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQma711C77raTD2kmKu4nrLb2EaT7ZEdQ4KobXwnhfViATb/2017Wrap.jpg)

### 2017 gave me the chance to work towards the life I wanted to live.

I left my job in late 2016 to take a sort of "early working retirement." 

My finances weren't in the sort of shape that meant *I never had to work again,* but I did save enough to take an extended break and pursue the things that are important to me. 

I knew that I needed a bit of focus to prevent myself pissing the time away with distractions, so I went ahead and did the whole "New Year's Resolution" thing as a way of keeping my mind on task. 

I don't usually recommend this. As @kyriacos points out, you're [about as likely to follow through on your resolutions as you are to win the lottery](https://steemit.com/life/@kyriacos/new-year-resolutions-are-worse-than-lottery). 

But in this case I was making a major life-altering choice in the pursuit of my goals, so I felt I needed a business plan. So I created a spreadsheet to track my goals and make them actionable. It's got formulas and multiple sheets and everything.

I've been in corporate America for too long.

Has the year been a success? According to the spreadsheet, *not really.* I set the goals high and fell short on all of them. (I've still got a day to hit one target; more below.) 

But in terms of adjusting my habits and steering me towards some unexpected victories - ***hell yeah!*** 

2017 has been a banner year.

# Writing
This was at the heart of it. 

I had no illusions of finding instant bestseller success. Let's be realistic. Over 90% of books sold to traditional publishers *lose money,* and with the Amazon/self-publishing revolution in full swing, the odds of anyone paying to pick up something I wrote in 2017 were next to nil - mostly because I hadn't written it yet.

I knew I couldn't control the eventual sales, though. All I could control was sitting down in front of the computer and putting some words down. 

So that was my resolution: 21 hours at the keyboard every week. I set my spreadsheet up so I could punch in and out with a time-stamp. This gave the project the seriousness of a job, at least in terms of *showing up,* which is where most aspiring writers fail. And I was flexible about whether I'd spend three hours a day at it, or put in a few longer sessions and take the occasional day off. 

I didn't use a word-count goal, because there's too much value to staring out the window and working things out - and how do you account for time spent outlining or revising if you're focused on word count? 

There were major caveats for this work time: no internet (except for music) and no research. Anything I didn't know could get looked up later. It's all too easy to fall down a Youtube rabbit hole if you start searching for information online.

Results? 

Well, I was able to meet this goal for about a dozen or so weeks, early in the year. I got a nice boost when an old classmate started a local writing group. We met at cafes several times a week where we worked in mutual silence on our projects. It forced me to commit to a specific project and really make the most of those hours. (I'd have felt like a fraud if I just showed up for our group and then scrolled through Facebook for a few hours.) Even though I wasn't counting words, these meetings turned out to be good for 2000 to 3000 words each.

Then in June, Steemit came along and rocked my world. I was spending so much time writing, reading, and researching online that I didn't bother to keep track of it. 

Three hours of disconnected writing in silence just didn't make sense in this context. I was up and down from the computer all day long, and any sense of "focus" went out the window. So did the fiction projects that I was working on. But I was putting more words down then ever! And sharing them! And meeting great people! And earning some crypto for it! 

So I abandoned that page of my spreadsheet without any regrets. I know I've written more this year than any other, and gotten paid more for it, too. 

# Running
I'm an introvert who can happily go for weeks without leaving the house. ([The Wife](https://steemit.com/@donnadavisart) and I have an agreement: she does the shopping and I wash the dishes.) Most of my "professional aspirations" (if you could call them that) involve sitting in a chair, as do most of my entertainments. 

Getting out and moving the body was clearly a priority. Plus, I've discovered that nothing keeps the twin demons of anxiety and depression at bay better than vigorous exercise. 

I was already running regularly at the end of 2016. The problem I've had is jumping back into the sport too enthusiastically after a prolonged break, getting my cardio into tip-top shape, and then pulling some muscle or tendon. It takes a long time to recover from that, and when I do, the cycle repeats. 

