PERSONAL FITNESS
1. Don’t die.
I walked into the corner of the dining room table and hurt my leg. It hurt more and for longer than I expected, but fear not—I didn’t bruise.
I’ve never bruised. Not once in my life. Perhaps another indicator that I will live forever.
That was the closest I came to death in August.
2. Lose 10 pounds.
I held steady on weight in August despite my attempts to do otherwise. I’m down two pounds for the year.
3. Do a targeted push-up workout at least four times per week.
Done. I did not miss a day in August.
4. Complete 100 sit-ups four times per week.
Done. I did not miss a day in August.
5. Complete three one-minute planks four times a week.
Done. I did not miss a day in August.
6. Cycle for at least five days every week.
Done.
I’ve recorded 244 rides in 244 days in 2024.
7. Meet or beat the USGA’s average golfing handicap for men of 14.2.
My current handicap is 25.7, down from 27.3 last month. Still a high number but improving.
I also set a personal best of 87 (15 over par) and then repeated it a week later.
I also shot a 107, so consistency remains an issue.
But I’ve come to realize something important via research:
The average male golfer’s handicap isn’t really 14.2 because most golfers don’t maintain a handicap and those who do tend to be a minority of better, more serious golfers who are active members at country clubs.
I’ve set a goal that may be unrealistic, at least for now.
WRITING CAREER
8. Complete my eighth novel.
I continue to work on the book based on the editor’s feedback. I am making excellent progress. It was supposed to be done at the end of August, but I am not quite finished.
9. Write my next Storyworthy book.
I may not write a storytelling book next. My agent and I have decided that a novel makes more sense, so I’ll dig into that book as soon as my eighth novel is complete.
10. Write, edit, and revise my golf memoir.
I discussed this book with my agent in August and made a plan to proceed.
11. Write my “Advice for Kids” book.
Progress was made in August. This book is better written while teaching, so I expect better progress in September and beyond.
2. Write/complete at least three new picture books, including one with a female, non-white protagonist.
I’m writing children’s books about Connecticut’s infamous October 2011 snowstorm and another about the gypsy moth invasion of New England in 1981. Rough drafts of both are complete. I’ll be reading them to my class in September for feedback.
I have three other ideas (a new one found in August) that I’m also excited about.
13. Write about my childhood in partnership with my sister, Kelli, at least twice per month.
Kelli and I spent a day together in February but forgot to discuss this topic. We still need to discuss.
14. Launch a Substack.
Substack forthcoming. I’m in discussions with folks about how to monetize best, and I’m enrolled in a course on managing Substacks effectively.
15. Write a new solo show.
All the work on this project is done in my head since I’ve never written down anything I say onstage, so I don’t have much to show for my efforts, but I am working hard nonetheless.
16. Write a musical.
No progress.
17. Submit at least three Op-Ed pieces to The New York Times for consideration.
Two stories were submitted. One rejected. I await word on the other.
18. Write at least four letters to my father.
One letter written in 2024 so far.
19. Write 150 letters.
I wrote nine letters in August. The recipients included my kids, students, the parents of students, colleagues, and a Supreme Court Justice.
I’ve written a total of 136 letters in 2024.
20. Write to at least six authors about a book I love.
No letters written in August,
I’ve written letters to authors Andrew Wilkinson and Joe Rocco so far.
STORYTELLING/SPEAKING CAREER
21. Perform a new solo show.
Initially, I planned on performing at TheaterWorks in Hartford in November, but complications with their scheduling have pushed that back to April 2025.
22. Complete the re-recording of Storyworthy For Business.
Re-recording continues. Nearly complete.
23. Record and produce at least two new Storyworthy courses.
I’ve produced three webinars, which will be sold as separate courses, so I’m declaring this one complete.
I’m recording a new one in September.
We’ll also carve up the new Storyworthy for Business course into smaller, separate courses, extending this goal considerably.
24. Produce a total of six Speak Up storytelling events in 2024.
No shows produced in August. Five shows thus far.
They include:
- “Matt and Jeni Are Unprepared” on March 2 at TheaterWorks in Hartford.
