The new year is here and it's time to make some resolutions. In 2023, I am going to continue the habits I began in 2022, which focuses on reading and investing in my physical and mental health. But more importantly, I am making it a priority to write more.
Reading
This year, I'm making it a priority to read more books and challenge myself to expand my knowledge. In 2022, I read 6 books - mostly covering literature in culture and learning. In 2023, I'm taking my reading to the next level. In an attempt to make the most out of the near year, I'm making it a priority to read more books and research papers. I'm going to challenge myself to read at least one book a month. That is 6 more books when compared to the books I read in 2022.
In 2022, my reading list included -
Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions by Kroeber & Kluckhohn
The Design of Everyday Things: Revised and Expanded Edition by Don Norman; suggested by Injila Rasul. Injila and I work in the Advanced Learning Technologies Lab at UMass Amherst.
Powerful Teaching: Unleash the Science of Learning by Agarwal & Bain
The Five-Minute Writer by Margret Geraghty
Atomic Habits by James Clear*
The Book of Joy by Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu*
In 2023, I initially plan to begin with 7 books out of a total of 12. More to be added in the coming weeks.
Homo Ludens: A Study of the Play-Element in Culture by Johan Huizinga
The Book of Learning and Forgetting by Frank Smith
What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy by James Paul Gee
Algebra in Sixteenth Century India : A Critical Study by Sita Sundar Ram
Understanding Culture: Theory, Research, and Application by Wyer, Chiu & Hong
Dune by Frank Herbert
The Social Skills Guidebook by Chris MacLeod
Writing
I am new to writing. Especially when it is scientific writing, my brain gets fried. That is one growth area I focused on in early 2022. With a lot of help from my academic advisors, I was able to deeply understand scientific writing techniques and published two scientific articles.
In 2023, I'm committing to write more. I write every day already, and I'm going to bring my writing streak into the new year. I realized that the more one reads, the more one can write. Because of this, I made it a goal to read more, as reading can be a great source of inspiration for writing. I'm determined to make this year a productive one, and I'm excited to see where my writing takes me in 2023!
Mental and Physical Health
Although I made it a priority to invest time in my physical and mental health at the beginning of 2022, I am not happy with the results - mainly for the reason I paid little to no time focusing on my health. In September 2022, I introduced a 10-minute Youtube guided meditation in my daily routine and it feels great. I started to feel not only focused after meditating, but I noticed that I get less frustrated and less distracted. In 2023, I'm going to continue the practice by setting aside time each day to meditate and practice mindfulness.
Let me know what your top 2023 goals are in the comments.
