Annaliese Griffin, writing in Quartz, extols the virtues of getting back into a routine post-holidays.

Sure, January is cold, and dark. You have to start thinking about doing your taxes, everyone on social media is bragging about how great it feels to drink only green juice, and there’s a vague pressure to come up with some kind of grand project of self-improvement. It’s also a fantastic month to embrace quiet nights and early bedtimes, to snuggle comfortably into the waiting arms of your old friend, routine.

I agree. The seven weeks from Thanksgiving to New Year’s is exhausting and stressful. I’m slowly getting back into my normal routine.

Michael Wade gives us all a chore list.

1. Rank relationships higher than projects.
2. Focus. Focus. Focus.
3. Prevent drift by carefully scrutinizing the amount of time given to projects.
4. Evaluate each day in terms of positive versus negative actions.
5. Kill projects that are “rattlesnakes” and avoid those that are “pythons.”
6. Stack the deck in your favor.
7. Write more thank-you notes.

Leo Babauta has a wonderful take on the new year.

Ask yourself:

• Do you want to fill it with distractions, or keep only the most important work, relationships, commitments

• Do you want to be constantly checking social media, or would you like to read long-form writing and books, perhaps create something new?

• Do you want to be more mindful? More compassionate? More whole-hearted in your relationships?

• Do you want to be more active, eat more healthy, nourishing food? Get outdoors more, find more solitude?

• Do you want to have greater focus for your meaningful work? Be more organized?

• Simplify your life? Get your finances in order?

Pick just a handful. Spread them out over the year. Don’t overfill the year with a list of 20 things you want to do — savor the space of your blank slate.

Interesting ideas, not sure it’s for me.

Dan Pedersen has a couple of good ideas on managing health in the new year, something I’m sure plenty of us are starting to do.

Here’s a list of macro-themes that I think deliver the most value in terms of overall health and well-being:

• Eat only when hungry, and stop when you’re 80% full. Also, make your diet high in fiber.
• Stay hydrated.
• Sleep 8–10 hours per night, consistently. Go to bed early.
• Exercise moderately, three times per week. Pick something you enjoy doing.
• Spend 30 minutes per day reading a book and reflecting on what you’re learning from it. (good for brain health)
• Be thankful and prayerful every day. (reduces stress)
• Treat everyone with respect. (conflict is stressful)

This is a very simplistic formula. But I think it’s better than getting bogged down in all kinds of time consuming and frustrating details. And although there’s no perfect formula for good health, I think we can stack the odds in our favor by focusing on such major themes.

As 2018 comes to a close, I have to say… it’s been a year of remarkable change in my life. I’ve been given incredible opportunities, hit some milestones, and I’m grateful for my friends and family.

Personally, a lot went on in 2018. Here are some highlights:

My wife and I bought a house. I never thought I’d be able to say I was a home owner. I live in a great town, in a great neighborhood. I love our house and it makes me smile every time I walk in. Plus, we have some incredible plans for the place in 2019.

We have a dog. I did not grow up in a household with a pet. No dog, cat, hamster, or bird. My brother had some fish for a while and that’s about it. My step-daughter has wanted a dog for a long, long time and once we bought a house, a new puppy was coming soon. The day we brought Rocco home, I realized what I’d been missing. I had no idea how much love I could have for a dog. He’s the best.

I turned 50. My birthday was a low key affair and I wanted it that way. It nicely coincided with a St. Louis Cardinals game and a visit from my best friend and his girlfriend. The Cardinals didn’t win, but I had a great birthday.

Changed my diet, lost some weight. Early in the year, I had a checkup and was diagnosed as diabetic. My blood sugar was sky high. I needed to do something. Immediately. So, I changed my breakfast and lunch meals, learned how to meal prep, stopped eating as much sugar as I was mindlessly consuming, started walking regularly on the treadmill and lost some weight. I was really blind to how bad it was. My changes dramatically dropped my blood sugar to normal levels without insulin and I’m healthier than I have been in a long time. I still have a long way to go, but I’m making plans in 2019 to do even better.

Started writing for fightingillini.com. I was given an opportunity to write some articles for the University of Illinois athletic department and made the most of it. I wrote nearly 20 pieces over the course of the year and enjoyed every second of it. The writing helped me become a better interviewer, be less nervous around people, and ultimately be a better writer. It’s been a wonderful side job and one I hope to continue to do for years to come.

Streamlined my online presence. I thought the best way to enhance my writing was to take up with the Medium Partner Program and write essays on Medium for profit. That really didn’t happen. My best month barely covered the $5 a month I was paying to be a part of the program. I had moved away from “blogging” thinking writing longer pieces were the way to go and found I didn’t enjoy it. I wanted more control and Medium as a blogging service took away control. It’s still a great service and I appreciate what it does, but I wanted more control. It will probably always be a work in progress and I change my mind all the time. Who knows what it will be five years from now.