charting a course

it worked for ben franklin . . .
i dove right into crafting my own HP, but spun my wheels for quite some time about making up a resolutions chart. HP author gretchen rubin swears by hers, and notes more than once in her book that it was perhaps the most valuable piece of her own project.

i resisted because — well, it just sounded like a bit of overkill to me. the concept reminds me of the ‘chore charts’ we suggest to parents for 4-11 year olds. but really — who am i to argue with ben franklin or ms. rubin?

furthermore, come on — could i really resist the opportunity to elaborately make use of my (slightly ridiculous) colour-a-month planner?

no. no, i could not.

so there it is: my personal resolutions chart for the month of july! if you’d like another spin on things, here’s a link that shows ben franklin‘s chart; you can also email me and i can forward you gretchen rubin’s word version.

HP aims: july
so what are those cryptic headings on the chart? i decided that this month’s theme will be work, since today marks the (huge! exciting!) transition from residency –> fellowship. my plan is to incorporate my 2010 resolutions into these aims in order to better focus and avoid goal overload.

week #1‘s goal (yes, i’m really dividing things up here!) will be to keep work and play separate. this means cutting out multiple email breaks (i know i’m not the only one who does this) and just focusing on the task at hand. i think this will be an easy one to start with since i’m about to be overwhelmed with information and responsibility!

however, the corrollary to keeping work at work is to keep play (or rest, or leisure) separate. while i will still need to spend dedicated time at home on reading/prep/projects and the like, i want to set aside time for relaxation and make sure that work doesn’t seep into the cracks. (of course, this does NOT apply to the weeks i’ll be on 24/7 call — but that’s just reality in the medical field!).

week #2 will be devoted to tackling intimidating projects. specifically, i will work on implementing a good system for handling the multiple projects i will inevitably have going at once as well as getting started, one action at a time, on my research work.

week #3 will focus on improving my pre-work AM routine (yes, straight out of my resolutions).

week #4 will be devoted to teaching. i hope to create some good habits and routines to facilitate effective (and fun) teaching of med students/residents.

so there you have it! one goal to focus on each week, with the hopes of keeping up with the old as i add the new. hokey? perhaps. nerdy? quite likely. luckily, i’m at the point where i’m okay with either.

baking = magic
before i head off on my AM run, i have to share yesterday’s baking triumph! i volunteered to make customizable scones for whit‘s bake sale to benefit the crohn’s and colitis foundation (on my GI elective at the time, how could i say no??).

winner lauren asked for whole wheat orange cranberry scones with white chocolate. a quick search, and i had an easy recipe base! i used this recipe, and then used whole wheat pastry flour for half of the flour. i decreased the cranberries to 1/2 cup, but added 1/2 cup white chocolate chunks . . . and i have to say they came out really well!

pre-oven:

post! this is why baking is just magical to me. i guess really it’s just chemistry, but whoever figured it out back in the day gets my greatest respect.

the recipe makes 8 substantial scones (i mailed 6 that fit in the container i had, and just enjoyed one of the remaining ones for breakfast!).

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6.30.10

workout: 45 minutes on elliptical levels 9-12 (5 minutes warm-up before weights and 40 minutes after) + arms/abs from the SSU. doing tricep dips yesterday, i was surprised to notice that a) they felt easier and b) there was some visible definition in my arms that wasn’t there before! i have been doing these strength workouts for about a month now. definitely motivation to continue!

clean eating cookthrough: i made the super-easy sweet and sour chicken with some brown rice last night. except: apparently i was affected by pre-fellowship jitters (or the glass of wine i sipped while cooking?) because i forgot the pineapple as well as parsley that i had chopped to go on top!

it was still good. basically, give me some protein, vegetables, and a soy-based sauce with brown rice and i probably won’t complain. my only change (other than the accidental omissions noted above) was to use snap peas instead of green pepper.