I did a lot of great things over the past year. My proof is in the memories, stories and pictures. But also, I kept a bunch of lists. It started primarily as a curiosity and, frankly, because I was jealous of some of the book tracking I saw on Instagram. And so, I kept a list journal.
Last January, I selected a few things to track and that sort of set the stage for the year. Or, at least, indicated how I thought the year would proceed. I decided to track books, movies, concerts, fostering cats, trips and speaking events I attended. Those things all make me happy and I thought being intentional about doing them would lead to a great year. Mostly true!
Thanks to my list book, I can summarize my year in just a few stats:
- Books read: 145
- Movies seen (in theaters, planes and at home): 31
- Bands seen live in concert: 21
- Cats fostered: 3
- Trips and vacations: 5
- Speaking events attended: 3
Those numbers don’t tell the story, but do indicate where intentions met action.
Books
When it comes to books, I nailed it. And my list making does give me more information. For instance, I know that I read 35 paperback books, 61 hardback books and 49 audiobooks.
I’m a little disappointed in what I chose to track, but also want to keep my record-keeping easy. I know some people track books in a spreadsheet. (Book Riot has one you might want to check out.) I already use Goodreads for digital tracking and like the physicality of paper for everything else. (Related: Note that I read 0 eBooks.)
The data I wish I had on hand, easily, is how many books I read by authors of color, how many new books I read versus older novels versus classics. I wish I knew how many female authors I read compared to male authors. All of that data could have been more easily tracked in a digital record. I can still go back and pull that information from Goodread (unlikely) or keep track for 2019.
My reasons for wanting that more granular data is to ensure that I am challenging myself to read a variety of types of books from a variety of authors from a variety of time periods. To me, that variety is what helps me be both a better reader but also a better person.
Movies
Two years ago I started a movie club amongst a few friends. It’s the easiest club to which I’ve ever belonged. Every month or so we see a new movie and we take turns picking, going in alphabetical order by last name. (Note: If you borrow this idea and work with a group pulling from different friend groups, work in alphabetical order by first name. Much easier!) I used to see maybe a movie or two a year in the theater and would just binge on international flights to catch up. Not anymore!
Over the last year, I’ve seen some really great and some really terrible movies. And I’m so happy with both. I’m especially happy that I’ve seen several films that are well outside of my wheelhouse. Would I have seen The Post or First Man in the theater by my own choice? Nope. But they were great!
Going to the movies on a monthly basis has been a good reminder to me about how much fun it is to see a movie surrounded by strangers, or, as was the case with The Hate U Give, with only one other person in the whole theater. And comedies surrounded by other people laughing, like happened with Uncle Drew, only makes you laugh harder.
Bands and Concerts
Live music is a wonderful experience. Sure, you can listen to an album, but when you see the music live… It’s just more … full. I initially intended to track concerts but then took a page from the sometimes controversial method in which NPR’s Bob Boilan tracks shows, and I started keeping track of bands I’ve seen live. What’s the difference? It essentially comes down to opening acts and music festivals. For instance, I went to see Ke$ha (Yeah!) and Macklemore (meh) perform and Wes Period (?) was their opening act. I could have tracked that as one concert, but I counted it as three bands I saw live. Disagree? As I said, this method is not without controversy. But I like it because it helps me track down to the artist, which I value more than the event.
Every year I intend to go to more concerts than I do. This past year, I went to 8 concerts or festivals. It’s good, but I want for more next year!
Intentions Versus Reality
The remaining lists I kept, foster cats, trips and speaking events, speak more to my intentions than to tracking.
In 2017 I started fostering cats again and liked it so had big plans for 2018. That all came to an end when one cat hated me, another had chronic poops and the other was a last-minute surprise. Also, all fostering comes at the expense of my pet cat’s waistline and affection towards me.
I had similarly positive intentions when I started tracking speaking events. I love hearing people talk about their areas of expertise and their creative process so try to seek out author talks or take advantage of speaking events at my local libraries, museums and universities. Over the last year I did see the amazing Min Jin Lee and Susan Orlean talk during separate events at the Mercantile Library. I also enjoyed visiting a local independent bookstore with friends to hear from Janet Beard about her book. But for 2019, more please.
Lastly, I tracked trips and started so boldly by including a daytrip to Cleveland, Ohio, in my list book. No offense to my Cleveland side of the family, but as trips go, it was small. And why did I could Cleveland, and later a weekend in Columbus, Ohio, but not my countless trips to Dayton, Ohio. I’m the one who wrote it all down and even I’m confused. I think my intention was to embrace more weekend trips, which I can still get behind. We’ll see what 2019 has in store.
Future Lists
I’ve already added in pages in my list book for 2019 for books, movies and concerts. I also have more room to create other lists as makes sense. I think I’ll track different things about the books I read this time.
I’d encourage you to make a list book, too. It’s not about the lists themselves. They’re just a piece of paper or a digital record. The fun is at the end of the year to have a sort of memory book on which to reflect and acknowledge that the past year was truly great fun.