A chaotic work schedule used to cause more dangerous running binges. *Oh,* I'd think, *three days off in a row? I can pack in three half-marathons!*

So I did some research and discovered that most people can increase their runs 10% each week without injury. 

I started the year off at two miles and then let the magic of "compounding interest" increase my weekly goals to the end of the year, with a step-back every fourth week to consolidate my strength gains. The spreadsheet showed me that this steady increase would have me running a full marathon as my daily workout by the end of the year. 

That was a tad excessive, so I stopped the geometrical progression in July and figured a 6 - 7 mile run, which would require an hour, seemed a healthy thing to attempt five times a week. If I did this consistently I'd hit 1600 miles for the year.

So did I hit that target? 

Hardly. I'm a little better than half. I managed to [log 100+ miles in June](https://steemit.com/sports/@winstonalden/long-distance-running-versus-injury-how-i-ran-100-miles-in-june) and again in October. Late July just got too damn hot, and there were weeks that I only ran *twice.*  I got [bitten by a dog in August](https://steemit.com/health/@winstonalden/the-dangers-of-running-alone-a-true-story-with-a-bend-at-the-end). And when my tendons or muscles started to put out little achy warning signs that it was time to back off a bit, I'd rest it for a couple of days - or go for a walk instead.

But did I *meet my goal?* Absolutely! Running is such a habit now that I feel withdrawal symptoms when I can't hit the trails. 

For 32 weeks of the year, I ran my target distance at least five times. I ran at least two times *every single week* except for one week in November, when I was so busy messing around with chainsaws and yard work that I lost track of the days. 

913 miles ain't bad. And I'm going into next year stronger than ever. 

I think I'll set a more reasonable goal this time. Call it 1000 miles. 

Yeah, that seems like a nice round number.

# Reading

Maybe it seems a little silly to make a pleasure activity into the sort of goal you track on a spreadsheet. 

But here's the thing: even though I love reading, I've got the attention span of a goldfish. The internet, social media, and video games just make it worse. And as someone who has aspirations of writing books, I'd sure better make time to read them. Once I'm reading a book, sure, I can sit with it for several hours and have a great time. But getting myself to do that... *hey look! A squirrel!*

Stephen King recommends reading at least five hours a day, but I suspect he has a working dish washer, and hired help to mow the lawn. 

I decided I wanted to read 60 books this year - a little more than one a week. I gave myself permission to read "pulp." I wanted to explore what people were reading on Kindle Direct Publishing, and I wanted to delve into schlocky horror as well as "lit'rature" and SF. I even read a couple of oddball romance novels. (Holy shit, some of you lady authors are *messed up!)*

The combination of goal + permission really brought me to a lot of stuff I'd never have looked at otherwise. Some great, some challenging, some easy, some trash. But I think it's important to read trash, especially if it's *successful* trash - and consider why *something* about it had to work for *somebody.*

This was a fun spreadsheet to maintain. Title, author, my subjective rating, and a few lines to remind myself just what I'd read and what I thought of it. My rule of thumb: anything rated 7 or higher merits reading again someday. 

The discovery of Steemit really slowed down my "offline" reading substantially, just as it did with my writing. All of a sudden, the vast majority of my days are spent reading words off of screens, and making time for a book takes more effort than ever. 

But I'm fine with that too. Some of the books I read in the second half of the year were by Steemit authors. (Hi there, @snowmachine! And @cheah, you're coming up on my list.) I'd never have discovered them without this place. 

I also tackled *Tale of Two Cities* thanks to a Steemit book club, The Page Dwellers. The club might not have survived the summer but it was great fun while it lasted. Maybe we can bring it back in 2018.

Did I hit the reading goal? 

It's still up for grabs! I'm finishing out the year with Terry Pratchett's *Reaper Man,* which is fast turning into one of my favorite Discworld novels. I'm halfway through, and I've got 29 hours to finish it. 

Looks like you know where I'll be spending New Year's Eve.

## How was your 2017? Did you set goals? Did you reach them?

I haven't hit a single one of mine yet, but it was still one of the best years I've had. 

I'm so glad I set them.