freedom to dither

yesterday i posted my new year’s resolutions for 2012. i have now added a new resolution for 2012 - swimming:

they say you are more likely to honour your new year’s resolutions if you make them known to your friends and family, so last year i wrote a short tumblr post setting out my resolutions for 2011.  i reasoned that as i already (over)shared every tiny aspect of my life on twitter, tumblr, foursquare and facebook, it made sense to also post my resolutions online.  i’ve already looked back at how i went with my resolutions for 2011, so i thought i should now set out my resolutions for 2012. 

anyway, here are my resolutions for 2012:

1. lose weight - this was one of my resolutions for 2011 but i didn’t really make any progress until the last few months of the year.  i’ve lost 11kg so far but am hoping to lose a further 10-20kg in 2012.

3. master how to cook a souffle.  this is another one i failed to do in 2011.

4. read any fiction. i didn’t read any fiction in 2011, so i clearly need to do better in 2012.

5. see more movies at the cinema.  i used to love going to the movies but i have only seen a handful of movies in 2011.

6. continue to shift my research focus to public law, especially constitutional law and electoral law.  and decide by the end of the year whether i wish to enrol in a phd.

7. continue to build my media profile.  however, i need to be more strategic as to how i do this.  i think i need to focus on writing op-ed pieces for newspapers in 2011 (with less radio and online media).

8. the above two resolutions really feed into this last, big resolution: decide by the end of the year whether i am prepared to make a long-term career commitment to academia, or whether i should move into a career in media or politics.  in my ways i have simply treaded water in 2011 and delayed making a decision about what i want to do with my professional life.  by the end of 2012, i want to know.

what do you think? am i being unrealistic? are there any others i should add? let me know what you think and promise to keep me honest in 2012!