At the end of 2019, I set goals for 2020, after looking over my most recent 2019 goals. And then This Year™ happened, and I scarcely thought about any of my specific goals (let alone the list as a whole) from then until this month. Still, I’ll peel back the cover of the year, as it were, and see how badly I did … and then look forward to 2021.

2020 Goals

Most of my “objectives” (broad ambitions that aren’t measurable, or that I keep on the list to remind me when I might have time for them) haven’t changed, so I will wait to restate them until the end of this summary, except insofar as I have something to say about any in particular.

I began by saying, in part,

Also, while I usually try to set goals a little beyond my estimate of what I’ll actually accomplish, I’m still finding my feet in this minimal-free-time situation, and if my free time is really as little as I fear just one task beyond the items I put in as constants (Bible reading, listening to sermons, Peter’s Angel critique) and things like birthdays and holidays has me overbooked in some months, so for once I’ve not gone beyond my “plan.”

While my amount of free time was actually substantially higher than I expected, my mental energy to use that time productively was disastrously low for most of the year. (In short, I traded a daily commute of almost an hour each way for full-time telework with minimal human contact beyond occasional audio links, and found the latter was far more exhausting than the former.) Of the list of “constants” and time-specific items, I’ve only managed to keep fully up with listening to sermons.

Uncluttering

Objective: Clear out, without a “mass discard-unread,” my “digital backlog.”

Goal: Bring the backlog of items in my blog reader down from its current count of over 51,900 (and rising) down to the nearest round number: 51,750 in January, 51,500 in February, 51,250 in March, 51,000 in April, 50,750 in May, 50,500 in June, 50,250 in July, 50,000 in August, 49,750 in September, 49,500 in October, 49,250 in November, and 49,000 in December.

I’m not quite sure where my blog reader stands, but while I made a bit of a dent early in the year (though less than I’d hoped), I suspect the count may be higher than ever. Most of the year I scarcely looked at my blog reader, if I had it running at all.

Reduce the virtual pile of unread, untriaged, unsorted writing-related downloaded ebooks (and articles) to 75 in January, 50 in February, and 25 in March.

I’d have to go digging through my records to see when I got there, but the “unsorted” subcategory of the “writing-related” category currently stands at about 12.

Reduce the virtual pile of unread, untriaged, unsorted XML-related downloaded ebooks (and articles) to 25 by April.

I’m not sure how many there were to start with, but there are currently 41.

Reduce the virtual pile of unread, untriaged, unsorted “Web”-related downloaded ebooks (and articles) to 50 by May, and 25 by June.

As with the “writing” category, I don’t know when I got there, but the “unsorted” subcategory here currently stands at 19.

Reduce the virtual pile of “Strategic Primer related (strategy)” downloaded ebooks (and articles) to 75 by July, 50 by August, and 25 by September.
Reduce the virtual pile of “Strategic Primer related (tech)” downloaded ebooks (and articles) to 350 by October, 325 by November, and 300 by December.

I haven’t even touched these.

Poetry Book

Objective: Have Dreams and Prayers ready for publication.

Goal: Write a satisfactory blurb for the back cover by the end of January.
Goal: Write the “Acknowledgements” section by the end of February.
Goal: Create a marketing plan by the end of April.
Goal: Finish designing (my first draft of) the cover by the end of May (minus text additions), and finish it completely by the end of June.
Goal: Take, or have taken, a suitable photograph of myself for the “author bio” by the end of June.
Goal: Collect a list of possible reviewers by the end of June.
Goal: Have the publication process ready for upload of the book itself (all the fields filled out online) by the end of October.

I haven’t even touched anything relating to Dreams and Prayers this year.

Shine Cycle

Objective: Finish a presentable draft of The Invasion.

