Prospective: Resolutions.

I love New Years Resolutions. I love setting goals, I love making lists, and I love checking boxes (side note: this is why medicine is a good fit for me). So, naturally, creating new years resolutions is right up my alley.

Coming up with resolutions for 2016 was honestly a bit daunting. For one, 2016 is going to be a year of a lot of change. I'm going to graduate. I'm going to learn how to be a doctor. I might move, and, while 2016 isn't going to be our wedding year, there's a good chance Ben and I will finally live in the same place. That's a lot.

Equally complicated, however, is the element of time. Because of the changes in 2016, the time available to me is also in flux. Right now, and especially in the next few months, time is a resource I have a lot of. I could potentially do things like: train for another marathon, read 1 book/week, do half an hour (or more!) of Spanish daily, or work through the MKSAP17. However, in six months, things are (I think) going to look different and these goals won't be realistic. For this coming year, time is like an accordion-- stretched out and abundant, then compressed and sacred.

How do these things lend themselves to resolutions?

I'll be honest: I'm not sure. I've (obviously) never been a doctor before, so I don't really know what residency is like or what sort of personal goals I should try to keep. I actually thought about having two sets of resolutions-- one for the first half of the year, one for the second-- but I wasn't crazy about that, either. I like the idea of establishing some new healthy habits now, so that by the time residency rolls around, they're second nature.

So, without further rambling: my resolutions.

1. Move Daily.
I'd like this to be a combination of regular running (with training for at least one real race), regular strength training (spaghetti arms no more!), and yoga (suffice it to say, I've fallen in love.) However, I also like the idea of being an "exercise omnivore" and trying new things, so I've purposely left this vague. As long as I do something active every day, I'm doing okay.

2. Drink Water.
I'm going to way undershoot this one, and say at least one bottle (16 oz) per day. That's not a lot, but I'm horrible at drinking water, so I'm starting small.

3. Read Books.
I'm going to shoot for 26 over the year, or an average of one every two weeks. Most of these will probably be read during the first half of the year, but I hope to at least do a little non-medical reading during residency. For my past several books, I've had a pattern of alternating fiction with non-fiction. That seems to work well for me, so I plan to keep doing it.

4. Keep Learning.
Similar to goal number 2, I'm going to way lowball on this one and aim for at least 15 minutes of medical reading per day. This one isn't an average-- I'm hoping on even my craziest wards day I can fit in at least 15 minutes of reading UpToDate or a pocket guide. Obviously, I hope to way overshoot this during the first part of the year, and do quite a bit of learning (ASH modules and MKSAP, I'm looking at you!)

5. Be Reliable
This goad is actually very specific: I want to answer all communication within 24 hours of it hitting my inbox/mailbox/phone. I am horrible about responding to things and there is NO. EXCUSE. I know I'm "busy", but I've known too many crazy-busy people who answer emails within minutes to buy that for a second. If I'm going to be the sort of reliable, organized, and responsible person I'd like to be, it means being timely and responsive. BOOM.

Finally, I hope to cultivate an attitude of gratitude (that's cheesy, and I know it, and I love it). I don't really have something quantitative I can attach to this, so I didn't make it a formal resolution, but it's something I do want to keep in my mind for the upcoming year. I am very fortunate. I have a wonderful family and fiance and friends. I have a career I love filled with exciting research and wonderful patients. I never want to lose sight of that.