I seldom do this, but it seemed appropriate. The following is an extract from an email I sent a friend. It's something like an outline of my current life plan.

I haven't got a great deal of time for reflection at the moment. I just have to keep doing things which take me in the right direction and hope that I'll like it when I get there. There are a few phases to go through. Here are some:

1. Rubble trouble - far too many bare floors and dusty piles of rubble
2. Partial service - new bathrooms that need tiling, rooms that are still unusable, but basically sound.
3. The basics - the house will be in a condition where I could move a tenant in, if only there were a bedroom ready other than my own.
4. Decoration - maybe I do a splurge of decorating, or maybe I do a room at a time, bringing in a tenant as soon as it's ready.
5. Housemate hell - all of a sudden I'm living with 4 other people. I have no privacy and either love having people around me, or, more probably, start planning to buy another house so I can get away as quickly as possible.

When I get to step 5, I'll see how I do. It's possible that I'll start house hunting sooner, or it's possible that I'll suck it and see. I've no idea how much physical labour and upheaval I can cope with in a given year, but I'm prepared to find out.

I forgot to include, in the email, that I plan to have some holidays this year too. As a single man, I now have no ability to promise my girlfriend that I'll eat healthily while away from home... so, I'll have to find some other excuse.