I have been reading Reverb 10 posts on a lot of blogs since December began, half wishing I was participating and half secretly grateful I hadn't signed up for yet another venture that would no doubt become an epic flop as the holidays take over my mind, body and soul (anyone remember NaBloPoMo?)

But I liked yesterday's Reverb prompt so much I couldn't help but jump on the bandwagon for a minute:

What are 11 things your life doesn’t need in 2011? How will you go about eliminating them? How will getting rid of these 11 things change your life?

1. Gucky nail polish. Ladies, I know you feel me on this one. Nail polish is cheap. It lasts for years. Every season, you buy brand new colours because it's a quick, affordable and easy way to update your look. As a result, I have probably 50-60 nail polishes when all I really like to wear are a few darks, one nice red, a couple nudes, some summery brights and one sparkly little number. Solution? Throw out everything that's separated into two very distinct layers in its little bottle. Anything I owned in college is gone. Duplicate colours are dunzo (really, how many bubblegum pinks do you need?)

2. Dark circles. See also: dull skin, cranky mornings, overcaffeination. This year, I will go to bed when I'm tired. No more doing "one more quick thing" before hitting the hay. I hate being sleepy and in 2011 I want to get fully caught up on my rest and if that means going to bed at 8:00 some nights, so be it.

3. Messes. I don't clean our house nearly enough. It's CLEAN but it always ends up being a crazy Saturday-killer because things have piled up all week (or weeks) long. I love having a clean house but I hate wasting a Saturday to get one. Solution: I am going to start planning things to clean here and there throughout the week. It's not like I'm going to feel like scrubbing the toilets on a Tuesday after work but the more little things we can do during the week, the fewer Saturdays need to be wasted with Mr. Clean.

4. Clutter. Magazines from 2003. Shoes with soles that are completely worn through. Random Tupperware lids with no containers that they fit. I hope to get rid of lots of junk in 2011, and find a place for other things. Photos in albums. CDs in sleeves. Files backed up. Receipts organized. How will I do it? A rainy day, my iPod and some boozy coffee to get me through.

5. Chequing account insanity. Right now, my paycheck goes into my chequing account which also comprises my savings account, my emergency fund...this is no good. This year I will finally get my finances in order. My goal initially is to track my spending for three months - every penny that comes in and goes out - and then to take it to a financial advisor to help me set up a savings plan I can handle. I'm not saving for anything too specific - retirement and perhaps a house renovation fund and a vacation fund. But I know the chequing account thing is horrendous. I need to make my money work harder!

6. Flab. I have a gym membership, and I'm in there five days a week, faithfully. Problem: I eat chocolate and cheese, seven days a week, faithfully. Solution: sparkpeople.com. I used this site a few years ago to track all my food and exercise and lost about 30 pounds as a result. I have kept the weight off, but lately I've been feeling a little frumpalicious. I want to get back on the wagon and tone up in 2011 and hopefully turn 30 in April in the best shape of my life.

7. Unnecessary cheapie purchases. Next year I hope to buy fewer, but nicer, things. Instead of buying three new pairs of shoes that are on sale for $30 each but that I feel ho-hum about, I want to buy one pair for $90 that I really love. (But only when I need them!)

8. Lost time. Dicking around on the Internet is probably my worst habit. I want to spend less time arsing around creeping Twitter feeds and celebrity gossip and actually do things that I love: writing (NOT Tweeting). Baking. Playing my piano. Spending time outside with my hubby and dog. Seeing friends. Watching movies. It's not like I'll be on my deathbed one day saying, "shit, I wish I'd tweeted more."

9. Torture device bras. For some reason I have a drawer full of bras with underwires that dig in, straps that won't stay put, elastic going all cockamamie, WHY?! Why do I hold on to ratty old bras like they're Starbucks stocks? I don't even have boobs anyway.

10. Not knowing what to say. I am the worst at instigating a conversation, like if I'm at a networking event or a group thing where I don't know people. I never know how to introduce myself or how to start a conversation. I'm not shy - I'm just not good at kicking things off. The fix: I will make a list (how geeky does this sound) of topics to ask people about upon first meeting them. I promise I'm not as much of an antisocial loser as this makes me sound. MOVING ON...

11. Losing track. There are so many things happening, day to day, and I forget. In 2011 I want to get back to writing in my paper journal, if not every day, at least several times a week, as well as taking pictures more often and using the video camera we got as a wedding gift to record snippets from our lives. We've only used it twice so far and there's so much stuff that would be great to document - Rory as a puppy, making changes in our house, and so many other little things that will be awesome memories one day (if we can remember them).