Okay, so it’s 2010 now, and I figured it was a good time to go ahead and throw down my resolutions for the new year. I’m not very happy with how the 2010 resolutions turned out so I’ve decided to 1) put more thought into this years batch and 2) make less of them so they will be easier to accomplish. Without further stalling, here’s a list of the things that need to get done this year by me. I’m going to divide it into the personal stuff and the webcomic stuff.


Personal Resolutions

1) I want to get back down to my target weight and just get healthier in general.

This is every one’s resolution, but not everyone makes a breakdown of how it needs to be done. I have. By December 2010 I want to have lost a minimum of 35 lbs. I intend to accomplish this with a combination of diet and daily exercise.

- By March,  I want to lose 10 lbs, do 25 push ups and 50 sit ups daily, and go to the gym at least twice a week for weights and cardio

- By June,  I want to lose another 10 lbs, do 50 push ups and 100 sit ups daily, and go to the gym at least three times a week for weights and cardio

- By December,  I want to lose the last 15 lbs, do 100 push ups and 200 sit ups daily, and go to the gym at least four times a week for weights and cardio


2) In 2010 I will give up tobacco products, save for the occasional cigar.

I’m already four days strong with this and doing surprisingly well. Cravings have gone to almost nothing and I’m managing them with a lighter temper than I thought I would have.


3) Work out and stick to a budget

- have separate accounts for bills, personal spending, and savings by February 2010

- set aside 10 percent of my income for physical savings, and 7.5 percent for retirement savings

- cut my daily budget at least 10 percent (easily doable by quitting tobacco)

- anything left at the end of the month that remains unspent goes into the savings account

- have an emergency fund with three months financial security by June 2010


4) Finally, do a better job of limiting my free time to productive tasks, and actually complete two unique projects (computer build, artwork, etc) and document the process

This is kind of the “tossing something in for fun” resolution for the personal side of things. There’s a lot of stuff I want to build, and I have the parts lying around, so I should really do it. I can’t think of a better time than now.


Webcomic Resolutions

1) I want Trouble Ticket to have 500 proven and unique fans by December 2010

This means that there are no less than 500 unique IP addresses logging on to the site daily to check updates, read the comic, sign into the forum, etc. I’ve got a time table for this too.

- 100 new unique IP addresses, one comic and one blog post weekly, and a small advertising campaign on other comic sites through project wonderful by March 2010

- 200 new unique IP addresses, two comics and one blog post weekly, and a regularly updated podcast by June 2010

- 300 new unique IP addresses, two comics and two blog posts weekly, and an active forum by September 2010

- 500 new unique IP addresses, two comics, three blog posts weekly, and at least one tee shirt design for sale by December 2010


2) Learn to use the social networking tools (twitter, digg, reddit, etc) to more actively promote the site

In addition to this, I want to get more active in the webcomic community. I’d like to have someone do a guest strip for me by June, and vice versa. Time to start making friends.


3) Get more serious about the podcast. Invest in some better equipment, learn to do it properly, and turn it into a quality program.

I’d like to have at least 10 percent of my fanbase listening to the podcast by June 2010, and 25 percent listening by December 2010

That’s what I’ve got for the year. There’s more stuff, and I am sure I could fill up three pages with resolutions. There’s stuff I want to do, and buy, and see done, and there’s sappy stuff I could write about what I’d like to provide for my wife, but the point of resolutions is to make yourself a better person, and that’s what I’m doing. It’s day four into the new year and I’m already making progress on several of these commitments. Last year was a learning experience for me in more ways than one. I learned how to be in a relationship. I learned how to be a husband, I learned how to be an adult, and how to handle the ups and the downs. I learned what I did right and what I did wrong with my comic, and in year two, I become a better husband, a better, healthier person, and a better artist. I give my wife the comfort and security she deserves, whip my ass back into shape both physically and mentally, and give you the funniest, best damn comic on the internet.

Happy New Year! Make it count

~Chuck