PERSONAL FITNESS
1. Don’t die.
Still alive. Crushing it.
2. Lose 10 pounds.
I weigh exactly the same amount today as I did on January 1, which is a bit of an accomplishment given I spent four days in Florida, three days at a Berkshire resort, and celebrated Clara’s birthday party twice.
Lots of excellent meals and delicious desserts this month, but I’m holding steady and looking ahead to progress.
3. Do a targeted push-up workout at least four times per week.
Done. Since switching from 200 push-ups a day to this targeted routine, my push-up routine takes less time to complete but are much harder to do.
Probably a good thing.
4. Complete 100 sit-ups four times per week.
Done.
5. Complete three one-minute planks four times a week.
Done.
6. Cycle for at least five days every week.
I was away for four days in Florida and three days in the Berkshires in January, so I failed to ride the bike on those days, but I made up for the missed days with multiple rides on other days. I’ve recorded 30 rides in 31 days in January.
7. Meet or beat the USGA’s average golfing handicap for men of 14.2.
I’ve begun recording my handicap on a new, more accurate, more official app, so I have yet to play enough golf to yield an official handicap yet.
WRITING CAREER
8. Complete my eighth novel.
I’m proofreading (yet again) my next book and writing for other projects right now, so as soon as that is complete, I will be hard at work on this novel.
9. Write my next Storyworthy book.
I need to meet with my agent and editor to determine the subject of this next book.
10. Write, edit, and revise my golf memoir.
No progress.
11. Write my “Advice for Kids” book.
I made solid progress on this book in January.
12. Write/complete at least three new picture books, including one with a female, non-white protagonist.
Charlie and I have outlined at least two satirical picture books based on a book that Elysha read to her students in January. The books are irreverent, inappropriate, and fantastic.
13. Write about my childhood in partnership with my sister, Kelli, at least twice per month.
Kelli and I are getting together in February and will discuss the shape of this project then.
14. Launch a Substack.
I have paused this goal, waiting to see what happens to Substack. A small but significant scandal has hit the company, and I don’t want to begin writing on a platform that may die. I will take a wait-and-see approach.
15. Write a new solo show.
All the work on this project is being done in my head since I have never written down anything I ever say onstage, so I don’t have much to show 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.
No progress.
18. Write at least four letters to my father.
No progress.
19. Write 150 letters.
I wrote five letters in January – all to former and current students.
20. Write to at least six authors about a book I love.
I identified two authors to whom I will write.
STORYTELLING/SPEAKING CAREER
21. Perform a new solo show.
A theater has been tentatively secured for the debut of this show, either in August or November of 2024.
22. Complete the re-recording of Storyworthy For Business.
No progress.
23. Record and produce at least two new Storyworthy courses.
No progress.
24. Produce a total of six Speak Up storytelling events in 2023
Three shows are scheduled for 2024 thus far. Details soon!
25. Submit pitches to at least three upcoming TEDx events, hoping to be accepted by one.
No progress.
I will be speaking at TEDxBU on April 20.
26. Attend at least eight Moth events with the intention of telling a story.
Two attempts to attend Moth StorySLAMs in January were stymied by snow.
27. Win at least one Moth StorySLAM.
No progress.
28. Win a Moth GrandSLAM.
I have Moth GrandSLAMs scheduled for Boston and New York in February and Seattle in October.
29. Pitch “You’re a Monster, Matthew Dicks” to at least a dozen theaters and/or directors in 2023.
I pitched “You’re a Monster, Matthew Dicks” to one theater in January. I will be performing the show on March 30 at the Mopco Improv Theater in Schenectady, New York.
30. Produce at least 24 episodes of our podcast Speak Up Storytelling.
No progress.
31. Perform stand-up at least six times.
No progress.
32. Pitch three stories to This American Life.
One story was pitched in January.
33. Submit at least three pitches to Marc Maron’s WTF podcast.
No progress.
34. Send a newsletter to readers at least 50 times.
Three newsletters were sent in January.
HOME
35. Organize the basement.
We are collecting estimates for finishing the entire basement, which would necessitate a complete reorganization.
36. Clear the garage of unwanted items.
No progress.
FAMILY/FRIENDS
37. Text or call my brother or sister once per month.
Texted my brother and sister multiple times in January.
38. Take at least one photo of my children every day.
Done. When I wasn’t with my children, others took photos of them for me.
39. Take at least one photo with Elysha and me each week.
Only one photo of Elysha and me was taken in January.
40. Plan a reunion of the Heavy Metal Playhouse.
No progress.
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.
42. Surprise Elysha at least 12 times.
I surprised Elysha (and the family) once in January by telling them that we’d be going to see “Little Shop of Horrors” on Broadway in March.
I waited for an evening when everyone needed some good news.
43. Play poker at least six times.
No progress.
44. Spend at least six days with my best friend of more than 30 years.
No progress.
MUSIC
45. Memorize the lyrics to at least five favorite songs.
No progress.
46. Practice the flute at least four times per week.
I’ve practiced six times in January. It turns out that I can’t do this entirely on my own so I am looking into an online program or an actual instructor.
MISCELLANEOUS PROJECTS
47. Read at least 12 books.
I read two books in January:
“Upstream” by Chip Heath
”Happy Pepple Are Annoying” by Josh Peck
I’m currently reading:
”Smart Brevity” by Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen, and Roy Schwartz
”Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama” by Bob Odenkirk
“The Power Broker” by Robert Caro
“The Power of Regret” by Daniel Pink
48. Finish reading TIME’s 100 Best Children’s Books of All Time.
No progress.
49. Unify my passwords using a password manager.
Great progress was made on this goal. I am still finding passwords in need of unification, but most are now securely protected by a program called One Password.
50. Learn to use QuickBooks for my business.
Almost done! I spent an afternoon learning about the software and migrating my data from my previous platform. I will send my first invoice and begin paying employees via QuickBooks in February.
It wasn’t nearly as difficult as I had thought.
51. Rectify the heating problem in my studio.
I received estimates on this project, which is on hold as we debate finishing the entire basement as a part of the process.
52. Learn the names of every employee who works at my school.
I learned the name of one new person in January. The real problem is this:
If I’ve said hello to you every day for four months, how do I then ask you for your name?
Tricky business.
53. Assemble a complete toolbox.
Progress! I ordered almost all of the necessary tools and a box in which to organize them. I need to gather the stray tools around the house, consolidate everything into one place, and rid myself of redundant tools.
54. Edit our wedding footage into a movie of the day.
No progress.
55. Memorize three new poems.
I have nearly memorized “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost, which is longer than you think.
Longer than I thought!
I can also perform the poem in ASL.
56. Complete my Eagle Scout project.
No progress.
57. Post my progress regarding these resolutions on this blog and social media on the first day of every month.
Done.
