My Resolutions for 2020
Even after revising my resolutions for 2019, I failed to adequately anticipate the time demands the start of medical school would place on me. Suffice it to say, I made meager progress on my goals for 2019, save for still managing to read 69 books and riding my bike nearly every day since matriculating in August.
For the coming year, I'm aiming for fewer goals, each of which are formed with the SMART criteria in mind.
Fitness
Meet specific weight-lifting benchmarks
Specific and Measurable:
Bench press 225 lbs. (about 1.5x my bodyweight) for five repetitions over five sets (5x5)
Deadlift 300 lbs. (about 2x my bodyweight) (5x5)
Squat 250 lbs. (about 1.75x my bodyweight) (5x5)
Achievable:
Moderately. Although I am currently able to allocate about five hours a week to fitness, I will start clinical rotations in October 2020, which will present new demands on my time.
Realistic:
Very, provided I am sufficiently disciplined to lift weights about three times a week.
Timeframe:
Meet these benchmarks by December 31st, 2020
Bring my palms to the ground in a standing forward bend
Specific and Measurable:
Very. Whether or not I'm able to perform this movement should come as a yes-or-no binary.
Achievable:
Very. I estimate the time allocation needed to achieve this level of flexibility to be at most 15 minutes per week, or about two minutes per day.
Realistic:
Very. I am fortunate to still be young and relatively spry. I am not particularly muscle-bound nor do I have any physical disabilities that would preclude this movement. My weight-lifting goals, however, are at odds with this flexibility goal, which may lead to meager success.
Timeframe:
Meet this goal by December 31st, 2020
Academic
Contribute to a manuscript that will be submitted to an academic journal
Specific and Measurable:
I'm currently involved in two projects that may lead to manuscripts in 2020, although there is natural uncertainty about whether that work will be published. My degree of "contribution" will be measured by whether or not I've earned a place among the co-authors on the manuscript.
Achievable:
Moderately. I have a great deal of interest in the aforementioned projects, so I doubt that I will lack for motivation.
Realistic:
Very. Given that I'm not necessarily expecting our work to be published immediately, I'd say this goal is grounded in reality.
Timeframe:
Meet this goal by December 31st, 2020
Read 20 books
Specific and Measurable:
In years past, I've been somewhat indiscriminate in the books I read. I would routinely check out whatever title caught my eye on the "New Arrivals" shelf at the library. This year, I'm hoping to be much more deliberate with which books I read, especially because there will be so few.
Achievable:
Very. In the last two years I read over 150 books. While the reduced time I'm facing presents a challenge, reading 20 books should be a cinch.
Realistic:
Very. I absolutely love to read and don't expect that I will lack for motivation.
Timeframe:
Meet this goal by December 31st, 2020
Achieve B1 fluency in Spanish (CEFR)
Specific and Measurable:
I won't be taking a formal assessment at year's end to evaluate my fluency in Spanish, but I'm hoping that the specificity of this level of fluency will provide a needed benchmark. Conversing with my Spanish-speaking friends will also provide a gauge.
Achievable:
Moderately. I already have familiarity with Spanish and with the Internet have no shortage of education resources at my fingertips.
Realistic:
Doubtful. To reach B1 fluency in Spanish, most sources I've found recommend about 350-400 hours of study. As I'm not a complete novice, I expect I'll instead need between 200-300. Over a year, 250 hours averages to about 5 hours per week, which would quickly prove unsustainable. I'm hoping to spend about a half-hour studying Spanish at least four days a week.
Timeframe:
Meet this goal by December 31st, 2020
Environmental
Reduce consumption of plastic and goods that enter landfills
Specific and Measurable:
I plan to make fewer orders on Amazon (limited to one per quarter) and avoid buying items with disposable packaging (limited to five per week)
Achievable:
Moderately. Monitoring how many orders I make on Amazon will be far easier than keeping track of how much trash I generate. Still, I can make conscious choices to not buy or receive products that will generate waste.
Realistic:
Moderately. A quick assessment suggests that most garbage I generate stems from packaging for food items, such as frozen fruit bags. Switching to items that have recyclable packaging may be somewhat cost-prohibitive, making this resolution more difficult to sustain.
Timeframe:
Achieve this resolution by December 31st, 2020