Gamify Your Goals? Bingo!
An Interview with Past Me by Now Me
‘Tis the season for reflection, but I am also choosing to end this year playfully. I know 2025 will be hard and I am determined to balance that with as many moments of delight as possible. To help me on my quest, I interviewed Past Me to see if we could agree on goal setting strategies for a new year. I also reached out to Future Me, but she is always impossible to get a hold of. Rude.
This interview has been edited for clarity and silliness.
Now Me, host: Welcome, Past Me! If I remember correctly, a year ago you were feeling pretty hopeful and excited about your goals for 2024. Is that right?
Past Me: Thanks so much for having me! Yes, 2023 was challenging, so I knew I needed to slow down and rest better, but I also love setting fun goals for a new year. It helps me feel a sense of direction for how I want to use my time and energy. I do feel so excited about my simple illustrated plans. I think I finally figured out how to set more realistic goals. How did we do?!
NM: Well, they weren’t so simple for me after all, but they were still worthwhile. So you go ahead and be excited, Past Me. I’m proud of you.
1. Play my Ukulele Terribly (Tuesdays & Thursdays for 30 minutes)
This started off so well. I really was committed for the first half of the year. It felt so fun and I did learn the basics. I have a lot left to learn and I’ve fallen out of practicing regularly. I may not have stuck to my twice-a-week practice schedule like I’d hoped, but I am much better at it than a year ago.
2. Declutter a DOOM box/bag/pile every Sunday for 1 hour
I did tackle a bunch of DOOM piles and clutter this year, but it never really ends, does it? Sorry, Past Me, but did you really think there wouldn’t be any clutter, boxes of donations to haul away, or DOOM bags left lurking in this home? As KC Davis of StruggleCare.com says, “Mess is morally neutral,” so I didn’t fail. I was able to help make my spaces function better this year, so that’s still a win.
‘Mess is morally neutral’ means that you deserve to function in your home and we're not going to think about whether it's good enough. We are going to think about whether it functions. - KC Davis
3. Daily Slow Hobbit Walks (target 1+ mile daily with the Fantasy Hike app)
I didn’t go on walks daily, but I did walk a lot more this year: frequent hikes with Mike and our dogs at a local state park, strolls around local cities, and walking a ton on some travels. I am still very far from the end in the Fantasy Hike app, but I am currently beating Hairyfoot Potter! So I’m not the slowest!
PM: It sounds like my goal-setting did work pretty well then! Progress, not perfection, is always the ultimate goal.
NM: True, this did work better than what we’ve tried before. But a lot happens in a year, especially when our brain likes to jump around to different interests often. In 2024, I’m so happy that I…
Posted a new Substack 9 months out of the year
Created a weekly Cozy Fantasy & Food series for Substack in February
Worked through the 12 weeks of The Artist’s Way with an online Creative Cluster
Created Sparky, my inner creative spark illustrated as a playful puppy
Finally finished updating my bedroom walls
Learned to sew little felt plushies
Explored some fun, inspiring places (Mt. Washington, the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Ghost Ranch, New Mexico)
Updated my online portfolio
Switched to a wonderful new therapist
Read so many inspiring and insightful Substack newsletters and notes! If I subscribe or follow you, please know I love what you do, even if I can’t always keep up with it.
Started learning Spanish on Duolingo again and currently have an 87-day streak going. My personal best! I want to have a little party
ifwhen I reach 1 year!Had 1 second of TV fame in the audience of the Kelly Clarkson Show
Read 62 books. Another personal best!
Recorded most days for my 2024 1 Second Everyday video diary:
Next year, instead of trying to summarize each day, I want to go “delight hunting” and capture something that delights me each day. Even on days that are hard. This goal is inspired by a book by Ross Gay that I read this year, The Book of Delights, a collection of essays about the small joys we often overlook in our busy lives.
PM: That doesn’t sound like a restful year…
NM: Well, remember there are different types of rest. I learned how to balance all 7 much better this year.
There are always so many things I want to do. And if I don’t write down what my goals are, I get distracted and forget. So I want to set more goals, but I need a way that gives me more flexibility as my mood, interests, and energy levels fluctuate.
PM: I don’t know. My plan was so simple and now you want to complicate it by–
Inner Artist Child: BINGO!
My Inner Artist Child has appeared, shouting in glee.
NM: Why are you shouting, Inner Artist? Are you agreeing with Past Me?
Inner Artist Child: No! Play!
NM: Play? Bingo? Ohh! Yes!
PM: Uh, what?
NM: Making a bingo board for goals! It’s a trend some have shared online this year. I think monthly will work best. With lots of colorful visuals. Hold on...
Yes! Here’s my first card:
PM: Uh, 25 goals just for 1 month?! Not even a free space?! That seems like the opposite of what I did. I thought you wanted to be more realistic!
NM: I am! Bingo cards aren’t meant to be filled in completely. These are all things I want to do eventually. I know I won’t get to them all and that’s okay. I can roll over whatever I want into the next month, or maybe some months will have themes. The joy is in playing, completing squares in no particular order, and seeing what happens. If I get a bingo or two, great! If I don’t, it will still be so fun to try. It’s flexible and low pressure.
PM: Hmm, that does sound pretty delightful.
Inner Artist Child: Bingo!
NM: Yes, thanks, Inner Artist! You always have the best ideas.
End scene.
If you’ve read this far, thank you for going on that silly journey with me. Needless to say, I am very excited for my new monthly bingo game. Since I’m not the first to do it, you can read more about how to make bingo goal cards here and here. (The last one includes a free Canva template.)
I made mine in Procreate. My first thought was that I would draw a little image for each goal, but on second thought I realized that would take me way too much time and I’m not likely to keep up with that each month. Quickly grabbing images from Google is much easier, so I can focus my time on my actual goals and not just on setting up the game card.
Recent Inner Artist Food
• Books: (currently enjoying) Dear Wendy by Ann Zhao - “Two aromantic and asexual college students engage in an online feud while unknowingly becoming friends in real life in this dual POV Young Adult contemporary debut”
& Not for the Faint of Heart by Lex Croucher - “Queer historical YA romance, with all the swoons, laughs, and heart-pounding moments you'd expect from a story about the granddaughter of Robin Hood and the girl she's accidentally kidnapped”
• Movies: Wicked Part 1 (twice in theaters so far), The Wild Robot (such a beautiful story!), & so many cheesy Christmas movies
• Music: Joy Oladokun was my top artist this year. In the special thank you video from her, she said, “Thank you for listening. I hope you’re okay…*chuckles* I wrote this song this year called ‘AM I?’ and the question around it is am I the only one who feels sad or fearful and I just want to thank you all because you remind me that I’m not alone.” I did have a lot of sad or fearful moments during this difficult year, so I’m not surprised I kept turning to her beautiful music to feel less alone too.
• Art: I love the recent 30 Days of Thank You Drawings series by Cait Brennan. I love her cohesive style and the concept of daily gratitude artwork for a month.
Questions For Your Inner Artist
What fun activities or goals would you put on a bingo card for yourself?
How would you reward yourself for getting bingo?
Wishing you all so many moments of rest and delight in the new year!
You've inspired me. I wasn't sure what I wanted to write with regards to Substack this year or how to add art back into my routine. Somewhere along the way my morning routine changed. So many good things I want to do. The Bingo card seems great or something similar.
Love how you wrote this! I hope one day we get to meet in person.
Glad to see we are both in the pink pony club club!