But now I need to start thinking about the future. I've got a lot of goals, a lot of things I want, but I've discovered from experience that disorganization and over-commitment are what typically cause me to fail, or at least, an unnecessary amount of stress. I started thinking about all this when I picked up one of my Dad's magazines while I was home. The magazine is called Real Simple, and I'd never heard of it, but I like it a lot. Seems full of good tips, so I've decided I'm going to use their website as a guide in this process.
So first of all, I need to delineate some goals. We're coming up on September 1, which will mark the beginning of the last third of the year. I've accomplished some great stuff so far, but it's been in sort of a haphazard way, so now I'm going to try to make a more concerted effort to figure out what's really (really) important to me, and work towards that. I have a habit of trying to do too much, of spreading myself too thin, which makes me less effective. I'm going to stop trying to wing it, and do what I always do... blog it. This might all bore you to tears, so I'll try to title entries more effectively so you can skip over things you aren't interested in.
But here's my three goals for the rest of the year:
#1 Seriously increase the amount of writing and reading I do. This is important to me, because I need to decide if pursuing a career in writing is really what I want to do. If I can't bring myself to write, then going to grad school for an MFA is probably not in the cards. I realize that this is going to require sacrifice, so I think what I'll have to give up my goal of becoming really proficient in Korean. I'm not going to cut studying out altogether, but I'm going to limit it to about half an hour a day, and just see where I get with that. I'm starting to get really practical about the proficiency I'm going to be able to accomplish in my remaining time, and I think focusing on writing, or at least trying to, is a better investment of my time.
The plan:
September- Blog every day, TFA application
October- Write every other day for an hour
November- Complete NaNoWriMo! Write 1,700 words a day until the novel is done.
December- Edit the novel and do serious research into MFA programs
I need to get as much of my TFA application as possible done in September and October, so I can just be putting the finishing touches on it in December. It also means I should finish the application to UCF in September, so there's no hitches and it's out of the way. The only thing I need to figure out for that is the proof of residency, or whatever. But the sooner I do that, the sooner I can be sure that I get the class I need.
#2 Save $4,500 before I go home.
This should be fairly straightforward. It's $1125 a month. But I'm also going to start thinking a lot about budgeting, and start learning as much as I can about money management.
#3 Lose this last 20 pounds.
Let's get real: It's one pound a week. I feel so much more confident after succeeding in maintaining while at home and learning to cook a few healthy (and delicious!) things with my Mom. And buying all those size 10/size L things was so validating. I've got new workout clothes and I'm ready to do it. Run twice a week, walk on the other days, lift weights 4 times a week, and cut down on snacking. I'm not going to obsess about it. I'm just going to be confident and do it. I feel especially good about this one.
So first of all, I need to delineate some goals. We're coming up on September 1, which will mark the beginning of the last third of the year. I've accomplished some great stuff so far, but it's been in sort of a haphazard way, so now I'm going to try to make a more concerted effort to figure out what's really (really) important to me, and work towards that. I have a habit of trying to do too much, of spreading myself too thin, which makes me less effective. I'm going to stop trying to wing it, and do what I always do... blog it. This might all bore you to tears, so I'll try to title entries more effectively so you can skip over things you aren't interested in.
But here's my three goals for the rest of the year:
#1 Seriously increase the amount of writing and reading I do. This is important to me, because I need to decide if pursuing a career in writing is really what I want to do. If I can't bring myself to write, then going to grad school for an MFA is probably not in the cards. I realize that this is going to require sacrifice, so I think what I'll have to give up my goal of becoming really proficient in Korean. I'm not going to cut studying out altogether, but I'm going to limit it to about half an hour a day, and just see where I get with that. I'm starting to get really practical about the proficiency I'm going to be able to accomplish in my remaining time, and I think focusing on writing, or at least trying to, is a better investment of my time.
The plan:
September- Blog every day, TFA application
October- Write every other day for an hour
November- Complete NaNoWriMo! Write 1,700 words a day until the novel is done.
December- Edit the novel and do serious research into MFA programs
I need to get as much of my TFA application as possible done in September and October, so I can just be putting the finishing touches on it in December. It also means I should finish the application to UCF in September, so there's no hitches and it's out of the way. The only thing I need to figure out for that is the proof of residency, or whatever. But the sooner I do that, the sooner I can be sure that I get the class I need.
#2 Save $4,500 before I go home.
This should be fairly straightforward. It's $1125 a month. But I'm also going to start thinking a lot about budgeting, and start learning as much as I can about money management.
#3 Lose this last 20 pounds.
Let's get real: It's one pound a week. I feel so much more confident after succeeding in maintaining while at home and learning to cook a few healthy (and delicious!) things with my Mom. And buying all those size 10/size L things was so validating. I've got new workout clothes and I'm ready to do it. Run twice a week, walk on the other days, lift weights 4 times a week, and cut down on snacking. I'm not going to obsess about it. I'm just going to be confident and do it. I feel especially good about this one.
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