1. Redefine 2009

The December focus was to get some closure on a few projects, and I wasn’t successful at any of them.  Not exactly the best way to end the year.

2. 53 Weekly Project Challenge

December ended with some HTW posts, some HTW site changes, a little apartment hunting, completing Christmas shopping, and enjoying New Year’s.

3. Weekly Content Creation Challenge

The content for December included some coworker gift ideas, another sketch, my comedy reel, and my best tweets of 2009.

4. Establish 4 New Habits

I’ve fallen off the bandwagon for most of these habits in some sort or another, but I do feel confident that I can bring them back in the new year.

5. Improve My Taste

I tried another beer (Magic Hat), as well as a jalapeno and some alligator.  Of the three, alligator was definitely the best.

6. Publish a Book

I did publish an eBook this year, but no physical book.

7. Get 100,000 views on YouTube

I’ve continued to have ideas that might be worthy of spreading, but haven’t produced any of them.

8. $10,000 in Supplemental Income

No additional income.

9. Get on a Harold Team

No change.

10. Get 1-Rated at Work

I was able to get confirmation that I did get the 1 rating at work.

Whew, 2009 is now complete.  There’s a lot to analyze, but I’ll save that for the year in review.

1. Redefine 2009

The November focus was to get better as an improv facilitator and I definitely did that–both through learning new ideas and through experience.

2. 53 Weekly Project Challenge

November wrapped up some re-prioritization, an AIN presentation, a large group facilitation, and Thanksgiving.

3. Weekly Content Creation Challenge

This month’s content included a project management haiku, AAA Stupidity Insurance, a 600 – The Movie trailer and poster, and some cliche pictures.

4. Establish 4 New Habits

I still feel like almost everything I do should be working towards something, but I am getting a little bit better.  Movies, TV shows, and walking made up the majority of my relaxation time this month.

5. Improve My Taste

There was some more fish and beer this month (nothing that I enjoyed), a lamb sandwich that tasted like Manwich, and some pretty solid Pumpkin cake.

6. Publish a Book

No update other than sticking with waiting till next year.

7. Get 100,000 views on YouTube

No real progress, though I have a good idea for a video with my cliche bit.

8. $10,000 in Supplemental Income

Nada.

9. Get on a Harold Team

No change.

10. Get 1-Rated at Work

I should hopefully know my confirmed rating some time this month.

Wow, there’s only 1 more month left in 2009.  I feel like I’ve done quite a bit this year, but at the same time, haven’t done nearly enough.  Here’s to a productive 12th month.

1. Redefine 2009

October was supposed to be focused on writing a book; it only got partially there.

2. 53 Weekly Project Challenge

October projects included: dream writing, deciding the topic of the book, outlining the chapters, and being too busy to get something done.

3. Weekly Content Creation Challenge

Content from my mind this month included: a glimpse into my dreams, tips on not dating certain professions, a rap video, and the program to learn a new skill.

4. Establish 4 New Habits

I was able to spend a lot time this past month just doing things for me, most of it in the way of socializing. Going to parties, chatting with friends, and a little football have all helped to balance the hectic schedule.

5. Improve My Taste

This was a pretty good month for me–I tried a number of different types of fish, some duck, a little eel, and found that I no longer mind when I have beans in my chili.

6. Publish a Book

As part of my prioritization, I’ve decided to hold off on the book for this year, despite now having an outline for each of the chapters for the book.

7. Get 100,000 views on YouTube

The short film is complete but we won’t be showing online until we get it into some festivals. Other than that, no real progress here.

8. $10,000 in Supplemental Income

I got a little bit of money for rent and did a paying show for improv, but the total is still well below the $10,000 mark.

9. Get on a Harold Team

No change.

10. Get 1-Rated at Work

Still waiting. All I can do now is work hard to try to get it for next year.

Reviewing my goals has made me realized that while I’m staying busy, I’m not really making headway on the things I’ve identified as being important. As such, I need to figure out the right balance of working on what needs to be done immediately, and what I am trying to achieve on a larger scale.

1. Redefine 2009

September was all about film. Check out the details in the September Focus in Review.

