My "23 for 2023" List
Wow, how is it June already. And how I am only publishing this now (better late than never I guess). So without further adieu here is my 23 for 2023 list*:
1. Finish decorating my bedroom. For various reasons I haven't finished redecorating my bedroom, and I'm starting to feel it (living in semi-chaos I mean). I have a great bed now, and a comfy mattress so it's time to sort out storage, floors, and the finishing touches (e.g. curtains, and pictures)
2. Get more active on LinkedIn. I hate looking for a job (which might explain why I don't do it very often!). So I was very intrigued by the concept of Job Shopping from Madeline Mann. Her argument is that it's better to get jobs coming to you, which you can do by raising your profile on LinkedIn. This appeals to me for a variety of reasons so I want to give it a try this year.
3. Learn how to make the perfect tamarind cocktail. I have been haunted by a delicious tamarind cocktail I had many years ago. I've never seen it on a menu since, so this summer I want to figure out how to recreate the experience at home.
4. Participate in a cause I believe in. Last year I supported a campaign to save a number of gas lamps in Covent Garden (by writing to the relevant council, and liking a couple of Tweets). The campaign was successful. and it made me realise that maybe it is worth getting involved in things you care about.
5. Get more Vitamin D. I wrote about this before, and I was not successful. But over the last year I have developed a few good supplement habits. Collagen and Vitamin C in the morning, and Magnesium (gel or pills) in the evening. It's time to add Vitamin D to the mix.
6. Save for a new kitchen. It's not going to happen without some concerted effort. I am tempted to do it in phases, but most people seem very committed to talk me out of that idea. In which case I need to save a rather large lump sum!
7. Donate more. I have to be honest. I am not 100% comfortable giving to charities. However, I want to find a way to support people and causes I care about. I feel strongly about education, and am leaning towards skipping charities all together with direct giving.
8. Go to Isla. This is a restaurant I walked by near Kings Cross. To be honest, I was very taken in by the architecture of the building, and the retro-but-stylish interiors so those would be my main reasons for visiting. But hopefully the food is also good!
9. Buy a summer dress from Reformation. For a few years now I have been lusting after their pretty and feminine styles, but I find their prices a bit high. However, this year I want to at least visit their store in London and check out the styles and quality in person.
10. Add to my fragrance collection. I've wanted a rose fragrance for ages so this year I want to try out a couple (especially affordable ones like Rose Jam) and take the plunge. Also, after a trip to Crete a few years ago I can finally understand why people go mad for Philosykos from Diptyque. But it is quite pricey, so I might try find a dupe. Or I could combine my search and just buy the Fig & Rose perfume from L'Occitane. Seems the most cost effective!
11. Build on the ballet. I started going last year, but want to build up my frequency so I am aiming for once a week.
12. Rebuild my body. From the feet up. Literally! Since picking up ballet again, I've noticed there are a couple of things that I want to work on. I want to improve my point, strengthen my calves and glutes, lengthen my hamstrings, and work on my mobility and flexibility overall. This is all in my quest to finally get the splits, but now it turns out stretching is not enough - strength is also key!
13. Commit to SUPERSTREAK. There's a lot I could be doing, that I am not (like join a local market, be more active on social media, create a shop on Etsy, consider using TikTok, create holographic stickers, launch a new line like the Adult Star Chart).
14. Go see The Mousetrap. I love Agatha Christie. I live in London. Enough said.
15. Try out a local gym. Specifically Fight City Gym. I'm always intrigued when I walk past, and they have a two week trial. It could be fun!
16. Enter a sitcom writing contest. Specifically the BBC Writersroom's Open Call later this year. I loved the sitcom writing course I did, and I have been collecting lots of ideas for the characters I began to develop. Also, I have promised some friends the "opportunity" of a table read, which I guess would be fun :-)
17. Finish redecorating my spare room. Yes, it's kind of bizarre that I live in London and have a spare room. But since it's spare, and I don't have visitors that often, I want to transform it into my HQ, Where I can work on SUPERSTREAK, my sitcom, and any other random project I decide to pursue,
18. Install a CO2 alarm. This has been on my list before. And if I am honest, it's because I want the fancy version (Google Nest Protect, which is now £109! It used be £79 I think), instead of the regular £15 version you can pick up from any hardware store.
19. Become a magistrate. Another carry-over. But whenever I think about doing this, I feel very excited so I don't want to forget about it.
20. Explore the freezer aisle. Last year replaced my undercounter fridge with one that has a small freezer compartment. What a joy to have easy access to ice! But when I was in Tesco the other day I realised that there is a whole new food aisle for me to explore now.
21. Finish balcony makeover. I did work on my balcony last year, but there's more to do - like paint over the red paint, and get more plants.
22. Promote the podcast! Last year two friends and I started a podcast. This year we actually launched it (on Apple podcasts for now). At some point this year we are going to have to promote it :-)
23. Investigate Locate Internationale. I came across this organisation when I read an article on the Wembley Point Woman. The work sounds very worthwhile, and in another life I might have been an investigator.
And that's it! I wasn't sure I'd get up to 23, but in the end I got there :-)
*for more info about this fun framework see my blog post here