It's A New Year, And Time For the Making of Resolutions

Happy New Year to one and all. This is traditionally a time for reflecting on where we want to go, and for the making of resolutions. So, in that spirit, here are my goals for the year:

• FINANCIAL: Finally start keeping track of my expenses. I've known that this is the critical first step to getting better control of my money, but I've simply never gotten around to it. And I should know better.
  
• HEALTH: Lose 12 pounds by Easter. Like most winters, thi time around I've put on a few, and the waistband's getting a bit tight. As subsidiary goals:
• Get at least 30 minutes a day of aerobic activity five times a week. I just took my old bike (the frame of which is almost rotted through due to the extreme amounts of sweat I produce) and put it up on my wind trainer in the cellar. This will have the added benefit of allowing me to quickly get up to speed (no pun intended) on my road bike once the weather warms up.
  
• I'm also joining a local swim club (I used to put in about a mile a day in the pool until my son got sick and we subsequently moved to a new state).
  
• CAREER: Following Mike Munger's excellent advice, I want to get at least 3 papers under review at decent journals by the end of the spring semester. I've got a number of "half-done" projects, and I need to get them out the door. Towards these goals, I also want to:
• Put in a minimum of an hour of research work daily at least 5 times a week. As a number of people have said, it's the "zero productivity days" that kill research productivity. I'll probably do more once I get started, but as long as I get my daily hour in, I'll be happy.
  
• Start getting up again at 6:00 every day. My first class doesn't meet this spring until 11:00, so I can get a good bit of work in before heading out the door.
  

To keep myself honest, I'll be reporting here on my progress every Friday. Accountability's a good thing, eh?