2. 53 Weekly Project Challenge

The projects for September included the Shoot from the Hip review, an HTW newsletter, redesigned Corporate Recess site, and published more than 100 ways to have humor at work.

3. Weekly Content Creation Challenge

I worked on shared some tips, talked about Ohio Football, had some fun with letters, and talked about the subway for September’s creative content.

4. Establish 4 New Habits

The weekly review exists barely, but has been replaced with a sporadic daily look at tasks, which basically means I need to get better at this.

As we enter the final quarter, the last habit will be to spend more time relaxing and recharging by setting aside at least 4 hours per week doing something not related to work, improv, or the blog.

5. Improve My Taste

For September, I’ve given fried tofu, chicken tempura, and Miller Lite a try; I only liked 2 of the 3.

6. Publish a Book

I have a tentative title for the book and will be spending most of October working on the first draft.

7. Get 100,000 views on YouTube

Well the short film is 99% complete, but we will be submitting it to festivals, which means we can’t share it online as of yet. For the second straight year, it doesn’t look like this one is going to happen.

8. $10,000 in Supplemental Income

I think I’m now up to about $2 from the site, so now it’s just a matter of increasing that 500,000%.

9. Get on a Harold Team

Same as last month–New York needs more auditions.

10. Get 1-Rated at Work

The ratings are still being reviewed and won’t be finalized until December, but it turns out I may have a chance.

It’s amazing how quick the month feels. It was a good month, but now it’s getting to crunch time for some of the goals; let’s see what we can manage.

1. Redefine 2009

The focus for August was on the Humor That Works site.  Details can be found in the August Focus in Review.

2. 53 Weekly Project Challenge

I was able to accomplish scheduling all of the quotes and corporate recess posts for Humor That Works, enjoy the Del Close Marathon,  get to Inbox Zero, and  read On Directing Film in the month of August.

3. Weekly Content Creation Challenge

Creatively the month of August had a letter to Microsoft, some fun with Google searches, fun with improv team names, an ode to the color orange, and a clip of Slapstick Picnic.

4. Establish 4 New Habits

I got a little bit better at doing a weekly review last month, but still didn’t do it to the extent that I want to.  I may need to stop scheduling stuff so late on Sunday nights, I get too tired to do the review and properly prepare for the week.

5. Improve My Taste

August was a pretty good month for trying new stuff, the highlights being I finished by first beer (a Corona), and tried lintel soup and quinoa (sp?).

6. Publish a Book

I’ve continued to begin to piece together the outline for a book, but no significant progress here.

7. Get 100,000 views on YouTube

We’ve gotten a few views on the CareerBuilder commercial, but other than that don’t have much.  I swear the short film will be finished this month (in time for submission to festivals) so that may lead to some improved numbers.

8. $10,000 in Supplemental Income

I’ve finally added some unobtrusive ads to the Humor site, so hopefully some income will come in that way.  Other than that, still have a long way to go here.

9. Get on a Harold Team

I’ve certainly improved a ton as an improviser but I want to start working on my audition (aka first impression) skills.  That way when the next round of auditions take place, I’ll be as prepared as I can be.

10. Get 1-Rated at Work

I recently talked with my manager and it looks like the one project I didn’t deliver is going to be reflected in my rating.  I’ll still be rated very well, but that coveted 1 spot is a long-shot.

Overall another busy month but still not quite the progress I want to make.  The focus this month will be gearing up towards writing a book and doing more work with video.

1. Redefine 2009
July’s focus was a redefinition of me as an improviser.  And while the main focus was just to do something improv related every day, based on feedback from friends and coaches, the work has paid off in terms of my focus on more emotional reactions.  The full breakdown is in July Focus in Review.

2. 53 Weekly Projects Challenge
For July, I wrote a birthday song, went to ComedySportz tournament, did some work for HTW, and researched writing a book.

3. Weekly Content Creation Challenge
July is up on Weekly Content Creation Roundup and includes a birthday video, CareerBuilder commercial, Subway Story, and 26 single pane cartoon ideas.

4. Establish 4 New Habits
So…. I completely forgot about the weekly review, whoops.  I need to remember to do that each week (plus not hit snooze and exercise every day).

