Winter Break Goal Breakdown

I made it through Clinical 1! I'm so grateful. I also finished the semester with [mostly] the grades I had hoped for. Now I'm trying to enjoy my winter break between semesters before the clinic madness begins again. I tend to use this season as a time to re-evaluate and reflect, and then come up with some goals for myself in the coming year. Here are some goals I have for the coming semester:

Career/Academic Goals:

• Pass my classes.  I know this goes without saying, but it's high on the priority list, so it's worth mentioning.
• Continue to improve time management skills. I've gotten a lot better at time management. I don't get so overwhelmed by all the responsibilities of life anymore. But I still see some room for improvement, especially in the following:
• Estimating and planning for an appropriate amount of time to finish tasks.
• Eliminating/resisting distractions and focusing on "work time". (Specifically internet and television).
• Staying a couple days ahead of schedule, whenever possible.
• Allowing time for other activities in my week that are important to me, such as exercise, cleaning my apartment, or catching up with close family and friends.
• Saying "no" without feeling guilty or fearful ("What will people think?")
• Become a better therapist.  I want to take advantage of whatever type of communication disorder I'm presented with in clinic and learn the most that I can about it. I want to push myself to use the best therapy techniques to the best of my ability and change things when necessary. I want to prioritize my client's needs and not let any of my own insecurities get in the way of the best intervention possible.

Health/Personal:

• Plan and commit to a regular fitness routine. Last year was a great year for me overall when it comes to fitness. I lost 20 lbs with the help of Weight Watchers online. But the last couple of months have been a slow and steady decline back into some of my old habits: making excuses for not exercising and mindlessly stuffing food into my face. I want to plan to exercise at least 5 days a week, in the evenings.
• Mindful eating. I'm about 15 lbs away from my goal weight, so I need to combine mindful, healthy eating with regular exercise in order to get there. I plan to count calories daily with the help of My FitnessPal, while leaving room for the occasional indulgence. 
• Meditation. I've been wanting to start meditating for a while now. My goal is to simply explore meditation and begin meditating 2-3 times a week.