-Getting my readings and homework done on time every week. But like, duh. I think having a physical to-do list all up in my face on my desk will help with this, because I am one of those people who gets immense satisfaction out of putting checkmarks in little boxes.
-Working out every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon. On Tuesdays I only have class from 9AM to 1PM and on Thursdays I don’t have any class until 6PM, so that leaves my afternoons wide open for treadmill time or yoga or whatevs. I’ve been working out semi-regularly for the past few months but always just “when I felt like it” and not on any sort of schedule. It would be nice to have it be regimented, built into my routine, so I would definitely do it.
-Some kind of Sunday ritual where I summarize the past week’s achievements for myself and map out the next week’s tasks and goals. I was reading about Sunday rituals on Cal Newport’s blog today and his suggestions are fucking raaaaad, but they are also very focused on studying and academic goals, because that’s his thing; I want my Sunday ritual to acknowledge all aspects of my life. If I fucked up in one of my relationships or ate poorly or didn’t work out or didn’t get enough sleep, I want that stuff to be acknowledged when I assess what went wrong and how to fix it.
-More pitching, more writing. Maybe part of my Sunday ritual could be generating 3-5 pitch ideas, writing them up and sending them off. My portfolio is finally big enough and prestigious enough that I feel proud to send the link to publications at the bottom of my pitches. This is exciting.
-Daily morning pages on 750words.com. Okay, this is ALWAYS one of the goals I set when starting a new chapter of life and I never seem to stick with it for some reason. Well, I know the reason: it’s that I can never be bothered to get up early enough to do it. But this semester I only have one 9AM day and the rest range from 11AM to 6PM (!) so there’s really no excuse. GET ON IT, KATE. (If you’re wondering why I pressure myself to do morning pages, the reason is that they make me hella creative and focused. They’re a tool from Julia Cameron’s amazing book The Artist’s Way and that lady knows what she’s talking about when it comes to creativity and artist output.)
-Read for pleasure if at all possible. I’ll have a lot of reading to do this semester but I want to finish my big re-read of the Harry Potter series, dammit.
-Wear jewelry from my extensive collection more often.
-Journal daily or semi-daily. More documentation all the time. Yes yes yes.
-Set aside Friday as a “work date” day. That means dragging myself to a coffee shop or library, either alone or with a friend, with my laptop and a good chunk of whatever work needs to be done for school that week. I might have Friday off or I might have a class from 10AM to 1PM – that part of my schedule isn’t solidified yet – but either way, I can find the time to get some work done on that day.
What goals are you setting for this semester?