We’re now entering the last quarter of the year; and I’ve realized that I’m almost a week late in posting my summary of how September went. So there is only 92 days left in the year (and when this gets posted—basically only like 85 or 86 days left in the year). I had hopes that by this time, I would have been further along in some areas (like networking and the job search), but I’m not—and I realize that in part that is due to my own mental issues (anxiety being the number one issue), and that I need to just make a master plan and slowly work towards that goal. I’ve also realized that I didn’t post that much last month–my apologies; things have been crazy lately and in the evenings I realize that I tended to either try to do things for my transition plan or just veg out on the computer–going to try to be better and more diligent in how I spend on my time on the computer this last quarter of the year (so there might be even more posts coming–who knows 🙂 ).
In terms of the goals for September, lets look back at what I set as goals and how I did with each one. The goals for the most part really aren’t changing that much, as there are certain things that if I keep on the list, they will slowly become a habit, and the list is just a reminder of things that I want to try to be better at compared to the day before.
So my goals for September included:
At least 420,000 steps
Shakeology daily (breakfast or dinner)
Reading (or finishing) at least 3 non-fiction books & writing (and posting) a review.
Writing & posting reviews for other non-fiction books I’ve read (see above—the list is currently at 5, but could go up to 7).
Packing my lunch daily, including more healthy snacks, & not buying any sweets on campus
Trying to start repacking boxes in my storage unit
Walking at Boomer Lake at least one morning on the weekend
Keeping a money log & have at least 2 consecutive no spend days
Finishing LIIFT4 and starting Shift Shop
Working through the various e-courses that I bought, taking notes and posting a summary of it on the blog
Working on the transition plan for industry (again there will hopefully be a weekly blog summary about what I’ve managed to accomplish that week in terms of the progress on getting from academia to industry).
Network, network, and more networking.
Restart the photography challenge (yet again).
So how did I do with each one?
At least 420,000 steps: So even though there was several days that I didn’t hit my minimum step goal of 14K, I still managed to surpass the step goal of 420K steps. By the end of the month I managed to get 477,524 steps for the month. This has brought me to a yearly total so far of: 4,056,116 steps. So if I can at least managed 11-12K a day, I should be hitting the 5 million mark by Dec 31st.
Shakeology daily (breakfast or dinner)
Missed three days this month (all were towards the end of the month and on the weekends). As the weather starts getting cooler, that is where I really start having troubles of drinking my shakeology daily—there is nothing worse than either not being hungry or it being rather chilly and forcing myself to have the shake. I’ve notice that when I’m slightly stressed out (which I’ve been this month), I can only finish probably about three-fourths of a shake before my stomach starts to rebel. I might have to try to figure out another breakfast for the week, and take the shake and supplements to work to have as a snack.
Reading (or finishing) at least 3 non-fiction books & writing (and posting) a review.
So it’s been a long month and year—I think I’ve finished at least two books. Though one of them I’d posted within my review of August saying I’d finished it then. So maybe I’ve only finished a book and a half this month.
The one book I know I’ve finished this month was: “What your clutter is trying to tell you: Uncover the message in the mess and reclaim your life” by Kerri L. Richardson. As of September 21 I’m about half way through “Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us” by Daniel H. Pink.
Writing & posting reviews for other non-fiction books I’ve read (see above—the list is currently at 5, but could go up to 7).
This looks like it will be something that I can work on during a long holiday break, or possibly in the evenings when I travel and have nothing else to do in the hotel.
Packing my lunch daily, including more healthy snacks, & not buying any sweets on campus
The only day that I didn’t pack my lunch for was the last Friday of the month—I wasn’t really that hungry, plus realized that I left my lunch bag at work. I grabbed a fruit cup and spicy rolls on campus. In addition, I’ve managed to limit what I purchase on campus to a fruit cup and a bagel once a week (if that). So I managed to pack a lunch 18 out 19 workdays this month.
Trying to start repacking boxes in my storage unit
Well this one is a complete bust. I was going to try to take another mental break to recharge at the end of the month, but considering the bust of last months’ mental health break (being told that unless I was having mental issues I can’t use sick leave). Repacking the storage unit (plus moving boxes of stuff up there) will probably be waiting until Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks.
