It’s been a good year. Rough and tumble at times, but two thumbs up. And I’m glad to say putting two thumbs up is much easier after surgery in January. If you are experiencing pain, numbness and tingling-especially weakness-in your hands and fingers, see your doctor. Turns out I put off carpal tunnel treatment longer than wise. Almost a year later, and I’m vastly improved. I’m working out regularly, with help from a professional, which has noticeably improved my energy and strength.
Where does that leave my writing? That is THE question. Let’s see if I can brainstorm an answer.
I wrote my first “new beginning” article on this site in 2020. And may have written another before that version. I’ve written at least two since. These always summed up my desires for writing and putting the site to use.
The issue with writing is my practice has to be front and center. The primary focus. Hard to do with two kids plus a job. Harder still with some form of medical issue every two years or so, not counting the pandemic-which derailed those 2020 plans right off the bat. And that was just after recovering from my longest illness, with my knees still wobbly. Not a happy time.
Every human has a number of resources. We often focus on money because the lack of it crushes most of the others. Time is most important, which ticks away no matter what we are doing. Seconds, minutes, hours, days. Months pass, and we’re upset when grand plans remain crib-bound infants.
Focus is another. Personally, I can’t function without focus. If my illnesses stole anything, focus was the worst. I’d always been a solid butt-in-chair-hands-on-keyboard writer. Near daily. That fails when you sit there, staring at your screen, unable to stop the mental spin long enough to move the cursor. Disheartened, you give up and move onto the pile of squeaky wheels scattered across our lives.
That’s the past. What of the future?
Counting resources, I feel wealthy at the moment. We are financially stable, which is saying something in this economy. My use of time has improved in ways I have yet to figure out. All I know is each day, week, and month feel richer than before surgery. This year felt loooooonnnng oh many wonderful levels, with many lovely experiences.
This leaves focus. Which is always my Achilles heel.
After my longest illness, I was too weak to manage full days of anything. With limited endurance, everything was short effort ,whether mental or physical. Having always been fit, intelligent, and experienced with a wide range of skills, I was used to life being easy at full speed. Now I had a small pat of butter and three large slices of toast representing my creative interests, house/family projects, and regaining my health. No matter which I focused on, the other two had a distracting gravity. And a long walk left me too exhausted for the others.
The key was simply identifying which of my tasks were both necessary and urgent. Then selecting a short list to complete that day or week.
The Eisenhower Matrix helped sort projects into buckets, from which I could identify which required immediate attention and which could wait or be set aside.
A version of the Eisenhower Matrix drawn with icons by CMG Lee with GNU 1.2
Projects sorted, life jumpstarted just in time to shut down for the event which will not be named. Since then, I’ve honed my skills. Life has settled into a nice groove. Not as productive as I’d like, but it turns out hand/wrist pain is a major limiter and distraction. I’m not as tough as I thought.
Where does this leave me? With three simple rules to start 2026:
- Stay on task.
- Work from a list.
- Two hours of creativity every day.
Staying on task is the key to the others. I’ve found a poor man’s OODA Loop works wonders. For me, it’s: What list am I working from? What materials are at hand? Choose an objective! Stay with that project as long as time, energy, and focus allow. And it’s okay to fail. Tomorrow is another day.
Though that brings up the lurking horror of guilt. I hate failing or disappointing others. So that is another skill to develop, one of forgiveness.
Working from a list also helps. With life constantly upended over the last decade, including the birth of our youngest (Yes, having kids is a wonderful experience but they deserve time and love and care, so you might have to shove some projects in the closet until life settles), there are a thousand projects from donate that old toy to paint a room. Using the matrix to slim that list works well, but can still feel overwhelming. So slim it AND identify which demand the most interest/benefit/guilt and go.
Finally, we get to these two hours of practice. Why aren’t they #1? Because that’s how I work. Slimming down the list so those objectives are accomplishable makes it possible to put two hours into creativity. Limits distractions. Allows space to think, dream, and create.
I believe this sums up my 2026 resolutions. Just three simple rules. If I can make those work for a month, I can finally finish things instead of keeping them simmering. 2026 will be my year of completion.