a playful new year list

cooking Thai, making maps and hosting dinners

First of all, I am not a fan of lists. They are useless. You will never watch the most influential 100 films. 

I guess we see lists as a way to create structure and feel certainty in our ambiguous world.

But, the lists lack context. Your taste or environment can change, you may encounter different problems in your life and the lists you made or saved may become irrelevant.

The new year’s resolution list is not an exception. If I were successful in achieving my new year goals, I would have been Hercules now. (i wished to gain muscle for the last 5 years :/) They also lack context as every list. Will I have a stable life to go training this year? I have fucking no idea.

The other problem with the new year’s resolution list is that it is not fun. The moment I write down my goals, it stresses me out. The list is simply not playful.

Austin Kleon has a more enjoyable list to make. He starts every year by writing 10 things he wants to learn. Thinking about things you want to learn allows you to follow your curiosity. 

Here’s a list of his from 5 years ago:

Here is mine for this year:

it is not stylish as Austin’s :S

Some of the items are inspired by my travel experiences: cooking new cuisines or reading about development and religion. 

The others are reactions to my ever-expanding digital life and the need to use my hands more.

Let’s see the fate of this list (in the trash). I will share my progress later on.

For a while, I am trying to convince my friends (you!) from different circles to join the blogging movement. Maybe you can take a step by writing your things-to-learn list in the comments :).

see you soon.

can