- “Sportsing” on March 16 at the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History
- “School” on May 3 at Sedgwick Middle School in West Hartford, CT
- Speak Up – CPA Prison Arts show on June 5 at The Pond House in West Hartford, CT
- Great Hartford Story Slam on July 27 at Hartford Flavor Company
We also have the following show scheduled for 2024:
- September 22: Speak Up — Voices of Hope show at the JCC in Hartford
- October 5: Rescheduled “Stores Sell: Storyworthy Strategies to Grow Your Business and Brand” release party at the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History
- November 8: “Matt and Jeni Are Unprepared” at the Playhouse on Park in West Hartford, CT
25. Submit pitches to at least three upcoming TEDx events, hoping to be accepted by one.
No progress.
I spoke at TEDxBU on April 20. It went very well, and the recording should be online soon.
26. Attend at least eight Moth events with the intention of telling a story.
Done! I attended three Moth StorySLAMs in August— two in Boston and one in NYC.
A total of 11 Moth events so far in 2024.
27. Win at least one Moth StorySLAM.
Done. I won:
- Boston StorySLAM on June 25
- Boston StorySLAM on February 27
- NYC StorySLAM on July 17
I’ve won three of five StorySLAMs so far this year.
28. Win a Moth GrandSLAM.
I competed in the Moth GrandSLAM in Boston in March and placed second.
I should’ve won, but I think that a lot.
I’ll perform in a GrandSLAM in NYC and Washington, DC, later this year.
29. Pitch “You’re a Monster, Matthew Dicks” to at least a dozen theaters and/or directors in 2024.
I’ve pitched “You’re a Monster, Matthew Dicks” to two theaters so far in 2024.
I performed the show on March 30 at the Mopco Improv Theater in Schenectady, New York. It went quite well.
30. Produce at least 24 episodes of our podcast Speak Up Storytelling.
No progress.
31. Perform stand-up at least six times.
While visiting for publicity in August, I performed two stand-up sets in Ottowa, Canada. I was a little worried that my American humor would not translate to Canadian sensibilities, but I was wrong. My sets went well.
32. Pitch three stories to This American Life.
One story has been pitched thus far.
33. Submit at least three pitches to Marc Maron’s WTF podcast.
No progress.
34. Send a newsletter to readers at least 50 times.
One newsletter was written in August.
A total of 24 newsletters so far this year.
HOME
35. Organize the basement.
I’ve made huge progress. I’ve sorted through over a dozen bins, donated many things, and discarded many things. Elysha has helped this process massively by agreeing to immediately sort through any bin I bring up from the basement.
The goal:
- Organize all bins in the basement in a logical, identifiable order
- Eliminate anything no longer wanted
- Store Elysha’s classroom materials in an organized manner
36. Clear the garage of unwanted items.
Elysha’s long-forgotten classroom detritus is the last pile that must be eliminated. I will move this material to her school or the trash bin as she settles into her new classroom.
FAMILY/FRIENDS
37. Text or call my brother or sister once per month.
Done.
38. Take at least one photo of my children every day.
Done.
39. Take at least one photo with Elysha and me each week.
Done!
40. Plan a reunion of the Heavy Metal Playhouse.
No progress. But in a strange coincidence, a teacher in our school grew up in Attleboro, where the Heavy Metal Playhouse was located, and she is friends with the person who manages Crystal Village, where it was located.
Given how spread out my friends are today, an in-person reunion is probably impossible, but it gave me a little hope.
41. I will not comment positively or negatively about the physical appearance of any person save my wife and children to reduce the focus on physical appearance in our culture overall.
Done. I also wrote about this in August and received an enormously positive response.
42. Surprise Elysha at least 12 times.
One surprise in August:
- A basket filled with school supplies, clothing, books, and more, assembled over the course of four months and given to Elysha on the night before her return to school
Eight surprises in 2024 so far:
- Tickets to “Little Shop of Horrors” on Broadway
- Tickets to “Merrily We Go Along” on Broadway
- Tickets to “Tommy” on Broadway
- Cheesecake delivered to Elysha and her teammates during an especially challenging day
- A surprise weekend spent in Rhode Island with friends
- Tickets to “The Outsiders ” on Broadway this month
- A well-timed sweet tea
- A basket full of things Elysha loves
43. Play poker at least six times.
Question: Does poker with Charlie count?
