2013 - Goals!

Another new year is already here! I've always thought the new year was sort of an arbitrary time to start working on improving our lives, but I figure it's as good a time as any to re-focus on what I want to improve on.

I know that most of these aren't "SMART" goals, but more like "areas of focus" that I'm hoping to work on this year, but I'm okay with that.

Personal/Health

• Stay hydrated. I feel so much better when I'm drinking enough water. It should be easy, especially now that I don't drink pop, but I don't do so well on days when I'm really busy in lab

• Sleep. I have to wake up at a reasonable time now with Pod, but sometimes I crawl back into bed after... I need to make an effort to be in bed before 1 am so I'm more likely to get up and stay up. 

• Work out. This is the big one- I've been struggling for years now to get into a routine and keep up with my fitness. I really, really need to make an effort this year to do SOMETHING active, every day, and take charge of my health once and for all.

Lab/School

• Stay ahead of deadlines. In 2012 I really didn't do well to stay ahead of deadlines. I was up late working on drafts for two reviews, on slides for my committee meetings, and on slides for practice talks before my conference. With at least 1 review, and hopefully 1-2 papers to write in the next year-ish, committee meetings, journal club, and seminars, I need to get things done before late the night before. There's almost always time, I just don't use it wisely enough.

• Keep working hard, but work to avoid burnout. I think when I work hard all day, every day, and then come home and keep working or thinking about work, after a couple of weeks I get burned out and stop being as productive - then I get behind on deadlines, don't get enough sleep, and don't get enough done. Weeks when I come home and do a little paper reading or writing or work a little on some slides, but then do some blogging or read for fun, I come in the next day refreshed and ready to work hard again.

Finances

• Open a rewards card. Our credit union got rid of the rewards associated with their card ages ago, and we just haven't applied for a new one yet. We'll keep the old cards to use now and then to keep an older account open (and to have a back-up in case the other card gets lost or stolen), but there's no reason that 2 people who are responsible with credit cards shouldn't be getting rewards :)

• Max out 2012 Roth IRAs and be on track to max out for 2013. We're on track for 2012, and with the increased contribution limit for 2013 we'll just have to shift a little more money this way. It shouldn't be a problem, but we'll have to either cut back somewhere or reduce our short-term savings contributions. 

• Be prepared for student loans to come due. Graduation is still a ways off, but we've got nearly $14,000 of subsidized loans between us that will be due after we graduate. We don't want to pay any interest on these, so we'll need to start setting something aside NOW to pay them off before they're due. Still debating between opening a separate account or just keeping note of how much in the account is "set aside" for these loans.

I hope you all have a great year!