To Do or Not To Do--That is the New Year Question

New Year Resolutions? Not this year. Oh, sure, I still have goals for 2016. I have a list of new habits I hope to form and old ones I hope to leave behind. Some are personal. Like getting in shape physically. That one always makes the list.

I recently read up on the Pareto Principle –sometimes known as the 80/20 Principle. The basic premise is that 20% of our time and resources yields 80% of our reward. Or something like that. It’s about working smarter. It’s about putting effort into what works. I get it.

Writing is my business. It’s what I do. If I truly view it that way then I need to examine how to be more productive. Looking at the 80/20 Principle has led me to a new take on forming New Year’s resolutions. I call it my “To-Do and Not-To-Do” list. It is based on how I spend my time and what that means in my life.

To do, or not to do….that is the question. For example, social media is a great way to connect with friends and family, but it can suck away precious time from my day. Television can be a great form of entertainment. A good movie or an old Perry Mason…yeah, I like that stuff. But if I turn it on for “house noise” or even to catch the news, I later find myself staring at some mindless reality program or game show. Or worse yet, flipping through channels trying to “find something “ to watch. What a waste of time!

So here is my list:

Do connect with my family and friends on social media; Don’t spend more than an hour during the day doing it.

Do write every weekday; Don’t stress over which project gets attention—feel free to work on multiple projects at a time (I get stressed when I lock my self into one idea).

Do watch television on occasion for entertainment; Don’t have the television on for noise.

Do read a book a week; Don’t forget to leave a review.

And…oh yes…the everlasting goal:

Do eat right and exercise; Don’t con myself into thinking fast food is one of the four food groups.

What’s on your “do and don’t do” list?