Andy Kemp

Less, More and None (2020)

By Andy | January 3, 2020 | 3 Comment

I first came across the idea of structuring New Year’s Resolutions, or targets as I prefer to think of them, in the following form on Jamie Michie’s blog last year. The idea is to provide some balance to the typically extreme, and unachievable, resolutions; and ensure a balance of positive changes as well as the more typical restrictions.

So what follows are my reflections on what I want to achieve in 2020:

Less

  • Late nights – try to develop a more regular sleeping pattern!
  • Social Media – my Twitter feed has become increasingly unmanageable over the years due to the number of people I follow. I need to make this more manageable if it is to be useful… this probably needs some thinning!
  • Time spent doing things which can be better done by others.

More

  • Writing – Since finishing my studies I have had less reason to write, and am really missing it. I’ve done various bits of writing in the past, so am looking forward to doing more in 2020.
  • More engagment with the wider profession. Looking for opportunities to give back to the wider profession through supporting CPD, writing, conferences etc. Let me know if you have anything you think I could help with!
  • Continuing to develop my work on student leadership.
  • Reading – I’ve read more in recent years since getting a kindle, but more recently I’ve found I’ve shifted to listening to more audiobooks than actual reading. For 2020, I’d like to do more actual ‘reading’…
  • Culture – Having recently moved to Cambridge, I’m keen to make more of the cultural opportunities it affords! So more theatre, music, and museums are the order of 2020!
  • Playing board games – we’ve built up a reasonable collection of games over the last few years as a family, and for 2020 I’d like to find time to play these more regularly.
  • Listening to more new music – my musical interests have always been fairly broad, but over recent years I feel I’ve listened to less and less new (to me!) music. This is something I want to rectify in 2020.
  • Listening to more podcasts on educational leadership. Any recommendations?
  • Cooking – one of the changes having come out of boarding this academic year, is that we actually have to cook our own dinner most of the time. This has prompted me to start cooking again, and I look forward to expanding my repertoire in 2020!

None

  • Using my phone at the dinner table
  • Charging my phone in my bedroom overnight

3 Comments

05 January, 2020 Reply

Hi Andy, thanks for the nod on Twitter.

Great list!

I think putting 'culture' in there is really interesting... as I noted in my review of 2019 the move to Hastings both helped and hindered me in achieving my goals. It was definitely more of a help though. By exploring a new area, we were able to take up a range of opportunities, make new friends, and become a part of the local community. In Hastings this a deeply cultural and entertaining one with many events linked to the heritage of the area. I can imagine that Cambridge will be the same, not least due to its size and the impact that the University must have on the area.

Best wishes for 2020.

    Andy

    05 January, 2020 Reply

    Thanks!

02 January, 2021 Reply

[…] in January 2020 I used the ‘Less, More and None‘ approach to target setting to reflect on what I hoped to achieve in 2020. Below are my […]

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