MICRO resolutions, take 1

the countdown begins: resolution #1
before i begin, i have to confess to something: i am a boring and repetitive old soul, at least when it comes to making new year’s resolutions. see for yourself, the proof is online, in black and white:

■ 2009
■ 2008
■ 2007
■ 2006
■ 2005

i realize that i make way too many. and yet while this year i am aiming for more measurable/specific goals, i have no intention of making fewer than 10 or so lofty promises to myself. there is just something irresistible to me about taking a telephoto-lens view of — well, LIFE — and identifying things i’d like to change, improve, adjust.

this year kicks off with a remake! hitting the books 2.0 (or, like 6.0, if i’m being honest).

while i’ve gotten much better about tackling big projects bit by bit, i still have not managed to make a solid block of studying part of my routine. the honest truth is that sometimes i’m just too drained by the work day to want to do ANYTHING related to hormones when i get home! but other times, i just get lazy. or i don’t know what to work on first.

i want each resolution i make this year to be MICRO [measurable, inspirational, concrete, realistic, obtainable], so i think i will actually use this format to elaborate on each one, starting with this one.

✔ measurable: i would like to spend at least 30 minutes on a near-daily basis studying/learning about various endo topics (and taking notes – totally agree with angeliki on how valuable this is, at least for my learning style)

✔ inspirational: my inspiration –> being a decent pediatric endocrinologist someday! there is so much to learn, and limited time to do it in.

✔ concrete: things i would like to accomplish within this goal are filling up my (pretty but underused!) endo notebook, and a non-embarrassing in-training exam score next year (because this spring is already a lost cause).

✔ realistic: to eliminate guilt on the days i get home late after writing a million notes and discharge summaries, this goal applies specifically to weekdays that i arrive home before 6:30 pm. on weekends, i will spend time on bigger projects, if needed (grants, presentations, etc). [and if not needed, then i will enjoy life and not pressure myself to even think about work. so there!]

✔ obtainable: “obtainable” is why i chose 30 minutes as length of time, although of course i am ‘allowed’ to spend longer if i am so inclined on any given day!

there you have it! will the MICRO approach finally allow me to go 10 for 10 on next year’s resolutions? i doubt it. but perhaps it will help me better frame my aspirations for a better chance at success.

what are some of your resolutions this year? if you blog and have posted about them, i would love to read them, and i will compile a list to go up at the end of the year.

apartment therapy: #8 + #9
yes: still going strong on the cure!

day 8‘s challenge was to establish a landing strip. i actually did not have much to do here, as we already have an at-the-front-door system set up and (i think) pretty decent post-work routines.

and i deserve none of the credit! josh bought this little cabinet from IKEA initially to keep under his desk, but then decided it would work well next to the door. i suppose having my gym bag (ready to grab and with some easy-to-find winter gear on top) on the floor next to it isn’t exactly the most elegant solution, but it doesn’t bother me.

the top drawer of this cabinet slides out to reveal several at-the-front-door essentials: keys, our apartment gym key, thumb drive, running watches, etc.

coats generally go in the closet (with one easy-to-grab jacket for each of us normally on these hooks).

frequently-worn shoes go in a line on the front landing — and we always remove them here upon coming home.

once the outer layers are off, i haul my giant bag into ‘my office’ (heh) and immediately go through the mail, recycling the junk, putting magazines in a stack in the closet (they go there on their way to my gym bag!), and ideally putting any lunch containers in the dishwasher. this last step sometimes gets skipped, leading to gross things a day or two later — but josh is helping me reform.

i really like to make sure this surface stays relatively uncluttered and usable, especially when i’m on call! it’s no fun to scramble around looking for a notebook or pen while the pager is going off — having a workstation already set up definitely takes away some of the pain.

[and, provides a nice environment for studying — ie, resolution #1!]

day 9‘s challenge was to — are you ready for this!? — find a recipe and cook dinner. um, okay . . .

not a problem.

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12.21.10

workout report:
monday –> 45 minute ashtanga yoga session from yogadownload. this session was hard and i definitely had to greatly modify some of the poses towards the end! it will give me something to shoot for.

tuesday –> 5 miles (ish) outside in CH.

dinner x 2: i did like this chicken tetrazzini casserole from this month’s CE, but with a number of steps [roast the chicken; cook the pasta; chop, cook & blend the vegetables] it took a pretty long time to make!

first i enjoyed it on my own with some dinnertime reading material . . .
and then i sat with josh while he had some too (he got home at 8:30 pm and i was unable to wait that long).