And no, I’m not talking about the final frontier or the voyages of the starship Enterprise, nor am I really going where no man has gone before. In fact, I’ve gone here at least three times before. But, I am simplifying things this time around. Rather than picking two or three guiding words for 2020, I’ve narrowed it down to just one: space.

That one word, though, carries (at least) three meanings.

Managing Physical Space

For years, “experts” have told me that a cluttered desk is indicative of a cluttered mind. And, truth be told, my desk has always been pretty messy. There are cables and pens and flash drives and random scraps of paper strewn all over the place. Organized chaos, I like to call it. I swear I know where everything is. Sometimes.

I’ve always been something of a pack rat, keeping just about everything “just in case.” The result is a lot of extra stuff — I’ve still got mini-USB cables and a charger for a camera I no longer use for some reason — and it’s about time that I clear out some of that mess. While I won’t be going quite so far as to Marie Kondo everything in sight (there’s no joy to be sparked there), I do want to manage my physical space a little better.

This applies mostly to my home office, where I have the greatest control, but I’ve been trying to tackle the rest of the house too. Baby steps, so to speak. I gotta make room to breathe.

Finding Mental Space

“Space,” as a guiding word for 2020, isn’t just about clearing out some of the physical clutter in my life. It’s also about quieting the noise between my ears. Or at least turning down the volume on things that don’t matter so I can pay better attention to the things that do matter.

Four years ago, I wrote about how I want to do everything. On some level, that’s still true. There’s work, fatherhood, the vlog, and all the rest of it. On another level, though, I’m starting to gain a better sense of clarity that I can’t do everything… at least not at the same time. By choosing to say “no” to some things, I can reduce the sources of worry and anxiety in my life. At least that’s the idea.

Again, I gotta make room to breathe. I have to learn to slow down. Going camping in the woods (shown above) helped, even if it was only for a couple days.

Making Time and Space

This lends itself perfectly to the third and final aspect of this year’s guiding word. “Space” also relates directly to the concept of time. Even if we don’t get into the complexities of the time-space continuum — I’m not at all qualified to discuss that — we can talk about making room in my day where I don’t feel obligated to do something productive.

Because I can work at any time, I feel like I should be working all the time. And let’s not forget about all the other priorities I love to pile on top of that too. Really, though, for any semblance of life-work balance and for the sake of my long-term mental health, I need time to breathe too. It’s about choosing to take better care of myself.

Far Out, Man!

Yes, I know that I already set out some specific goals for 2020 as well. Those are definitely still in play. I’ve been keeping up with my daily step goal (only missed one day so far!) and I’m well on my way to finishing three books this month. The gaming goal and the kid-free vacation are honestly giving me the hardest time.

But, maybe, I just need to give myself the headspace and time of day to prioritize those goals too. I know. Way out there, right?