See, this is why this is such a great little project for me.

I’m writing about these goals and thinking ahead and being accountable and all, and it sparked a great idea:

Each week on Sunday I’m going to post a little To-Do List for the week ahead.

It might be a literal to-do list, of what I have ahead of me. In fact, it most certainly will be that.

I’ll probably also include ‘might-dos’, which have less urgency but are things I’d like to get to in the week.

But it might also include certain things I’m looking ahead to, what I’m looking forward to.

For you, it’s a little preview of what I might be writing about.

For me, it’s another way to keep myself accountable. Because each Sunday I’ll give a quick little update on how I did with the previous week’s list.

If I tell you on Sunday that I’m going to try to do something…well, I’ll have to be honest with you the next week if I don’t get around to it.

And I think that’s helpful for both of us - me and you, the reader.

Back when I was doing a lot more freelance-y freelance writing and stand-up comedy, I was writing about some of the work I was doing and some of the places I was performing, and I was trying to write about it in a helpful way so that someone who was in a similar spot as me might learn from my experiences and be able to use the information to help them.

Perhaps that will happen again in terms of running, or maybe with the writing if I allow myself to get vulnerable. (To be determined.)

I’m no expert, but I’m doing it, and I know I appreciated being able to read or hear what other people’s experiences were when I left teaching and ventured into these worlds that were unknown to me.

So, it’ll be cool to do this over the next 52 weeks, I think. And even if I fall out of the everyday posting habit, I should be able to keep this up every Sunday. (I should make myself keep this up every Sunday.)

Without further ado….the to-do:

Record the Introduction Video to my Spring Semester Class: This week is the last week of break before the spring semester of my on-line, asynchronous class starts up. So this is a must-do, because I have a hard deadline - it needs to be posted by next Monday (See next item on the to-do list.) This is now my 8th semester teaching this course. My first year I recorded the lectures for the fall and then I re-recorded everything in the spring. The recording and editing is the most labor-intensive work I do, and it was almost overwhelming that first year. Other than the aesthetic aspect of the recordings, though, it was pretty unnecessary. Now I feel like what I record in August through November is still good enough to last from January through April. So unless something major happens that changes the landscape of sports media, I’m OK. I just like to re-record the quick Introduction video every semester so students are seeing the newest version of the me that is teaching them. (I got a haircut Friday so I am ready for recording!)
Make sure Week 1 Materials are all set…and maybe the whole semester?: I often go week-to-week to make sure everything for the week ahead is set for the class, but since this is the beginning of the semester I need to go through everything. So I would like to get all of this done early in the week to make sure I’m not pushing right up to the first day of classes next Monday.
Blog Posts, Case Studies, and White Papers: This is the bulk of my usual work and I promise I won’t just itemize my work each week but I figure it’s helpful this first time.

How about a quick “May-Do”?

Reorganize My Desk: When I’m in recording mode, which I told you was basically August through January, I have stuff piled up in my office in an unusual way (off-camera) so everything looks nice on camera. Since I’ll be done recording now until maybe August (July if I get my act together?) I can now put things back in a way that feels more comfortable to me. And I can set myself up in a way that optimizes my writing ability. (Or at least makes me think that’s true.) It doesn’t have to happen immediately though.
See A Movie: I would like to See ‘A Complete Unknown’, which I am likely going to see by myself at some point. I would also like to see ‘Wicked’, which I will likely watch with Kathy. Is this the week for one, both, or neither?
Find A Book: I told you about this yesterday. I don’t need to repeat myself. But it would be nice if I could break my (book) reading slump this week. And a big thank you to everyone who offered suggestions on Instagram yesterday - I love that interactive element of some of these posts!

Don’t-want-but-have-to-do:

My least favorite activity of the year: Undecorate the Christmas tree and bring it out to the curb. I’ve gotten better at this the past couple of years. I take an ornament or two off each time I pass the tree, so that spreads out the sadness a little bit. And I lay out a tarp to lessen the needle clean-up. Maybe I’ll write more about it next week.