[Yearly Review] Part 3: goals for 2016

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

Rather than making 'traditional' New Year's resolutions, I like to set myself a few goals to try and meet each year. The number of goals I set seems to increase every year, and covers the gamut of my activities, from work to gaming via TV, books, and sport. I find that doing this helps my balance my various hobbies, and maintain a healthy work-life balance.

Over the last few years my success at meeting these goals has seen a rather precipitous decline! But still I persevere. At the very least it's entertaining to see how badly I do each year.

As per usual, I'll be trying to make my goals relatively achievable. In some cases I'll be building on experience from the last couple of years (a '*' marks those carried over from 2015).

General

• Save a net £1000
• Keep my weight between 12st and 13st. (*)
• Go swimming once per week for more than half of the year.
• Swim 2km in a session at least once.
• Go on one or more cycle rides of at least 10miles.
• Resurrect the blog - post at least five posts, not including the end of year review posts.
• Buy a house. (*)
• Attend at least one Wasps match.
• Attend at least one Blaze match.
• See at least one musical in the West End.
• Attend at least one BBC Prom (not counting Proms in the Park).

Work

• Publish at least two peer-reviewed papers (*)
• Attend at least one international conference. (*)
• Go on at least one observing run. (*)
• Propose (and run if accepted) an exoplanets session at NAM 2016. (*)
• Arrive at work before 9:30 for more than half of the days I'm in the office. (* but modified to a later time!)
• Drive to work less than 1/3 of days I'm in the office.

Reading

• Read 35 fiction books. (*)
• Read 5 non-fiction books. (*)
• Buy fewer than ten physical books. (*)
• Read all of the books in my bedroom that I haven't read before (as of January 1st).

TV and film

• Watch one TV shows from my collection (that I haven't previously watched). (*)
• Watch at least three complete seasons of TV shows (different or the same show)
• Watch at least one films from my collection (that I haven't previously watched). (*)
• Watch more than 30 films (combined between cinema trips, home, film nights, etc. (*)

Wargaming

• Paint 26 models.  (*)
• Compete fully painted at at least one tournament.
• Paint my MERCS miniatures. (*)
• Build my WW2 tanks. (*)
• Build my Battlestar Galactica Viper (*)
• Play at least one game of at least two different systems. (*)
• Attend at least three tournaments (excluding SmogCon)
• Place in the top three at a tournament. (*)
• Win a tournament.  (* Still aiming high!)
• Acquire some more X-Wing models. (*)
• Achieve a Warmachine/Hordes win rate of at least 50%

Board gaming

• Play at least fifteen new games. (*)
• Acquire at least three new games. (*)
• Achieve a win rate of at least 50%

Computer gaming

• Finish 2 games single-player. (*)

Lifesaving

• Attend a local Lifesaving Club training session. (*)
• Maintain / renew my Survive & Save TA status. (*)
• Teach a lifesaving course. (*)
• Compete with an old boys' team at a BULSCA competition. (*)
• Be Head Referee at two or more BULSCA competitions.
• Write one wet SERC and one dry SERC.

Lets see how I get on this year. At least I can't do much worse than I did in 2015!