New year. New you. New us 🎉

*Taps microphone that gathered dust over the past weeks*

"Is this thing on?"

Hello? Hello??

*A singular bead of sweat streams down my face*

Breaking the fourth wall, I say:

"Why do they always hear the "hello" and then nothing else?"

A fastidious fellow from the shadows scampers to the stage with a shiny new microphone. He replaces the one I'm poking and prodding before getting swallowed up by the darkness again.

"Hello?"

The distinct shriek from a functioning microphone battling feedback cuts through the room and then dissipates

Yes! It's working!

Happy New Year!

Have you heard of the fresh start effect? Apparently, we're inclined to make seismic life changes during new seasons because new seasons present us with the opportunity to distance ourselves from our past failures. However, here's the trick: you can reframe any instant as a fresh start. Even the instant you read this.

At the turn of every year, the internet is awash with lists: Spotify Wrapped, The Top 100 this, The Top 25 that. This blog is no different, I fear. I love a good list.

Here are 63 things we should try to do this year:

1. If you can, buy two gas cylinders. Gas never runs out at a convenient time

2. Take advice, but don't let the influx of it paralyze you. Trust your gut

3. The greatest risk is not taking risks

4. Serendipity is a skill you can learn. You can make yourself luckier by putting yourself out there. Want writing opportunities? Write! Write publicly. Write often. Want acting opportunities? Act! Rip your garments in the city square as you recite a Shakespeare tragedy

5. Figure out what your best qualities are and lean into them more. If you're funny, intentionally make people—especially strangers—laugh. Don't be overbearing though

6. Read the room. There's a time for everything

7. Wish your friends a Happy Birthday. Preferably in person. At worst, via text. It means a lot to them. Put their birthdays on your calendar. As life gets busier, there are fewer opportunities to declare your love. Don't miss the obvious chances life gives

8. Don't whine about long speeches at weddings or graduation parties for the same reason(s) in #7 above. You'd rather hear those speeches at a wedding than at a requiem mass

9. Any exercise is better than no exercise. Get your body moving as often as you can

10. Buy a water bottle and drink lots of water. You'll pee a lot, but your body loves it. Incidentally, peeing a lot helps with point #9 😉

11. Buy an alarm clock and leave your phone in another room when you go to bed. Twitter, WhatsApp, or email shouldn't greet you first in the morning

12. Manage your expectations

13. Always negotiate your first salary or payment offer. Always

14. Call your parents if they're alive. Visit them often

15. Getting in shape is 80% what you eat and 20% exercise. Actually, that 80% is closer to 90%

16. Flee all temptation. Don't try to be a hard guy. (pun intended) Run like the neighborhood cat fleeing accusation

17. Take lots of pictures. Let cloud storage worry about itself

18. Journal. Write down your candid thoughts and feelings about things. It's cheaper than therapy. (Though not a replacement for it)

19. Start that thing you've been putting off now. Seriously, stop here and go start it

20. Say you don't know when you don't know

21. You don't have to have an opinion on everything

22. Budget.

23. Start investing your money

24. Read more fiction

25. Apparently, the "cry it out" method for babies under 1 year is bad for child brain development. Do with that what you will, but don't call me when you're attending more class meetings than usual in the future

26. Buy black-out curtains, but make sure you set (VERY) loud alarms.

27. Travel as often as you can. It doesn't have to be to a fancy destination you can't afford. Go to a district you've never been to and stay at the local "Serena"

28. When you buy a new item of clothing, give out an old one

29. Get an annual health check-up. A full workup

30. Compliment a stranger every now and then. Look them dead in the eyes, long enough to see yourself in their pupils, and tell them they have a beautiful smile. Then leave before you have to pick a chairman for a wedding committee

31. Face at least one of your irrational fears. Mine is swimming. I'm going to learn how to swim

32. Don't pursue relationships with people you don't intend to sustain. Yes, that person is good-looking and they're clearly interested, but don't waste their time

33. Don't treat people as a means to an end

34. Take a nature walk on a Sunday afternoon

35. Wear sunscreen. Even if you're darker than a Game of Thrones episode

36. If you're not going to do it well, don't do it at all

37. Make plans, but don't become enslaved by them. The best days are often the ones you don't plan surgically

38. Take every chance to vent your frustrations. For a time. But once you're done, move on

39. If you live with others, try to do chores before you're asked

40. If you have kids, turn off the screen(s) and just sit with them. Talk to them. You may not always match their energy, but presence is a gift

41. Before you buy a non-essential item online, leave it in the cart for a few months. See if you still want it then. Many a wardrobe is full of clean neatly folded unworn impulse buys

42. If you find yourself pretending to be someone you're not around your friends, you need to go to therapy or get new friends. Probably both

43. Always be honest about your romantic feelings towards people as early as possible. Even when all you're feeling is confusion. It doesn't always go well, but the alternative is worse

44. When you go out for the occasional dinner at a fancy restaurant, always order dessert. Diets be damned

45. Especially in Uganda, before you visit any business or government offices, call ahead

46. Get a hobby. Something you like to do alone. Do it at least once a week

47. Resist the urge to take someone's CV if you have zero prospects for them

48. Listen to new music when you travel to a new place. Every time you hear that music, you'll remember that place

49. Plan your day the night before and pick major highlights you want to accomplish

50. The cars on the roundabout have the right of way

51. Let that car joining the main road from a feeder road squeeze in ahead of you in traffic

52. Be kind to your house-helps and everyone you meet in the service industry

53. Let the sun kiss your face as early as possible in the morning

54. Undersell and overdeliver

55. Always make your bed in the morning

56. Change your pillowcases at least once a week

57. Drink a glass of water when you wake up

58. When you feel hungry, drink water first. It's often just dehydration

59. Start with the proteins on the plate if you don't want to overeat

60. Learn a new skill

61. Do some volunteer work

62. You can compartmentalize your friendships. Your party friends don't have to be your hiking-a-mountain friends

63. You can never eat too much fruit

Would you like to add to the list? Reply in the comments 😇

Have a great week and a great year ✌🏾

PS: Sign up for The Friday Fix: my weekly newsletter where I share productivity hacks, practical life advice, and gems from across the web, directly to your inbox

This one is mainly for my Ugandan and African audience. Where do you get your news? Twitter? WhatsApp forwards? Your boda guy? Sign up for TLDR Weekly: Your weekly skim of the top stories from Uganda and the rest of the world delivered directly to your email inbox with wit and precision.