I've been inspired by Yvain and ZM, so I wrote up my resolution, printed it, signed it, and taped it to the wall in front of my desk so I see it when I look up. All with a bit of ceremony of course. My full resolution is below. ZM inadvertantly provided some of the language. Feel free to copy and/or modify for your own resolution.

Also, the short time frame is due to my summer arrangements. On June 29, I fly to California to begin a 6 week internship. After I get a feel for how much time I can realistically apply to studying while there, I'll write up a new resolution that takes those particular circumstances into account.

I, Matthew Simpson, realize that I am not a monkey brain, but am a timeless abstract optimization process to which this ape is but a horribly disfigured approximation. As such, I take it upon myself to improve this approximation.

First and foremost, I promise to continually remind myself that every minute and every dime is precious, and every minute and every dime that I don't spend doing the best thing I can possibly be doing is a mark of sin upon my soul. Thus I resolve to spend every minute and every dime I have maximizing my utility function. I resolve to ask myself before every decision to spend money or time whether the chosen activity or good is utility maximizing.

In order to achieve this end, I promise to perform the following specific duties beginning Thursday, June 18, 2009 and ending Sunday, June 28, 2009:

Second, I promise to do mathematics for two hours a day, every day in order to prepare for the Iowa State Ph.D. Statistics program this fall. The television must be off during the math session and time spent talking on the phone does not count. Phone calls are not to be answered and text messages are not to be replied to unless there is a non social reason for doing so. The mathematics must be performed by working through the sections of and doing practice problems in the following books (in no particular order):

• Probability: The Logic of Science, E.T. Jaynes
• Probability and Statistical Inference 7e, Hogg and Tanis
• A First Course in Real Analysis 2e, Protter and Morrey
• Topology 2e, Munkres
• Calculus 5e, Stewart
• Elementary Linear Algebra 5e, Grossman
• Elementary Differential Equations 6e, Edwards and Penney
• Contemporary Abstract Algebra 6e, Gallian

The following exceptions apply:

• Medical emergencies for myself, family, or friends, a car emergency, or other family emergency
• Once during the period, a math session can be replaced with a two hour economics session using a suitable economics textbook that uses math extensively
• Once during the period, a session can be skipped for any reason I deem fit

By attaching my signature to this document, I, Mathew Simpson, do solemnly swear on science, Bayes, and all that is rational to perform the above duties without exception, save those listed above.