It’s New Year’s Eve and I thought I would share with you guys my New Year’s Resolutions for 2014. I normally don’t do resolutions because A) I have all year to set new goals, making them on a “magical” day doesn’t make them any easier to achieve and B) The standard goals for New Year’s resolutions are boring and therefore make me lose interest quickly.
This year, I’ve decided to give a makeover to New Year’s resolutions and call them my New Year’s Nerdolutions. Yes, I made up a word. Sure I have real adult goals for 2014, but I still think it’s important to have goals for spare time. I spend a lot of time staring at my computer screen or my wall thinking, “What should I do today on my day off?” If I can set goals for the year that are fun and can be accomplished on my days off, then I won’t waste any more time wondering what to do.
Nerdolution #1 Spend less time on social media and more time on games.
So many times I’ve gotten onto Facebook or Twitter and asked the Internet, “What should I play?” and then sat there and waited for people to respond, only to hop back and forth between my Facebook timeline and my Twitter feed without ever playing a game at all. With Steam sales and the holiday season, I’ve built up an enormous backlog and I can’t see my way out.
How I plan to achieve this Nerdolution: Instead of actually listing my entire backlog, I’m going to pick five games that I know I haven’t finished and when I finish those five, I’ll pick another five, and so on. That way I don’t get overwhelmed when I open up my Steam Library. My first five games that I’m planning on playing for the beginning of 2014 is Ni No Kuni, Final Fantasy VII, The Wolf Among Us, Dishonored, and The Last of Us.
Nerdolution #2 Stream on Twitch or make YouTube videos.
I really love to write and blog, don’t get me wrong, but I feel like I’m missing out on a completely different but fun way to put out content. I have streamed games on Twitch in the past, but I no longer have my own room in my apartment to do it. I also didn’t do that great of a job and was really shy and bad at commentary. I’ve never made a YouTube video before, but I would like to try. I’ve been wanting to do this for years, but I guess I’m too shy and too afraid of Internet trolls.
How I plan to achieve this Nerdolution: I have all the equipment necessary to make videos, I just need to jump in and do it. In order to overcome my shyness, it might help to get a friend to stream with me as well or help me with the videos. I’m also need to set a quiet space aside to film. I already have a Twitch channel (antiquitease) and a YouTube channel (R2D2Cupcake) if anyone would like to keep track of how I’m doing.
Nerdolution #3 Use Xbox One Fitness daily.
Everyone always says they’re going to “lose weight” for their New Year’s Eve resolution, so I decided to nerdify it a little by getting fit on an Xbox One. The Xbox One has this really neat service available to people who are Xbox Live Gold members called Xbox Fitness. It has hundreds of workouts you can do using your Kinect. You get free P90X, Insanity, Beach Body, Jillian Michaels, etc.
How I plan to achieve this Nerdolution: I want to start working out three times a week at first and then try to build up to daily. Working out on days that I work shouldn’t be too bad because Xbox One Fitness includes 10 Minute Workouts. I work 12 hour shifts, so in the past it has really been hard to workout on those days because I would rather sleep. I would also like to get help from other people with the Xbox One who plan on using the Fitness service. If you plan on doing this too, add my Gamertag, antiquitease, and we can compete on the leaderboard. So far, I’m on the top of the leaderboard for my friends list.
Nerdolution #4 Go to a Convention and cosplay in public.
This should be an easier goal to achieve. I already have a completed Poison Ivy costume (minus shoes) and there are plenty of conventions coming up in the Spring that are within two hours of where I live. I have Lexington Comic Con in March, Derby City Comic Con in June, Cincinnati Comic Expo in September, and Ohio Comic Con in October.
How I plan to achieve this Nerdolution: Basically, all I need to do is make sure I can get the time off work, or schedule myself around the conventions I want to go to. Then I need to maybe come up with some more cosplay ideas other than Poison Ivy. Also, I need to save up money and make reservations for a hotel room, if needed.
Nerdolution #5 Watch all of Doctor Who.
This goal has been a long time coming. I first started watching Doctor Who a couple years ago on Netflix. It’s actually taken me two and a half years to get from the first season to halfway through the second season. I just started watching it again last night, and it has all finally started to click for me. I think I’ll be a Whovian in no time!
How I plan to achieve this Nerdolution: Easy. It’s all on Netflix. I’ll just keep marathoning the show until I’m caught up.
So, now you know what I’ll be up to for the rest of 2014, but I want to know if anyone else has any Nerdolutions or just regular resolutions. Let me know what you have planned for 2014 in the comments below!
