By Leo Babauta

This post will cover my 2006 review, and the next post will be my 2007 Goals.

2006 Year in Review

Last year was an awesome year for me! I accomplished two of my life goals, had a baby, and simply transformed my life in so many ways. Let me count them briefly:

1. Marathon: Starting in early 2006, I wrote a column every two weeks that ran in the local newspaper here on Guam, chronicling my journey to my first marathon. I just started running in early December 2005, and did my first 5K later that month, so this was a very big goal for me. It was also a lifetime goal. I had a very up-and-down year in my marathon training, but to sum up a long story, in early December 2006 I completed my first marathon! Running is now a part of my life, and I love it.
2. Novel: It’s always been a goal of mine to write a novel, and in November 2006 I signed up for the life-changing NaNoWriMo, with the goal of writing 50,000 words in a novel by the end of Nov. 30 … and I did it! It will probably never be published, but it was quite a challenge and accomplishment.
3. Noelle Cayce: On March 23, 2006, the latest joy of my life was born … our youngest daughter. That makes six for us. She is a godsend and a brat, all in one incredibly beautiful package.
4. Veganism: In September 2006 I became a vegetarian, with the eventual goal to become a vegan. Well, I haven’t touched meat (or any animal carcasses) since, and I have drastically reduced my intake of dairy and eggs … basically, I don’t eat dairy or eggs anymore but only take them in as trace ingredients in some foods. I plan to cut them out completely so I can have a cruelty-free diet by the end of 2007. It’s been a great transformation of my diet, and one that I do not regret a bit. One of the best things I’ve ever done.
5. GTD: Even though I didn’t actually read David Allen‘s Getting Things Done until the end of 2006, I grasped the basic concepts and procedures on the web and began implementing GTD before the summer. By the end of the year, I was much, much more organized than ever before. It’s an incredible system that I would recommend to anyone. It can take awhile to adopt the habits of GTD — I have most of them down by now but am still improving. My desk is clear, my files are organized, my email inbox is empty and I know where everything is. Perfection!
6. Early riser: In 2006, because of running, I became an early riser. I started waking earlier and earlier, and now regularly wake up at 4:30 a.m. (some days at 5 a.m. if I sleep late). It gives me such a great start on the day, and the mornings are quiet and beautiful. I love it! Over the next couple of weeks I’m going to try to accomplish at least 1-2 Big Tasks before 6 a.m. … with the option of tackling instead 2 things I’ve been procrastinating on. I think it will make my days even better.
7. Finances: I made great progress in eliminating my debt (with even bigger plans for 2007) and began an emergency fund that is so great for ease of mind. I am still trying to get on stable financial ground, but compared to a year ago, when I couldn’t make ends meet, I am light years ahead. And I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
8. One Year Quitversary: On Nov. 18, 2005, I quit smoking. It was the beginning of the transformations in my life, and gave me the confidence and showed me the way to even more accomplishments. On Nov. 18, 2006, I quietly celebrated my one year Quitversary, and have never been happier.
9. Misc: There have been many other great things that have happened to me in 2006, and small failures as well, but on the whole this has been a GREAT YEAR!!!!!! Here’s hoping that 2007 will be just as great.