Goal: Get at least three scene into my new draft of The Invasion by the end of January, five by the end of February, seven by the end of March, nine by the end of April, eleven by the end of May, thirteen by the end of June, sixteen by the end of July, eighteen by the end of August, twenty by the end of September, twenty-two by the end of October, twenty-four by the end of November, and twenty-seven by the end of the year.

I haven’t touched anything relating to the Shine Cycle (except my pool of potential characters) this year either.

Misc Writing and Blogging

Objective: Finish my blog series on

Goal: Finish the second entry in my planned series on , on using it for poetry, by the end of August.

Haven’t touched this either.

Objective: Finish my series of verse Psalm settings.

Goal: In my series of blank-verse Psalm settings, finish my setting of Psalm 18 and write my setting of Psalm 19 by the end of January, Psalm 20 and 21 by the end of February, Psalm 22 by the end of April, Psalm 23 by the end of May, Psalms 24 and 25 by the end of June, Psalms 26-28 by the end of July, Psalm 29 by the end of August, Psalm 30 by the end of September, and Psalm 31 by the end of October

I didn’t manage a single line of a psalm setting—or in fact more than seven lines of poetry at all—this year.

Objective: Maintain a pace of at least one “Hymns” series post per month until I run out of hymns I think merit inclusion

Goal: Post or schedule at least one post in my “Hymns” series each month this year.

I managed three of these, and then in March, like everything else in my life, my blogging fell into disarray for many months.

Objective: Review every book I read that I have not already reviewed.

Goal: Write (in content intended for this blog) a review of at least two “recently” read books by the end of January, one more by the end of February, one more by the end of May, one more by the end of June, one more by the end of July, one more by the end of August, one more by the end of September, and one more by the end of October

I wrote one review, period, this year.

Objective: Write my usual seasonal/holiday posts well in advance.

Goal: Write posts marking my birthday and the major ecclesiastical and quasi-ecclesiastical holidays (Ash Wednesday, at least one holiday in Holy Week, perhaps Pentecost, Thanksgiving, Advent, and Christmas)

I managed posts for my birthday, Ash Wednesday, and Thanksgiving … and that was it.

Goal: Write my usual (liturgical-)year-end summary of the last year’s posts.

Life and Miscellaneous

Objective: Keep up with what I have promised, or am otherwise morally bound, to write. (“Be prompt in keeping up with correspondence.”)

Goal: Note down when each letter or email needing a response arrived.

I didn’t manage this, which didn’t help me keep up.

Goal: Respond to each letter or email that needs a response within two weeks.

Some messages late in the year did get reasonably-prompt responses, but some earlier ones went unanswered for months.

Goal: Write any “birthday poems” (one planned for May) at least a month in advance of the “deadline”

I neglected this so much that I didn’t write a single “birthday poem” this year; this is the first year since I started college that I’ve not written at least one.

Objective: Finish my long-overdue critique of Peter’s Angel.

Goal: Be through page 248 by the end of January, page 256 by the end of February, page 264 by the end of March, page 272 by the end of April, page 280 by the end of May, page 288 by the end of June, page 300 by the end of July, page 308 by the end of August, page 312 by the end of September, page 320 by the end of October, 328 by the end of November, and finished before the end of the year.

I might have managed a single page, but I doubt it.

Objective: Write keeping-in-touch letters and emails to my short list of particular correspondents on their birthdays and anniversaries and the most important holidays.

Goal: Write letters or emails on birthdays and anniversaries: one in January, one in March, two in April, three in May, two in June, one in July, one in August, one (“community birthday”) in September, one in October, and one in November.

I think I managed at least a brief note for most of those I’m already keeping in touch well with, but those I was hoping to strengthen a more tenuous connection with I regret to say I again let lapse.

Goal: Write to at least each of my “particular correspondents” on my list, six or perhaps seven, on Christmas and Easter.

This, I managed. Somehow, by God’s grace.

Goal: Buy, wrap, where needed write covering letters for, and send Christmas presents to the recipients I’ve planned for.

