2009 Goals

And so another year and another semester have come. Tomorrow, I start my second semester of graduate school. Now I know that I can survive it; happily, I also know that any correlations between my classes and picnics in the park would involve drawing analogy between me and ants. You know what I mean.

Anyway, the start of a year and a semester means time to make goals. Time to type them up here and periodically report on them. Time to make good on the goals, too, since--as Schmetterling pointed out--I have a few more people to be accountable to this year. (Although let's be honest: most of you would probably be kind enough not to call me out on a blog post where I admit to lapsing. Most of you. There are a select few who would leap on that sort of opportunity. So not allowing them any such opportunities will be excellent motivation to fulfill my goals.)

Last year, I paired confessions with resolutions; unluckily for all of you, I'm not feeling particularly confessional at this moment. At least, not confessional in the same manner I felt then. If that makes sense. I have no clever way of presenting my goals this year. So read 'em and weep (or you know, read 'em and encourage me . . . that would probably be a better tactic):

1. Establish a semi-regular sleep schedule. I say "semi-regular," because I am a graduate student. That means I study a lot. I read a lot. I write a lot. And while I'm studying, reading, and writing a lot . . . I also twirl my hair a lot. (Just thought I'd thrown in a random factoid about me. It has nothing to do with the goal, but you know you're not surprised.) Anyway, my professors expect a lot of me and I expect a lot of myself; naturally, this sometimes leads to late nights. However, such late nights should not always be followed by mornings in which I sleep in until 10. Instead, I will use my morning time to . . .

2. Exercise for at least twenty minutes each weekday. Yes, yes. I know it's cliche. And I also know that I need to do it more often. Last semester, I kept telling myself that all of the exercise I needed was the hike I often took up 200 South to campus. But that just isn't so. Besides, I already know that yoga is my friend. And though I do a few poses in the morning and at night, I tend to keep it to the shortest time span possible.

3. Go to the dentist. You may have noticed (astutely) that this goal is a repeat. It's a goal I failed at last year. But I will not fail at visiting a dentist this year. Before my back tooth falls out. Ignoring a tooth problem does not, it would seem, make it go away. (Silly I even attempted this method with teeth problems. I've already proved its lack of efficacy with boy problems and homework problems, among others.)

4. Keep my room clean. Yes, yes. Technically, we're almost two weeks into the year and I've already failed at this goal (you should see my room right now), but I figure that I can repent and do better for the rest of the year. After all, it would really be a pity if I managed to injure myself because I tripped over something in my room. And let's be honest: although I don't know where all of the bruises I tend to accrue come from, I do know that some of them come from less than graceful tripping moments. Tripping, that is, over clothes. Or books. Or papers. Besides, this ties into my next goal which is . . .

5. Curb some of my procrastinating tendencies. My A #1 way of procrastinating anything important (papers, homework, life choices) is to clean my room. Because let's face it: 95% of the time, my room needs to be cleaned. And by "cleaned," I unfortunately do not mean simply "tidied, dusted, and vacuumed." I mean "picked up, organized, de-junked, and then tidied, dusted and vacuumed." If my room is clean, I will have one less way to procrastinate.

6. Complete all of my homework in a timely fashion. Yea, verily, I shall start on it early and actually complete more than one or two drafts of my papers before I hand them in. Because honestly, I don't have a job at the moment. Graduate school is currently my full-time job, and--at least as of last semester--it needs to be. So since I have nothing interfering with my graciously meeting deadlines but myself, I am reforming myself. Or trying to, anyway.

And last but not least, 7. Don't make any silly goals that I know I can't keep. That is why you see no goals about gloating. No attempts at making myself slightly less a smart aleck this year. (Because really--where would the fun be in that?) No promises to not be silly, not react to things people say to me. I'm working on my realism.

And you, dear readers, because you love me so (or because you love to make me react so) . . . I am going to give you bi-monthly updates of my progress. Look for another post two weeks from today.

Remember, if I'm doing poorly: your mocking is my motivation.