Happy New Year Folks! And to those that are serious about their New Year Resolutions, congratulations you are on day 7. Meanwhile, not much has changed in my world except for more schoolwork. Yes, last September, I started a Masters in Biodiversity Informatics at the Malawi University of Science and Technology. How is it going? You may ask, “Brutal,” is all I am saying for now. I will explain one of these days but I am here to talk about 2022.

First things first, I am a terrible planner who has lost many ideas due to not writing them down. I have also lost many man-hours to daydreaming and doom scrolling. I wait for life to happen to me instead of being proactive and me happening to life, lol. So this year, I want to see if I can change that, no grand plan, just trying to plan whenever I can and be more prepared.

As I was doing some end of year evaluation, I thought of shutting down the blog because I did not think I have anything else to say. The fact that I bought a domain name and thought I could turn the site into some sort of professional website just shows how much of a terrible planner I am.  I think it ties back into doing things on impulse without thinking of the financial implications and now I am starting the year without much in the bank, exciting times ha! I recently read an article on the Guardian that talked about new habits to develop in the New Year, and one of them was about waiting for 72 hours before making a purchase, and I am definitely adopting that philosophy. For the blog, I always update this place when inspiration strikes but this year I want to do it differently. I will be scheduling posts, there needs to be some consistency to this writing, so on Fridays or every other Friday, expect something on here.

Reading, this year I am going to do some serious reading due to my Masters research and if the first half of the semester has taught me anything, it is that I need to step up my game.  Most of my reading over the past few years has been through ebooks and it usually takes me a while before I finish an ebook because I hate ebooks. I am the old school type and hard copy books are the standard. Therefore, I have set out to purchase hard copy books and bought four this week from Baobab bookstore in Area 3, Lilongwe opposite Bishop Mac. They sell cheap secondhand books and have some great selections. So expect some book reviews. Last time I did a book review on here was 2020, yikes.

Money, I want to account for most if not all of my expenditures this year, no more reckless spending just because money is there. I have also resolved that I am not buying any clothes this year, just shoes because I need them, sports shoes in particular.

I need to learn patience and the art of not giving up quickly. Every time I get frustrated, I throw in the towel without putting up a fight. I want to do better this year

Enjoy my birthday; I am one of those people who gets too sentimental and melancholic on their birthday such that I never enjoy my day. This year I want it to be different, I want to have a good time, which means I am probably going to have to force myself, and I have put a plan in place. I have started a birthday bank where I am depositing change and random cash and will spend this on my birthday.

Writing, this year I want to try submitting some writing for publishing again, so definitely need to read a lot and write a lot. I will be doing some editing as well, more on this later.

Enjoyment, I want to have fun this year and bet, I will.

I think I will end it here. Overall, I am hoping for a better year than the last in every aspect of my life. Therefore, I look forward to what I shall post on December 30, 2022.

Once again, Happy New Year Folks, go conquer the world!