Charlie and I started playing poker in August. I taught him how to play last year, but we hadn’t played since 2024.
But last month, we dove back into the game and played some serious games.
When setting the goal, I envisioned gathering my friends for an evening of poker, as I had before the pandemic. But do poker sessions with Charlie count?
If so, I played poker three times in August.
44. Spend at least six days with my best friend of more than 30 years.
We spent two days together in August—a total of five so far.
MUSIC
45. Memorize the lyrics to at least five favorite songs.
Memorized so far:
“Our Wonderful Lives” by Styx
“Come a Little Bit Closer” by Jay and the Young Americans
“Fox on the Run” by Sweet
46. Practice the flute at least four times per week.
I did not practice in August. All of my practice was done during the school day, so summer vacation — a time when I should be able to practice more than ever — ended my practice.
Which is stupid.
MISCELLANEOUS PROJECTS
47. Read at least 12 books.
I read one book in August, bringing my total to 20 in 2024.
“The Splendid and the Vile” by Erik Larson
I’m currently reading:
“The Power Broker” by Robert Caro
“Excellent Advice for Living” by Kevin Kelly
”Mediations” by Marcus Aurelius
”Miracle and Wonder” by Bruce Headlam and Malcolm Gladwell
“On the Edge” by Nate Silver
Books read in 2024 include:
- “Upstream” by Chip Heath
- ”Happy Pepple Are Annoying” by Josh Peck
- ”Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama” by Bob Odenkirk
- “The Power of Regret” by Daniel Pink
- “Fluke” by Brian Klass
- “Misfit” by Gary Gulman
- “How to Weep in Public” by Jacqueline Novak
- “The Anxious Generation” by Jonathan Haidt
- “The Demon of Unrest” by Erik Larson
- ”You Like It Darker” by Stephen King
- ”A Short Guide to a Happy Life” by Anna Quindlen
- ”How to Say Goodbye” by Wendy McNaughton
- ”We’re All In This Together” by Tom Papa
- ”Smart Brevity” by Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen, and Roy Schwartz
- ”Hello Molly” by Molly Shannon
- “The Deerfield Massacre” by John Swanson
- ”Duma Key” by Stephen King
- ”Never Enough” by Andrew Wilkinson
- “Opposable Thumbs” by Matt Signer
- “The Splendid and the Vile” by Erik Larson
48. Finish reading TIME’s 100 Best Children’s Books of All Time.
I did not read any of these books in August. I will continue to pursue this goal in September when my school library is available.
I may need to find or purchase some of the books on the list that are not in my school’s library.
I’ve read 36 books from the list thus far.
49. Unify my passwords using a password manager.
Done!
50. Learn to use QuickBooks for my business.
Done! Invoicing, payroll, and taxes are now all managed via QuickBooks. It’s much easier than I thought.
51. Rectify the heating problem in my studio.
I received estimates on this project, which is more than expected.
As a temporary measure, I purchased an electric radiator and plugged it into a Bluetooth outlet to turn the heat on before going downstairs, allowing the room to be warm when I entered.
This solution might be better than the thousands of dollars required to install heat, and it might be my permanent solution, depending on the possibility of finishing other parts of the basement.
My friend Chris may have an idea, too, so I’m holding off on declaring this complete.
52. Learn the names of every employee who works at my school.
I learned no names in August since the school year ended.
Starting in September, I will acquire a list of all staff and begin checking off names to faces rather than spotting someone in the hallway and wondering who the person is.
53. Assemble a complete toolbox.
Done! Completed as a part of the basement cleanup.
54. Edit our wedding footage into a movie of the day.
No progress. I’m actually looking forward to this job, but it will require me to learn how to edit videos using a new program.
Thankfully, I employ someone who knows exactly how to do this.
55. Memorize three new poems.
I memorized James Joyce’s “Tree” and Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken.”
I’m still working on Act V Scene 5, lines 18-28 of Macbeth.
56. Complete my Eagle Scout project.
I’m meeting the cemetery’s director on Friday. This project looks like a go!
57. Post my progress regarding these resolutions on this blog and social media on the first day of every month.
Done.
