I think the moment you realize that something isn’t working for you, that’s when you should resolve to change it. You shouldn’t wait till New Year’s Eve.

Last year, I decided to make a few goals instead of resolutions. I made the mistake of only writing them down on the blog and letting them get buried in the archives. As such, I only managed to complete 6 out of 9 of them.

I like the idea of setting some yearly goals. It gives me something to shoot for.

Here are my goals for 2013

1) Contribute a half an hour of content to DOPEfm weekly this year.

DOPEfm is an overnight hip-hop radio show that can be heard each and every Saturday night. On average, I contribute 90 minutes of programming for it every month. I do a monthly segment on the history of hip-hop entitled Know Your History. I also do an in-depth artist interview every month.

This year, I want to do a half-hour of hip-hop talk radio every week. I will be assembling panels of artists, deejays, writers, and anyone else that is interested in having a roundtable discussion on some of the topics of the day and how they relate to hip-hop culture.

I’m excited about this new segment. I will continue to do Know Your History episodes as well as artist interviews.

2) Polish two of my novels and get them ready for publishing.

I had to carry over this goal from last year. It’s something I really wanted to do in 2012 but I just didn’t get around to it. I didn’t put in the effort needed to make that happen. That is something I am going to correct this year. I hope.

3) Write something.

Last year at this time, I pledged to write both a screenplay and a novel. I did neither. This year, I hope to do at least one. That’s my goal.

4) Keep Fit.

I love skateboarding. I love going for trail runs. I will do both as often as I possibly can this year. You’re only as young as you feel and act, right?

5) Read a lot.

Last year, I kept a reading log of every single title I read over the year. I am going to do the same thing this year. Maybe I’ll have a friendly contest with myself to see if I can read at least 5 more titles. That would be 70 books in 2013.

6) Be the best teacher I can possible be.

I always reflect on what I do in the classroom. I try new things. I read a lot of articles, go to meetings and workshops, and apply my new knowledge. I want to reach every child I instruct. I know I am learning a lot this year in this new position and things will be even better for the 2013-2014 school year.

7) Spend quality time with the family.

This one is always a priority for me. I just haven’t written about it before. I haven’t had any need to. This one goes without saying and I don’t need reminders for it. Thankfully.

8) Keep track of all this stuff.

Here’s a great tip that Silverfish pointed me towards last year. I should have tried this last year.

“In a nutshell, the idea is to take a goal, and when you do something related to that goal, mark it on a wall calendar that displays a full year. Each day you do something towards your goal, write down a mark with a red pen, and after doing it multiple days, make a chain. From there, don’t break the chain.”

– Michael Larsen

Thanks for the great idea. I am going to do that for sure this year. Just need to get a calendar now.

Happy New Year!

Have you set any goals for 2013.

Please share your thoughts or comments below!