Did you know gym attendance doubles in January?
The sweat-soaked weight machines groan under the eager, inexperienced enthusiasm of the well-meaning but physically unfit, whilst the regular gym-goers look on in disgust.
They call it the New Year’s rush. With each passing day, their willpower fades. Come February, most of these new faces will be back in the pub, where they spend their evenings for 11 months a year. So much for that fresh start, huh?
No — I haven’t joined the gym (although that’d be a handy excuse for why I haven’t updated the blog). In fact, I’ve never been a huge fan of New Year’s resolutions, despite pushing myself every year to come up with a list.
The problem with making resolutions is that you start out with the best of intentions, but the mounting mental pressure strangles the habit. Soon your carefully planned fresh start turns into something you’re doing because you have to, and not because you want to.
And the moment you begin to resent your resolution — the moment you break your new habit — then it tends to stay broken.
Which brings me to: what do I want to accomplish this year?
-
Get Above Ground done and dusted. Finish serialising it, get it out in print and ebook form, and close the chapter on that novel.
-
Plot/plan the next book. I haven’t decided which, yet — I may run a little poll and get you guys to vote on which I should work on.
Yep, that’s it.
Why only two things? Because what with being editor-in-chief of 1889 Labs, co-producing and hosting Webfiction World, eating chocolate, being lazy, and spending time with the boyfriend, I don’t want to commit to anything else… for now.
But you know what? Since I don’t do New Year’s resolutions, I can make new resolutions any time. So beware, gym-goers — you may see me in the gym yet!
How about you? What are your plans for the year?
(Psst! Join the mailing list and get a free book! If you’d like to receive emails from me with news, special promotions, exclusive content, pre-releases, etc, you now can! How exciting is that? All you have to do is sign up for my newsletter. And if you sign up by January 31st, you’ll get a e-copy of Belonging FREE! You know you want to.)
A.M. Harte 
I started going back to the gym in early December, and I can’t tell you how crowded the gym was the first week of January. Every machine was full. Of course, it’s a few weeks into the new year, now, so people got lazy and stopped coming. :)
I have never stepped foot in a gym, January or otherwise :-P
I’m doing it out of the kindness of my heart, really, to not annoy you other proper gym people!
Good luck with the year ahead and your goals :-) I hope you meet them!
Likewise, Cassie! I’m still keeping an eye on you, waiting for something to pounce on ;-)