The work Christmas party messed up my schedule and I missed a couple reverb10 postings, so here’s a lengthy 3-in-1.

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December 10 – Wisdom: What was the wisest decision you made this year, and how did it play out? (Author: Susannah Conway)

Short answer: no idea. Long answer: absolutely no idea. I have made a couple decisions recently that I feel will turn out to be wise ones, but I cannot yet judge their success.

Looking at writing specifically, however, I think my wisest decision this year has been to not push myself so hard. Earlier in the year I had set myself such a hectic schedule that I kept falling behind and getting frustrated, so when I started my latest serial I forced myself to choose a much slower update schedule. Some of my readers have been unhappy with the decision, but I feel a lot more relaxed and have been able to work on a wider range of creative projects rather than just the one.

December 11 – 11 Things: What are 11 things your life doesn’t need in 2011? How will you go about eliminating them? How will getting rid of these 11 things change your life? (Author: Sam Davidson)

This is a really tough one. In no particular order:

1. Procrastination – I really want 2011 to be a year of completing projects. I have so many pending writing projects, all of them half-written, and it’s driving me mad. I want to get rid of my procrastination and be able to enjoy the fruits of my labour.
2. Untidiness – Something that has driven me mad this year has been how untidy my room has been. Writing just always comes first, but I shouldn’t let that happen because I cannot focus in an untidy environment. I need to make more effort to keep things ordered in my bedroom!
3. Being late – I seem to have grown into the habit of being late. Not for everything, but if I know it will have little to no repercussions, I find it hard to summon the willpower to be on time.
4. Drama – I really cannot be bothered with all the boy drama. Particularly the exes: stop contacting me, enough said.
5. Comparing myself to others – I’m not going to get anything done if I’m too busy envying what others are doing.
6. Saying yes – I need to be more discriminate about what I take on so as not to overload myself.
7. Anger – There isn’t enough time to do everything I want to do. Why waste some of it being angry?
8. Other People – Obviously I’m not going to eliminate other people entirely, but I need to realize that if I want something, only I can give it to myself. Waiting for other people to take action will just make me frustrated, as it did this year. I hope to be more decisive and proactive in 2011.
9. Clutter – Get rid of those old clothes. Clean out that writing drawer. Simplify things.
10. Stress – This is probably one I cannot get rid of. There are external sources of stress that will never disappear, and I can be quite an anxious person. However, by systematically tackling the things in this list, I hope to reduce stress levels overall and become more productive.
11. Lists like these ones: My brain hurts from trying to think of things to eliminate.

December 12 – Body Integration: This year, when did you feel the most integrated with your body? Did you have a moment where there wasn’t mind and body, but simply a cohesive YOU, alive and present? (Author: Patrick Reynolds)

I don’t know whether there’s ever a cohesive me. I am not a particularly active person, so most of the time I’m focused on the mind. Then there are the moments where I’m focused on the body — out dancing with friends, for example. I suppose the moments where I feel most alive and present are when I’m out walking on a deserted street, in no hurry to go anywhere, just me and my thoughts out in the fresh air. But, as I’m in a city, that’s not something I experience very often.

I suppose, if I cast my mind further back to the summer, the moments I felt most like a cohesive me was when I was on holiday in Spain. Lying on the beach, soaking up the sun, listening to the murmur of the waves and feeling the trickle of salt water on my skin, daydreaming away… There’s a certain peace to be found there.

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There you go, three reverb10s in one. That’s enough rambling for today. Anna, over and out!