2020 has not gone at all how anyone had hoped. Between a pandemic, police brutality (in the US), an election year (also in the US), continued racial injustice, and so many more events wreaking havoc on life, it’s been hard to accomplish much beyond just day-to-day survival. I want to finish the year strong, though, and hopefully start 2021 on a high note, so here is what I am hoping to accomplish in the last three months of 2020:
- Complete a research project. I have a research abstract and poster I’ve been wanting to put together since July. It’s a subject I’m actually excited about, but I’ve been struggling to force myself to sit down and just do it. The conference I’m wanting to present it at requires that abstracts be submitted in November, so it’s now or never (at least if I want to present it at this conference)!
- Spend less than 120 minutes on my phone each day. Right now I spend about three hours a day of wasted time on my phone (which I am embarrassed to even type out!!!). I do use my phone when I’m at the gym to watch Hulu or read on Kindle while I’m doing cardio, so I don’t count that as wasted time, I don’t count using Apple Maps to navigate as wasted time, etc. I would obviously like to get down to even less wasted time than two hours a day in the future, but I think two hours a day is realistic for now and it will be a huge improvement over what I am currently doing.
- Take a painting class. I love going to a local studio to take painting classes every so often. I am generally not a very artistic person, so this is a good outlet to practice some creativity. I usually like the results of my painting, too, and I find it very relaxing. I haven’t taken a class in a while though, but now that I’m reminding myself of how much I enjoy the classes, maybe I will try to take a couple in Q4!
- Continue eating healthier/exercising more. Due to various life circumstances, I had gained a lot of weight since graduating high school six years ago. On Memorial Day weekend, I decided that I was going to take control of my health, lose the weight I had gained, and eat healthier/exercise more, both for myself and to be a better example to my future patients. I’m happy to report that I’ve lost over 30 pounds since then. I have about 20 more I’d like to lose, so hopefully the pounds keep coming off like they have been the last four months.
- Hike most weekends. Fall is my favorite season. I love the milder weather and the beautiful leaves changing color. I love hiking year-round, but I want to make sure to hike almost every weekend this fall.
- Prepare for Step 1. I’ll be taking Step 1 of my boards next spring. I’ve started some light studying already, but I’ll be ramping up towards the end of Q4 to get my Step studying into full swing.
- Read more. I started out the year very strong as far as reading goes. I hit 100 books read in June, but since then my reading has slowed way down. I think in September I only read four books (which is a very small amount for me). I’m going to aim for two books a week for the rest of the year, so 26 books in Q4.
I’m sure I’ll come up with a few more things I want to add to this list, but I’m hoping that posting my goals will give me some accountability and help me to actually accomplish what I would like to with the remaining months of 2020. Here’s to hoping the rest of the year is a little better than the first nine months have been!
A Day In The Life Of Jara 