So… 2011, huh? Happy new year, everybody. I’ve had a nice break, done a lot of sewing and reading and worked a bit on personal web projects, and released a lot of the tension that had built up over the previous months.

Note to self: time off is good – take it more regularly.

Today is my last day before going back to work, so I’m trying to wrap things up and get organized. I’ve been reflecting on how to approach the new year so I don’t get into the same unpleasant states I was in for big chunks of last year, and I think I’ve worked out some goals.

Be selective about new commitments

I like helping people. I want them to succeed, and when I have skills that can facilitate that, I want to share my knowledge. But sometimes that leads to more time or effort than I was prepared for, and if I don’t have those resources, it becomes a stress point. Similarly, when I get excited about an idea I often start a new project impulsively, and if I don’t have the resources to spend on it then that becomes a stress point as well. Then I waste time worrying about which commitment needs my attention more, rather than spending time on the tasks themselves – and I don’t enjoy the time I do spend on them because I keep thinking about all the other things I need to get done.

So, I’m going to take a step back. Write down ideas and leave them to percolate a while before I take them on. Not be so quick to jump in with the “Oh yeah, I can do that for you.” And when I feel like I’m getting dogpiled, not be afraid to say no.

Be conscious of what I really want to accomplish, and take action accordingly

This one is sort of a metric for being selective, and while it mostly has to do with consumerism, it’s also about identifying what’s important to me.

Back in January 2008 my resolution was consume less, create more, and actually, I think I’ve made progress with that – certainly we had fewer donatables this year, though it might have been because I decided to use the library instead of buying books, when possible. But there’s creating, and then there’s producing, and sometimes I confuse the latter with the former. Case in point: I bought some very cute fabric to make library bags for my nieces and nephews at Christmas. I bought it online, and because it was on sale and very cute, and I was also entertaining an idle inclination to make some other items as Christmas gifts, I bought  much more fabric than I needed. I spent notable time over the recent break sewing things that I don’t really know what to do with now, when I could have spent that time on other projects. Similarly, I acquired a large stack of Japanese sewing porn – I mean, pattern books – over the last couple of years, which I spend a lot of time looking at and not actually sewing from.

I managed to work through my yarn stash last summer until it was down to one cone (planned for a shawl), and I culled some of the fabric from my fabric stash – I probably need to take another pass at that – until it was down to fabrics I’m pretty sure I know what I’m going to do with. And I did complete a few projects over my break that were out of interest and not about feeling guilty about the stack of stuff sitting on the shelf.

That’s the plan going forward: take on projects because I want to, because they’re fulfilling in some way, and not simply because they’re there – and let go of the ones that aren’t beloved, and try not to acquire more of them.

Eat a greater variety of foods, and choose fresh, organic and local foods over those which are highly processed

I started out calling this one “take better care of myself,” and then “eating better,” but I think it has a better chance of succeeding if it’s more focused, so there it is. Without really intending to – I’ll explain the details in another post sometime – I recently became interested in genetically modified food and the hazards of monocultures. I had already become aware of the amount of processed, packaged foods I eat, and how we often treat eating around our house as something that has to be done but preferably as quickly and with as little effort as possible. Because of various dietary restrictions and conflicting schedules and a general lack of time, we tend to eat the same things repeatedly.

This goal is about eating better, but it’s also about cooking for the experience of cooking rather than for the sake of eating, and connecting over that experience. The methods are a little less defined at the moment, but to start with we’re looking into purchasing a CSA share, and I’m compiling a list of recipes to try out.

Continue to support entrepreneurs around the world through microfinancing

In 2009, I committed to funding one loan per month through Kiva, a service that connects people who want to loan money with microfinance institutions around the world; and in 2010 I made that commitment again. On January 1, 2011, I made my 25th Kiva loan and renewed my pledge for one more year. My sister Mags plans to join me this year and was excited to make her first loans this month, in Peru and Ecuador. Last year I made loans in Kenya, Cambodia, Peru, Bolivia, Mali, Costa Rica, Togo, Afghanistan and Ghana, and for the first time, to someone in the United States, right here in San Francisco.

This one’s a no-brainer for me – I set up a monthly reminder on my calendar, but I don’t usually forget about it. As always, I invite you to join me on Kiva yourself – even if you can’t make a loan every month.