New Year's Resolutions?

I always want to make out New Year's resolutions because I love the idea of starting over with a fresh slate -- even if that slate is chosen by an arbitrary time on the calendar. I also realize that trying to change 180 things about myself all at once is a bit of lunacy because I'd be trying to learn how to do a number of things differently, all at once, and that's a recipe for backsliding.

So, this year, I'm making one new resolution a month.

I figure this way I can have a 30 day trial run to get a new positive habit off the ground. If I stumble, I can pick myself up because I have that entire month to get it right. And then, once I get a handle on one new change in my life, I can move on to another area.

My first resolution will be to improve my time management skills.

For a person who works freelance and, therefore, can work at any hour of the day, you'd think I'd get a lot more work done. Instead, I'm consistently behind schedule in almost every facet of my life because I have SO MUCH time to work with that I let everything go until the last minute. This results in a lot of undue stress and sleepless nights -- literally, because I'm working 'round the clock to make up for all the time I wasted during the day -- and so I realize I need to treat my daily life as though i really do have a 9-5 job in some fictitious office, rather than the office in the front of my apartment that I can wander to and fro all day long.

Here's my theory:

1. Work 5 days a week, from 9-5, preferably from a remote location like a cafe, so I can replicate the process of "going to work".
2. Spend evenings (7-10 PM) filming, writing or editing STBD (or similar projects).
3. Wake up at the same time, even on weekends, so I'm not groggy on Monday.
4. Go out in the evening at least twice a week, so I don't feel as though I'm working nonstop (and so my relationship and my level of inspiration is salvaged by getting out of the house).
5. Spend Friday afternoons catching up on lingering emails and minor tasks that otherwise get delayed indefinitely, and then make a quick list of actions to accomplish next week.

Working in this fashion will also allow me to tackle another desire that's been cruising in the back of my head for awhile now: updating my own person blog, Cafe Witness, which I haven't touched in months (and will starting this week).

Seems sensible to me. If you have any thoughts on the approach, or would like to share your own New Year's resolution, let me know!