I skipped last year making blog resolutions, but this year I need to get myself back on the straight and narrow and encourage myself to do a few things.

1. Finish my book quickly and efficiently – Well, duh, I supposed, but the quickly and efficiently is the biggest important part.  I have no idea when SQL Server 2012 will be released, but with RC0 having been publicly released, it isn’t going to be SQL Server 2013 now is it?

2. Blog regularly – Note I didn’t exactly say more, but I do want to be regular. Perhaps a substantive blog (more than telling people about some event) once a month here on SQL Blog while working on a book, and 2 or 3 times otherwise.  On simple-talk my goal is to average 2 What Counts For A DBA blog entries.

2.1 Blog about my other (computer) love occasionally – I love gadgets (I now carry 6 music/video players, including 1 Windows Phone 7, 4 Zunes, my new Android player, and a Nintendo 3DS) and software (user interfaces are my favorite pet peeve), and I occasionally I feel like talking about them.

3. Do 1 or 2 new presentations, and reduce doing the ones on database design. I love talking about database design, and I will still put my main db design session in for conferences, but I have 3 new ideas for sessions that are about 50% code and 50% design (for example, a session on triggers, which I want to show not only how they can be used, but why they should be used (or honestly not be used, which is a far larger list indeed).

4. Develop and present a DB design a variable length (1-3 day?) seminar.  I am pretty happy how the book is organized, based on how I forced myself to work on it this time. I had a bunch of ideas how I wanted to change things us and shorten the book, but during the process, I realized the natural progression of how it ought to be done. I feel like it translates well to a class, even a bit more than the pre-con I have written that I did for the Orlando SQL Saturday (and which I will be happy to do for any SQL Saturday for any size group (I don’t care so much about making money, as long as my expenses are covered after the room is paid for…though I wouldn’t mind making a buck 🙂

5. Get more involved with our local group. I attend, I help out, I did some work with trying to SQL Rally in Nashville, but I think I could do more to help out there. It helps that I work with Christine Leo, Kevin Kline, and Joe Webb, all super dynamic folks who kick butt.

In my personal life, I have to make a number of changes that are probably apparent to anyone who has met me or seen a picture of me… That will probably be the hardest of them all, though possibly the most important.

Wow, looking at the list I realize why I stopped making resolutions… Maybe I should just resolve to go to Disney World more? Well, that would be way too easy!