Walking at Boomer Lake at least one morning on the weekend
So I have managed to do this basically every weekend (though now I’m waking up a little more before heading out since it’s dark when the alarm goes off). I will need to invest in a good pair of boots that I can wear during the winter months (both on the walks & to work). I have quite a few pictures that I need to upload to the computer and then decide which ones will become a post for the blog.
Keeping a money log & have at least 2 consecutive no spend days
I’ve had consecutive no spend days, but I haven’t really kept a money log this month. In fact I haven’t really even written in my journal this month either. But since I’m limiting myself to a fruit cup and a bagel no more than once a week—I’ve managed to save quite a bit of money.
Finishing LIIFT4 and starting Shift Shop
Well I finished LIIFT4 and managed to lose about 7 pounds and almost 16 inches over all. I spent about a week debating on whether or not to start a second round, start Shift Shop again, or make a hybrid calendar for the rest of the year (mainly because I’m thinking of going to at least two networking events that would require travel, and therefore there will be at least two days for each trip that I probably wouldn’t be doing a workout (the days spent getting to and from—since there are really no direct flights from Oklahoma to either coast).
Working through the various e-courses that I bought, taking notes and posting a summary of it on the blog
Well this also really never happened this month. In part due to stress of various things (both work and at home), but mainly because I’ve been super tired. It will be put back on the goal list for October.
Working on the transition plan for industry (again there will hopefully be a weekly blog summary about what I’ve managed to accomplish that week in terms of the progress on getting from academia to industry).
I’ve been working on the transition plan, but haven’t really made many blog posts about it. But I’m pretty sure that there will be a few more coming over the next few months as I try to really put more energy into the transition plan, networking, and trying to set up informational interviews.
Network, network, and more networking.
Well, this is something that I try to work on, but I’m also incredibly slow at doing. I did go to the business career fair this month—and it reminded me why I don’t like going to those kinds of events on campus. It was held in a “smallish” location, it was crowded, hot, and for me super noisy. I also realize that I still need to try to figure out what it is I want really want to do before going to events like that so it doesn’t feel like I’m wasting my time.
Restart the photography challenge (yet again).
Well I’ve been taking photos and posting them on instagram (usually of my night tarot/oracle card readings), but haven’t been posting that often onto the blog. Part of the problem is that I’m doing these reading usually right before I meditate at night, so my laptop is already turned off for the night and I usually then forget to put a reminder to make a blog post about it the next day. So I’m thinking that I’m probably going to need to figure out how to restart the challenge to where I also post (at least weekly) on the blog.
So what will my goals for October look like?
434,000 steps (This is still basically 14K/day; it may be less or it may be more—it depends on if I do any traveling this month).
Trying to have my shakeology daily (breakfast, dinner, or snack)
Read (or finish) at least 3 non-fiction books
Start working though the list of books that I’ve finished, but haven’t written a review over:
Science of Intelligent Achievement by Isaiah Hankel
Self Talk: How to train your brain to turn negative thinking into positive thinking & practice self love by Aston Sanderson
Minimalist Living: Declutter your home, schedule, and digital life for simple living (and discover why less is more) by Aston Sanderson
Rewire your Habits: Establish Goals, Evolve your habits, & improve your relationships, health, finances, and free time by Zoe McKey
Thinking in Bets: making smart decisions when you don’t have all the facts by Annie Duke.
What your clutter is trying to tell you: Uncover the message in the mess and reclaim your life by Kerri L. Richardson
Limit what I buy on campus (pack lunch daily, including snacks)
Start another workout program (or a mix of programs—may combine LIIFT4 with InsanityMax30)
Start going through the different e-courses that I’ve bought, taking notes and posting summaries on the blog
Continue working on the transition plan (again hopefully weekly summaries for blog)
As usual—continue networking and adding value to connections on linkedin
Work on my photography challenge (probably try to restart it in the middle of the month).
Start working on more science blogs posts for the page as well.
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