Sure, it can get a little tedious this time of year to hear friends, acquaintances, and strangers rattle off their oddly specific lists of sure-to-be-broken “New Year’s resolutions.” But Filmmaker Magazine editor Scott Macauley has a good one. With the technological landscape shifting more quickly — and, sometimes, unpredictably — than ever, it’s important that, as creative people, we resolve to continue our practical educations, fire on all our imaginative cylinders, and keep our batteries charged. For example:

1. Amplify your voice. You have a voice. Make it bigger in 2011. Spread it wider and connect it to more people. If you are working within your own little crew, spread out. If you’ve gotten into a pattern of relying on the same agents or producers or colleagues, enlarge the perimeter of that circle. If face-to-face is your preferred medium, get out more. Do you email or text too much? Call people more. If you’re an online presence, define the ways you’ll be able to reach more people and do them.

Macauley’s list is good because it encourages specific, achievable goals without leaving room for excuse-making. Maybe you won’t have time this year to learn After Effects, but it won’t take much dedication to teach yourself to podcast. And if you can’t afford that trip to Sundance to cram on screenings and parties, take a cue from Werner Herzog and use the time to read more books.

While you’re over there, check out Boise filmmaker Gregory Bayne’s sobering — and inspirational — post on the DIY lifestyle. And Happy New Year!