5. Improve My Taste
I’ve tried a handful of beers, none of which have been good or even manageable.  While in Chicago I did try a bunch of new Chinese food, some of which I actually enjoyed.  Also fried pickles = not very good.

6. Publish a Book
I finally did a little bit of research on this and it looks like I need to get to a minimum of about 20,000 words if I’m going to do a non-fiction book.

7. Get 100,000 views on YouTube
The short film is still in the works, but I did shoot two videos this month so hopefully we’ll have a few that get added to the count.

8. $10,000 in Supplemental Income
Other than some rent still no progress here.

9. Get on a Harold Team
I definitely think this past month’s work has improved the chances of this, however I have a number of things I still need to work on to get to the caliber of improviser for a Harold Team.

10. Get 1-Rated at Work
I’m more optimistic about this one after further discussion, but there are no guarantees.  All I can keep doing is working hard and doing my best.

I’m happy with my start to the second half of the year–now I just have to keep that momentum with another successful monthly focus and an energized attitude towards my 10 goals.

1. Redefine 2009
The focus for June was Meditation which…. really didn’t happen quite as much as I wanted.  The full review is in the June Focus in Review.

2. 53 Weekly Projects Challenge
The weekly projects for June included burning the 50th Show to DVD, creating a training presentation, writing one article per day, finish the next cut of Reflection, and started working on writing a song.

3. Weekly Content Creation Challenge
All of the June content is now at the Weekly Content Creation Roundup and includes some topical humor history, a mathematical rap, a sentimental letter, and a tribute to Michael Jackson.

4. Establish 4 New Habits
Exercising everyday was hit or miss this month, with mostly misses.  I’ll have to make sure I pick that back up again.  I also need to start a new habit, which for productivity purposes will be to start doing a weekly review every Sunday.

5. Improve My Taste
I tried a few more sauces this month, but nothing that really stuck out to me as being enjoyable.  I also tried a glass of wine and still am far from ever wanting to drink that regularly.

6. Publish a Book
No real progress.

7. Get 100,000 views on YouTube
We’re still working on the short film, but it is almost ready for scoring.  With the new focus on the humor that works site, this is now going to have to happen for something that is related to the site (most likely).

8. $10,000 in Supplemental Income
Other than some rent still no progress here.

9. Get on a Harold Team
Part of the renewed focus on improv should hopefully improve my chances with this next year.

10. Get 1-Rated at Work
After a preliminary discussion with my manager, this one is still up in the air.  Unfortunately one of my projects is still delayed and even though it’s not technically my fault, it could affect the rating.

Wow, 6 months into 2009 already.  I’ve been crazy busy this whole year it seems, and have accomplished a lot, but I need to make sure it’s on track for my longer term goals.  Here’s to starting off the second half of the year on the right foot.

1. Redefine 2009
My focus for May was relationships.  These are the types of focuses I need to do more often as they are definitely the most rewarding.  You can check out the details for focusing on relationships.

2. 53 Weekly Projects Challenge
The weekly projects in May included finishing the improv agenda, writing a guest post (that never got published), edit the 50th Show, create the rough cut of a short film, and most recently, write an eBook.

3. Weekly Content Creation Challenge
The May content that is up at the Weekly Content Creation Roundup were some notes from a walk home, a review of what my mom taught me, a video from the 50th show, images from the short film, and an excerpt from the eBook.

4. Establish 4 New Habits
I started May off great with consecutive days of exercise…but then the short film came, then a small bout with a sore throat and congestion.  I finally got back to the daily exercise routine yesterday.  Looks like I need to try to be my previous record of 40 days.

5. Improve My Taste
There wasn’t too much new here, so I need to get back to trying more foods and going to more unique restaurants.  I was surprised to find out that I actually think guacamole is pretty good.

6. Publish a Book
Though the eBook isn’t really a published book, it is a start and could potentially be a sample chapter from something bigger in the future.  I really need to start thinking about this one.

7. Get 100,000 views on YouTube
I’ve gotten some great feedback on the rap video, but my co-MC decided to leave the country.  In the meantime I do think that the short film we shot will get some decent hits.  After that I need to start working on some more projects.