And this as well, though significantly later than I’d hoped and planned—at this late date almost half are still not in the hands of their recipients, despite optimistic Post Office estimates when I shipped the big batch of them.

Objective: Make and keep a budget for the year as a whole and each month in particular.

Goal: Check and update my budget for and after each month.

This I let slip very early on, and never recovered. I think I basically kept to my budget for the year as a whole, and on this point if nothing else the “lockdown” certainly didn’t hurt.

Goal: Finish typesetting the Tartan & Thistle Ball program at least several weeks before the event.

This was a moot point, as the event was cancelled well in advance due to pandemic quarantine precautions.

Objective: Keep up with Bible reading.

Goal: Keep up with the “CBC Reads the Word” (or whatever it’s called) plan, and a parallel track through the Old Testament, each month.

I’m a few months behind on the New Testament reading, and my Old Testament reading has stalled enough that I’ll start over at some point.

Objective: Keep up with, and each month check progress on, my goals.

Goal: Each month, assess my performance on my goals the past month and make note of what I hope to accomplish in the next month.

This obviously did not happen.

Restatement of Objectives

Before I get into specific goals, such as they are, I should begin by restating my “objectives” (long-term non-granular goals). Any that I think I may be able to make progress on will also be listed with the relevant goals.

Correspondence and Life-Maintenance

Objective: Keep up with what I have promised, or am otherwise morally bound, to write. (“Be prompt in keeping up with correspondence.”)
Objective: Finish my long-overdue critique of Peter’s Angel.
Objective: Write keeping-in-touch letters and emails to my short list of particular correspondents on their birthdays and anniversaries and the most important holidays.
Objective: Make and keep a budget for the year as a whole and each month in particular.
Objective: Keep up with Bible reading.
Objective: Keep up with, and regularly assess progress on, my goals.

Uncluttering

These first four objectives depend on access to my books and papers. I brought some of my papers back with me when I went home last February, but I only have the one box of papers here.

Objective: Get rid of as much paper clutter as possible without throwing away any information that I will later wish I had kept.
Objective: Reduce my book collection to those I want to keep, and preferably a size I have shelf space for.
Objective: Get all notes I made in the margins of my Bible, which I recently replaced, into a more accessible format.
Objective: Ensure that my collection of magazine and journal issues doesn’t contain any I don’t affirmatively want to keep.

This objective, on the other hand is not blocked by anything except lack of time.

Objective: Clear out, without a “mass discard-unread,” my “digital backlog.”

Development

These objectives, except perhaps the first, will all have to wait until I am no longer under a contract that claims ownership of code I write in my spare time.

Objective: Release “version 1.0” of my package for Scottish Country Dance ball programs, and its more-user-friendly editing program.
Objective: Develop the e-commerce project I have in mind to a “1.0” standard release.
Objective: Develop my “task monger” project to a “1.0” standard release for all interfaces I am able to test.

Poetry Book

My second poetry collection, Dreams and Prayers: Verses from a Wandering Mind, which has been in the works for a few years now.

Objective: Have Dreams and Prayers ready for publication.

Shine Cycle

Objective: Finish a presentable draft of The Invasion.
Objective: Have a biography, history, description, and “character logline” or “motivation summary” for every named character deemed “major”.
Objective: Create sufficiently-complete, sufficiently-detailed, maps of the worlds and areas with which the Shine Cycle is concerned.
Objective: Develop each race and culture that the Shine Cycle is concerned with sufficiently to portray it distinctly and excite potential readers’ interest.

Misc Writing and Blogging

Objective: Either finish or discard all “essay ideas,” fragmentary poems, and the like that are cluttering up my files.
Objective: Finish my blog series on
Objective: Finish my series of verse Psalm settings.
Objective: Maintain a pace of at least one “Hymns” series post per month until I run out of hymns I think merit inclusion
Objective: Review every book I read that I have not already reviewed.
Objective: Write regular blog posts beyond my series I schedule in advance and retrospectives.
Objective: Write my usual seasonal/holiday posts well in advance.
Objective: Regularly post substantive Shine Cycle-related content here, as an incentive to continued progress and to attract interested future readers.
Objective: Create blog posts using “worldbuilding” material created using the various “systems” and question sets.

