USE IT OR LOSE IT: A Plan for 2020

my year has 15 months

Hello again! Congrats to all on making it through the first full week of 2020. Hope the new year is treating you all well. This update will be fairly short and sweet, just to give a taste of what’s to come this year. I’ve made a few resolutions for the year, and they all centralize around the theme of using the things I have, and getting rid of the things I don’t use.

I’m a big fan of paring down whenever possible. Not only does it help reduce the constant buildup of clutter and general disorganization, but it also helps me think more clearly. It’s almost as if getting rid of the excess junk in my physical space allows for a cleaner mental space. Or maybe I just like to distract myself with cleaning. Either way, I’ve enjoyed the benefits of de-cluttering in the past, so I plan to continue the habit this year. This isn’t really a resolution to start a new thing. Instead, it’s a resolution to continue a thing that works for me. And I think these types of resolutions are just as important. When I find something that works for me, sometimes I need to renew my interest in it just to keep it going. Crazy, I know, but habits have never been an easy thing for me, and this works, so I’m just going with it.

I’m also trying something new with using the things I have. Specifically, I’m talking about in-app subscriptions here. Three in particular. For quite some time now, I’ve subscribed to the meditation app Headspace, the workout app Seven, and most recently, the far more varied workout app Peloton. And I barely used any of them in 2019. So this year, I’ve decided to commit to all three of them and see what I get out of it. In the past I’ve paid for subscriptions with the mindset that, someday, I’d like to use the features that the subscriptions provide. Well, that day has come! Since January 1st, I’ve been using each app at least once a day. My goal is to continue daily usage of all three apps for the entire year, and decide at the end of the year if the subscriptions are worth keeping. I’ll be writing up my experiences with all three apps here in the near future, so if you’re interested in any of these, stay tuned!

Another interesting project for the year has recently landed on my plate, though I can’t reveal much detail about it just yet. I’ll be referring to it as PROJECT ALTHEA here in the meantime. I’m really excited about this one, and hope to provide more if/when I can.

And that’s all for now. The weather here has been nothing but wind and rain these last few days and there’s a leak in my roof, but the dripping sound is rather soothing. I’m all about the silver linings. My best to you all. Until next time.

  • Ryan