New Semester Goals

So, Thinkery's posted some goals for the new semester that are definitely worth considering. As an academic type, semester goals make much more sense to me than New Year's goals--who can think clearly during the Holidays?

Anywho, here's my version, with the understanding that these are not fully developed SMART goals, but just the beginnings of them...

1. Write incrementally. (Already made a great start on this during the summer, so I'm looking forward to integrating it into the semester, too.)
2. Finish the damned diss. (Yes, it's do-able. It WILL happen. So there.)
3. Move more and drink more water. (Always on my resolutions lists!)
4. Stay off the internet during working hours. (Unlike Thinkery, I don't get a lot of phone calls, but the internet do suck me in.)
5. Value and honor the schedule I carefully construct in advance, so that I can enjoy my non-work time more thoroughly!
6. Learn that the week before my period is NEVER a good work week for me. Do not schedule important scholarly pursuits or major grading of papers during this time..

Organizationally, I'm getting much better. I don't feel like papers (bills, notes, records, etc.) are getting lost and thus controlling my life. I created a pretty bulletin board--color-coded, natch--that's divided into the four key components of my life:

• Household (pink)
• Scholarship (yellow)
• Teaching (green)
• Job Search (blue)
  

That I can lump all Household into a single category is a demonstration of my singlehood and rentership--I'm sure academom would scoff at this breakdown!

And today, strangely enough, my bulletin board generated its own to-do post-it; oddly categorized, yes, but still most intriguing. A yellow post-it appeared--beneath a similar post-it stating "Re-read Steven Johnson's Everything Bad..." and another ordering me to "Outline Watson Presentation"--but this post-it says: "Call A. and tell her you love her."

My bulletin board is soooo smart. Of course calling the GF will improve my scholarship. Why didn't I think of that before? In fact, let's make that an official goal:
7. Call/email/IM GF often and tell her how wonderful she is.