2021 Goals

And now for the new year.

In past years I’ve experimented with different approaches to planning, tracking, and checking up on tasks—weekly, fortnightly, monthly, quarterly, and in trimesters—with varying success. Today I’ll first give “general goals” (which might also be labeled “sub-objectives”), then narrow down to specific points for the next two months.

As in “2019 as amended”, and as in 2020, I expect my time (and more importantly mental energy) to be limited enough that I don’t dare set ambitious goals. In fact, in setting up my calendar-equivalent for 2021, I haven’t even bothered to set out specific tasks (other than those that have specific deadlines) into specific periods of the year as I did in the last several years.

Correspondence and Life-Maintenance

Objective: Keep up with what I have promised, or am otherwise morally bound, to write. (“Be prompt in keeping up with correspondence.”)

General Goal: Note down when each letter or email needing a response arrived.
General Goal: Respond to each letter or email that needs a response within two weeks.
General Goal: Write any “birthday poems” at least a month in advance of the “deadline”


Objective: Finish my long-overdue critique of Peter’s Angel.

General Goal: Get at least through page 320.

I expect that if I manage any progress on that at all I will be able to finish, but I’ve learned that overambitious goals tend to become daunting and inhibit partial success.

Objective: Write keeping-in-touch letters and emails to my short list of particular correspondents on their birthdays and anniversaries and the most important holidays.

General Goal: Write letters or emails on birthdays and anniversaries
General Goal: Write to at least each of my “particular correspondents” on my list, six or perhaps seven, on Christmas and Easter.
General Goal: Buy, wrap, where needed write covering letters for, and send Christmas presents and birthday to the recipients I’ve planned for.


Objective: Make and keep a budget for the year as a whole and each month in particular.

General Goal: Check and update my budget for and after each month.
General Goal: Ensure that my tithing, charitable giving and “patronage”, and investment are commensurate with my income as an ongoing flow.

(Rather than only remembering them at the end of the year and having to catch up.)

Objective: Keep up with Bible reading.

General Goal: Catch and keep up with the “CBC Reads the Word” through Easter; if church leaders suggest a plan for the following months, follow that, and otherwise restart or resume Old Testament reading.


Objective: Keep up with, and regularly assess progress on, my goals.

General Goal: Every other month or so, assess my recent performance on my goals and make note of what I hope to accomplish in the coming weeks.



Uncluttering

Objective: Get rid of as much paper clutter as possible without throwing away any information that I will later wish I had kept.

General Goal: Shred all mail (etc.) kept for that purpose, and junk mail as it arrives.
General Goal: Triage and, when possible, deal with the first few “packets” I brought from home.


Objective: Clear out, without a “mass discard-unread,” my “digital backlog.”

General Goal: Clear out my blog reader.

That goal is highly urgent, as my blog reader software is no longer supported (and no longer available in my Linux distribution for new install), so I need to switch delivery of new items to a new reader and clear out the “unread” backlog in the old.

General Goal: Triage (i.e. read enough to know what I want to keep …) the virtual stack of “to-read” “fiction etc.” ebooks.
General Goal: Triage and sort the collections of “mainly nonfiction” ebooks (and articles) into narrow sub-collections.

Poetry Book

My second poetry collection, Dreams and Prayers: Verses from a Wandering Mind, which has been in the works for a few years now.

Objective: Have Dreams and Prayers ready for publication.

General Goal: Once I’ve set sufficient funds aside, commission a cover for the collection.
General Goal: Write a satisfactory blurb, Acknowledgements section, and “author biography”
General Goal: Prepare a marketing plan.



