RENEE'S SAY: Making New Year's resolutions — despite best intentions

I tell myself I'm not going to make any New Year's resolutions.

I feel like I never accomplish the things I put on there, so why bother?

I told myself two weeks ago, very firmly, that I was no longer doing that.

I was wrong.

Last week, while going through my day, things would crop up and I would tell myself, "That is definitely going on the list!"

So, I give up. Despite my best intentions, I'm making New Year's resolutions.

Here's my list:

•Eat breakfast more often. As much as I love Doritos and vanilla Coca-Cola, they are not breakfast.

Doughnuts, pound cake and iced tea are not (really) breakfast.

When I eat more oatmeal, eggs, yogurt and fruit for breakfast, I eat fewer snack foods. Even leftover dinner is better than nothing, because when I eat breakfast, I eat less cookies, cake and Doritos.

•Bring lunch at least twice a week. As much as I love McDonald's and Burger King — my life's "easy buttons" — I have "fast food fatigue."

I love cheeseburgers, but come on now. Five days a week is a little too much!

Also, lowering fast food consumption helps lower what I pay for lunch, and lowers my gas consumption!

•Always keep a book or two in the car. I had to get my car repaired last month, and I had a huge book on Java programming in the car. (No, I'm not a big nerd, Dad. I'm a weightlifter.)

That's a good thing, because I was there at least three hours longer than I'd expected.

If I'm in a waiting room more than 20 minutes, I'd rather have something to do that I find interesting.

It also keeps me from staring at people and making them uncomfortable.

•Acknowledge personal limits and keep manageable commitments. I've become more careful about how I spend weekends. I now make a point of recharging my batteries and working toward personal goals.

After all, a stressed out, miserable Renee is no good to anyone.

•Start keeping a journal. It doesn't have to be pretty; perfect; Associated Press style, which we use for work; or "I may be famous someday" worthy.

It just has to be a record of what happened to me, around me, in my family or in the world; how I spent a day, or how something affected me.

I have a couple of papers and letters from when I was growing up, and there are things written in there that I forgot even happened, and things mentioned that barely exist today (cassette tapes, for instance).

I get a kick out of reading  those, and seeing where I was then.

These are a few of my intentions this year. I have a little more work to do to get that breakfast one accomplished, but I feel like they're easier to manage and achieve than previous, lofty New Year's goals.

Email Editorial Assistant Renee Bell, follow her on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: RENEE'S SAY: Making New Year's resolutions — despite best intentions