8. $10,000 in Supplemental Income
I don’t think I made any real progress here.  Looks like I need to step this one up as well.

9. Get on a Harold Team
I’ve decided that if I can’t make it on a Harold team this year, I need to at least get to the point where I am 98% confident that I’ll make it next year.  That means lots of important in a short 6 months.

10. Get 1-Rated at Work
The extracurricular stuff I’m doing at work is going great.  Now if I could only say the same thing for some of my projects.  The one saving grace is that it isn’t technically my fault, but that doesn’t really matter as I need to be able to deliver no matter the circumstances.

Whew, 31 days came and went pretty fast.  Now it’s June and then we’re officially at the half-way point–scary.  This is certainly a wake-up call for some of the bigger goals I wanted to do, time to get cracking.

1. Redefine 2009
April was all about my style.  I added a few new items to my wardrobe and got rid of a lot more.  Details here.

2. 53 Weekly Projects Challenge
For the month of April, I did my taxes, applied (and got accepted) to Demand Studios, saw a performance every day, wrote a sample book chapter, and started on an improv agenda.

3. Weekly Content Creation Challenge
The content for April included my comedy reel, a tax rant, some tips on performing and a sketch–all available at Weekly Content Creation Roundup.

4. Establish 4 New Habits
After a slow start to the month (I was on and off the first couple of days), I finished with 26 consecutive days of exercise.

5. Improve My Taste
I’m a fan of tangerines in orange jello, peppers aren’t bad but not necessarily good, and I could live without green curry.

6. Publish a Book
I wrote a sample chapter for a contest, but nothing related to a book that I would actually write.

7. Get 100,000 views on YouTube
Still pretty low here (small hits here and there), but I am still holding out hope for the rap video, if I can make sure I do that.

8. $10,000 in Supplemental Income
I made $5 via Demand Studios–sweet!

9. Get on a Harold Team
Unfortunately I did not make it on to a Harold Team at UCB.  Unless they have auditions again this year, this may be difficult to do.  But I’ll never give up.

10. Get 1-Rated at Work
I think I’m doing OK here, I should have a quarterly review with my manager to see though.  I think all the work I do in addition to my normal job should help me out.

May is now here and there’s still plenty to be done.  While the humor site is up on it’s feet, there’s still some work to put into it before fully publicizing it.  I also need to do a lot more work regarding sketches and getting stuff on YouTube.  Here’s to a productive 31 days of May.

1. Redefine 2009
The focus for March was the voice, and here’s how it turned out.

2. 53 Weekly Projects Challenge
In March, I found a voice coach, did something new in New York, got healthy, and recorded a song.

3. Weekly Content Creation Challenge
March contained an article, a story, some fun pictures, and a rap song in the Weekly Content Creation Roundup.

4. Establish 4 New Habits
For the most part this is done.  Whatever time I set my alarm to is the time I wake up (save an occasional Saturday or during a time of sickness).  It’s time to move onto Habit #2: exercising daily.

5. Improve My Taste
Had another salad today–it’s getting more and more common place.  As for new foods, I know I don’t like spinach lettuce and for the most part am impartial to most melons.

6. Publish a Book
Nothing really here as of it, this may not happen till November.

7. Get 100,000 views on YouTube
I’m hoping to turn the rap song into a music video that could be a contender (or at least large contributor) to the 100,000 views.

8. $10,000 in Supplemental Income
No additional income this month (aside from something similar to, but not exactly, rent).

9. Get on a Harold Team
I just found out (today actually) that I am able to move on to the 501 level–whoo-hoo.  And Harold Team auditions are this Friday at UCB.  Unfortunately they only have auditions once per year, so if I don’t do well this weekend, it may be hard to complete this one.

10. Get 1-Rated at Work
My project continues to be at risk, but in some ways if I can still get it done by the end of the Fiscal, it might be a positive given the number of setbacks we’ve had.

March is over and April is here.  The main goal will again be on getting the side business up and continue to drive traffic to that site, which will officially launch sometime soon.  The focus will be an improved style, which may take quite a bit of work to fully accomplish.