Shine Cycle

Objective: Finish a presentable draft of The Invasion.

General Goal: Write at least six scenes this year.



Misc Writing and Blogging

Objective: Finish my blog series on

General Goal: Finish the second entry in my planned series on , on using it for poetry


Objective: Finish my series of verse Psalm settings.

General Goal: Finish at least a couple of these poems.


Objective: Maintain a pace of at least one “Hymns” series post per month until I run out of hymns I think merit inclusion

General Goal: Get enough “Hymns” posts in the queue to maintain that pace even if my productivity in general falters.


Objective: Review every book I read that I have not already reviewed.

General Goal: Write (in content intended for this blog) reviews of all books read (and finished) in 2020 and 2021.
General Goal: Post at least one batch of such reviews during this year.


Objective: Write my usual seasonal/holiday posts well in advance.

General Goal: Write posts marking my birthday and the major ecclesiastical and quasi-ecclesiastical holidays (Ash Wednesday, at least one holiday in Holy Week, perhaps Pentecost, Thanksgiving, Advent, and Christmas)
General Goal: (In a change to my past pattern …) Write a goal-checking post at the end of the liturgical year, and a blog retrospective at the end of the civil year.



First Months
Correspondence and Life-Maintenance

Objective: Keep up with what I have promised, or am otherwise morally bound, to write. (“Be prompt in keeping up with correspondence.”)

Goal: Finish and send all my “after-Christmas” letters by mid-January


Objective: Write keeping-in-touch letters and emails to my short list of particular correspondents on their birthdays and anniversaries and the most important holidays.

Goal: Write letters or emails to mark the two such events in the next couple of months.


Objective: Make and keep a budget for the year as a whole and each month in particular.

Goal: Check and update my budget for and after each month.
Goal: Set up regular “sustaining” gifts in accordance with my budget for the year.


Objective: Keep up with Bible reading.

Goal: Catch and keep up with the “CBC Reads the Word”


Objective: Keep up with, and regularly assess progress on, my goals.

Goal: At the end of February, assess my recent performance on my goals and make note of what I hope to accomplish through April.



Uncluttering

Objective: Get rid of as much paper clutter as possible without throwing away any information that I will later wish I had kept.

Goal: Shred all mail (etc.) kept for that purpose
Goal: Triage and, if possible, deal with at least one “packet” brought from home.


Objective: Clear out, without a “mass discard-unread,” my “digital backlog.”

Goal: Clear out my blog reader ASAP, and set up the next one.
Goal: Get my collection of ebooks that can most easily be read on my Kindle, which currently stands at 154 if I’m counting right, down to 125.



Poetry Book

My second poetry collection, Dreams and Prayers: Verses from a Wandering Mind, which has been in the works for a few years now.

Objective: Have Dreams and Prayers ready for publication.

Goal: Write a satisfactory blurb.



Shine Cycle

Objective: Finish a presentable draft of The Invasion.

Goal: Write at least one new scene this year.



Misc Writing and Blogging

Objective: Finish my blog series on

Goal: In the second entry in my planned series on , on using it for poetry, finish coverage of specific poetry libraries


Objective: Finish my series of verse Psalm settings.

Goal: Finish my setting of Psalm 18.


Objective: Maintain a pace of at least one “Hymns” series post per month until I run out of hymns I think merit inclusion

Goal: Post or schedule at least four “Hymns” posts.


Objective: Review every book I read that I have not already reviewed.

Goal: Write (in content intended for this blog) reviews of at least four recently-read books.
Goal: Post at least one batch of such reviews.


Objective: Write my usual seasonal/holiday posts well in advance.

Goal: Write posts marking my birthday and Ash Wednesday.

And I think there’s something I’m forgetting, but as I’d meant to have this finished and posted yesterday evening I won’t delay any longer.

2020 was a crazy year in which most all my already-reduced plans fell to dust; God willing, and with God’s help, I hope I can do better in 2021.