I enjoyed my 22 in ’22 projects so much, I’m doing it again in 2023! I’m not going to lie: I went back and forth on whether I should attempt 23 in ’23 because I overextended myself in 2022. Long story short, I burnt myself out volunteering for the PTA and AYSO and want to reduce my obligations in 2023. I love doing things, but there is a difference between “doing” and “being busy.” But after a lot of journaling, I decided that I want to attempt 23 in ’23 as a way of getting back to the things that make me feel like my best, most authentic self. Without further ado, here are the 23 projects I hope to tackle in ’23:

1. Attend fifty hot yoga classes: I’d love to attend 100 classes, but 2022 was the year of endless congestion, making it difficult to attend hot yoga as often as I’d like. Fifty feels doable, so I will stick with a number I’m sure I can hit.
2. Track what I eat for 30 days in a row
3. Drink at least 64 oz of water/day for 30 days in a row: Seriously, shouldn’t be that difficult, but I’ve been majorly slacking in this department. The thinking is if I hit 30 days, it will be a habit.
4. Publish my second novel: I’ve made excellent progress and think this will happen.
5. Read 100 books for myself: I track my reading on Goodreads and since I hit this goal as part of 22 in ’22, I thought it would be cheating to include it again in 2023. But fuck it. It’s my 2023, I can repeat projects if I want!
6. Try 23 new recipes: which may or may not overlap with Projects 7 and 8
7. Cook with mushrooms 23 times: I had a project with mushrooms in 22 in ’22 that I did not complete, but I want to try again but this time, instead of trying different recipes, I just want to get into the habit of using mushrooms when I cook.
8. Bake 23 loaves of bread: Same as with mushrooms. I could bake the same loaf 23x. I just want to get into the habit of baking bread because it makes me happy.
9. Make 23 different buttons with my button maker: In 2022, I mastered my button maker. Now I want to see where my creativity leads me.
10. Finish 23 craft projects (not including buttons)
11. Watch 12 different Creativebug classes: I’ve had a subscription for years and have thoroughly enjoyed all the classes I tried. I just want to do this more often. And this will help Projects 10 and 12.
12. Draw 12 times: Because I feel awkward when I sit down to draw but once I get started, I feel so good.
13. Play 23 different board/card games: These can be games I have already played, though I hope to sprinkle in at least a few new ones.
14. Watch 23 movies with my kids: We watched several movies together in 2022, like Willow and Hook, that brought me back to my childhood. This is a great way to relax while connecting with my darlings.
15. Write 23 blog posts
16. Visit 23 new places: Ideally, I’d like to visit a new place every week, but this is a goal that is doable. If we start 2023 off with a bunch of viruses, I don’t want to fall so far behind that I abandon this goal completely.
17. Go on 12 hikes: Solo or with friends or family, doesn’t matter. It would be cool to try 12 new hikes (hello, Project 16!) but I just want to get into the habit of exploring nature on a more regular basis, so if I do the same hike 12 times, that’s fine by me.
18. Do 23 things I have never done before: This will either be (a) an epic fail or (b) the project that inspires a book, there is no in-between. I would really like to FINALLY visit a rock climbing gym for the first time. Other contenders include: play pickle ball; publish an audiobook; donate blood; sell something on eBay; decorate cookies with royal icing; go to drag queen Bingo; wear red lipstick in public; wear a hairdo in public that involves a scarf; geocaching; flip a piece of old furniture; dance in the rain; and try virtual reality!
19. Finish decluttering the house! Bonus: implement practices to keep the house decluttered. Extra bonus: deep clean the decluttered house.
20. Indulge my inner child 23 times: I was going to include “tap dance 23x” and “roller skate 23x” as their own separate projects but realized these are both ambitions of my inner child. So, maybe I’ll end up tap dancing and roller skating to fulfill this project. Or maybe my inner child will ask me to hula hoop, get cotton candy at a carnival, decorate with dinosaurs and pompoms, dance around to Madonna, or memorize a Shel Silverstein poem. Who knows?! I love this project because it will remind me to touch base with my inner child and let her out to romp and play.
21. Publish 12 podcast episodes: Or, at least one, to see if this something I want to get back to doing. In the past, I was always so happy and satisfied when I finished a podcast episode. Plus, it was another way of figuring things out. But then I got a new laptop and transferring my files seemed like too much work, blah blah blah. Let’s see if 2023 is the year I podcast again.
22. Attend 12 live performances: I took my children to see A Christmas Carol at A Noise Within in Pasadena, and it was EXTRAORDINARY. In September, we saw Oklahoma! with friends. My soul felt so full and effervescent from both these shows. I want more of that in 2023.
23. Spend 20 hours gardening: Nature and fresh air are so good for my mental and spiritual health.