I like to concoct lists of projects that I hope to complete during the new year. I got this idea from one of my favorite podcasts, Happier With Gretchen Rubin, and I’ve been doing it since 2022. Here’s the progress I made in January on my 24 in ’24:

1. No soda or caffeine. I have no had a drop of soda! That’s the primary goal. On the caffeine front, I’ve had chocolate (acceptable, according to me) and I had one Thai iced tea at a restaurant. I’m really only concerned about imbibing caffeine via coffee or soda, so I’m winning here.
2. Take an introductory class at a rock climbing gym. Not yet.
3. Read 100 books. As of today, I’ve read eight books and according to Goodreads, I’m on track to finish 100. .
4. Attend 100 hot yoga classes. I attended nine hot yoga and hot pilates classes in January, so I’m a smidge ahead of schedule.
5. Write the rough draft of my third novel. In progress! My kids wore me down and I’m writing a children’s book for them.
6. Paint a room in our house. Or the front door. Or a mural. Not yet!
7. Try 24 new recipes. I tried two new recipes in January, pad Thai and smashed chicken meatball sliders.
8. Record an audiobook. I did a little research about this, and honestly, this might not be the DIY job I imagined.
9. Get 52 mega nature doses. I got four mega doses of Mother Nature: (1) a trip to Santa Barbara wine country with Nathan, which included lunch at the beach, driving through beautiful countryside, sitting on the front porch of a winery and soaking up the vineyards, and stopping at a scenic point to see a dam; (2) a walk around Descanso Gardens; and (3) and (4) walks at the Huntington. I hadn’t been to the Huntington since before the Covid shutdowns, but I felt inspired by 24 in ’24 to renew my membership and damn, I forgot how much I love that place.
10. Make a five year plan. Not yet!
11. Complete 24 craft projects. I worked on several projects — a crochet poncho, amigurumi pigs, and this big ass embroidery project that will take all year — but I did not complete any.
12. Help the kids prepare a family meal once a month. Julian prepared the new smashed chicken meatball sliders, and Pippa made pad Thai.
13. Plan a family trip to the Grand Canyon. Nathan and I are actually planning a trip to Mt. Rushmore for this summer, so I haven’t thought about the Grand Canyon. Need to nail down those our South Dakota logistics first!
14. Get 24 minutes of fresh air every day. I did this every day in January and have continued my streak into February. Today, it’s been raining all day but I put on a jacket, grabbed my biggest umbrella, and took a lovely walk.
15. Tap dance 20 times. I haven’t done this yet. I should start tomorrow since it will still be raining!
16. Walk an average of 10,000 steps/day. I’m a little behind here. I average 9,448 steps/day in January, but this is actually motivating me to find new ways to sneak in my daily steps.
17. Record 25 podcast episodes. I recorded one in January and a second on February 1.
18. Create a TikTok 100 weekdays in a row. I started doing this on Thursday, January 4, and have not yet missed a weekday.
19. Visit the Gamble House. Not yet.
20. Take monthly family portraits. We took a family portrait in January, and I have it on my To Do list for February.
21. Learn how to make balloon animals. Not yet.
22. Visit The Broad. Not yet but discussed doing this with a friend.
23. Track time spent sitting vs. time spent standing for a month. Not yet.
24. Joy Tracking! Wherein I keep track of things that boost my wellness and happiness but are not part of this project (e.g. boardgames played; movies watched; new places visited). I’ve been doing this!