Family Goals:
❏ Figure out December trip! We might meet my sister in Amelia Island (approx halfway between us & we can both drive) if she can take the time off . . . hoping because I HAVE NOT MET MY NIECE YET!!
❏ Contact my friend who started our estate planning and would have finished if Josh and I hadn’t gotten totally distracted by a move that was now almost 2 years ago. Oops!
❏ Sign A&C up for ?weekly horseback riding lessons later in fall. This will probably be more pleasant once it isn’t so hot, anyway.
❏ Focus on evenings with the kids. I am really determined to make these better! Just the post-work / prebedtime / bedtime routine in general.
Self Goals:
❏ Take clothes to tailor. This has been on my list for an embarrassingly long time and I feel like this will be the month I deal with it! To hem: 2 pairs of jeans, 1 pair of pants, 1 skirt, 1 dress. IT SHOULDN’T BE THIS HARD!
❏ Finish LIIFT4. I have 2.5 weeks left (after today) so I think this is likely to happen barring any unexpected injury or illness! And then . . . I might actually repeat it! I really like the program and the fact that I can fit in at least a tiny bit of running (2x/week) along with the workouts.
❏ Operation 100. My main focus. Going well so far. I AM DETERMINED.
Work Goals:
❏ Successful interview season kickoff (all virtual this year). This is October’s big project!
❏ Continue Wellcoaches training. I’m doing this with the intent of starting a mini-coaching program for the residents. I also think I may incorporate some of the strategies into patient care! It has been fun so far.
❏ Location/finance issue. Has to do with how we capture data about where the residents are each day. It’s as boring as it sounds, but I need to figure it out.
❏ Start QI project / work on MOC2/4. In order to remain board certified I need to get on these. (I expire in Dec 2021 so I have a year but . . . time to start. I don’t mind as much as some people do — being forced to answer questions & do mini quality improvement projects is for me actually sort of fun, but I also get why others find it intrusive and overly time consuming. I am lucky to have a job with space to get things like this done and it’s definitely the exception rather than the norm in medicine. #gratitude)
Blog Etc
❏ Attempt one video (for Best Laid Plans purposes, really). I don’t know – I’m very intimidated by this but I know it can’t be THAAAAT hard. (Right?)
❏ Email: Some future possible guests. We will see!
Spending
❏ Figure out actual $ spent thus far this year.
❏ Figure out actual $ saved this year. Aiming for 20% gross (not including 529 savings – retirement only). I think we will get there. I am looking forward to 2021 being a bit less complicated financially because we will be smarter about withholdings from the very start and therefore shouldn’t owe any unexpected taxes (this year we owed quite a bit for 2019 and then had to do a big lump sum for 2020 to avoid underpaying this year).
PS: No results yet and everyone in our house is now fine! JUST got neg result. Woohoo! I also found out there’s a testing site that will give you results in 6 hrs. Next time I’m going there.
12 Comments
I love the start of a new month and did something similar this am. A big work month here: I have a 2 grant/fellowship applications due, a revised paper to resubmit, and hopefully will receive the peer review back on another paper so I can finish off those changes. Also need to finish my book proposal – 1 proposal and 2 sample chapters. It’s revisiting my PhD and it is so so painful. Luckily I’m working with lovely co-authors.
On top of this, we’re trying to sell our flat and buy a house, but the market is really competitive and I’m feeling a bit demoralized by the whole process and overwhelmed with the thought of renting while we find something to buy, particularly as another lockdown looks likely.
And we still only have 50% of our normal childcare because of capacity constraints. I thought about finding care for the off days but we’re muddling through and honestly, I think that would increase our risk of having to self-isolate and ending up with 0 childcare during that period.
Trying to be zen but failing a bit, but making a list and ticking things off does seem to help.
Your “it shouldn’t be this hard” comment resonated with me as I often find myself in the same boat. I recently read an Anne Helen Petersen article on this precise topic – How Millennials Became The Burnout Generation. It provides some interesting historical context, and I think you may enjoy it too!
Think I just heard your suggestion for helping your children eat more vegetables on the Happier podcast – I’m sure that can count as a goal achieved!
Meant to post this as a reply to the main blog…PS really enjoyed hearing your sister on BOBW
Ha – yep, that was me!!! So funny. And unexpected!
Yay for negative tests. I’ve been tested twice – the first place mailed out results A WEEK LATER if you were negative. Talk about a PITA. We went to a different place the 2nd time and had our results in about 14 hours which is great! But 6 hours is AMAZING!
Ugh taxes. We always have to pay in, even w/ allowances at 0. But it’s partially because some of my husband’s income isn’t w-2d, so we have to estimate what we own on that. He makes extra tax payments and we STILL end up owing money. But I do not complain because I know we are fortunate to work in a highly compensated (but extremely volatile!!) industry and we plan for it. Then I see Trump paid $750 in taxes 2 years in a row and I think – WTF. I don’t want to pay that low – that is just not right. But the fact that he can pay so little is just HORRIBLE. End rant.
I am 2 months out from maternity leave so this month I’m focusing on preparing for my leave/training the guy who is taking over all my work when I am out for my 20 week leave!
Curious as to the Covid test. How did it feel to have done? Did it hurt? And for your daughter was it painful? Our daughter lives in Boston and MA demands at the airport a negative test….. my husband got a negative and will visit her…. said it was not a good feeling. Thanks for your thoughts.
It was my third test and the most gentle 🙂 At work they do both nostrils – this time it was one! It isn’t fun but it’s over in 5 seconds. Much easier than labor 🙂
Genevieve did cry but got over it in about 2 minutes. The sad part was that she initially laughed b/c she’s so good natured and thought it was going to be like a tickle but then she cried when they went deeper – SAD!!! But again – 5 min later she was normal. And can tell you all about it 🙂
I did a Liift4/ Barre Blend hybrid earlier this summer which was fun. I feel like I may want to try the full Liift 4 program sometime too. Those HIIT workouts were pretty intense too, I thought!
It’s me, your fashion angel 🙂 How about giving yourself a reward for going to the tailor? Scheduling it in along with a stop somewhere beautiful? Consider it alone time in the car away from the kids on a weekend? Just trying to help!
I’ve been using the MBF/MBFA Beachbody programs along with running and find them a good complement. They are each 3 week programs, 7 days/week. I did all the workouts the first time around but found it hard to get more than a few miles in per day, so now I do 2-3 strength days and 5 running days, and it’s been a good mix. That program also has a weekly workout they call Dynamic Recovery (stretching/yoga) that I LOVE and really look forward to on a rest day. I’ll have to check out the LIIFT4 program, too!
I have some similar goals…also on the same MOC cycle as you. I also don’t mind a QI project if it matches something I care about.